Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez are the masterminds behind “Grindhouse”. This double-feature, which tops three hours, is chock-filled with sex, violence and everything else that can be seen in B-horror flicks from the 1970s, which was, the creators say, actually the point.

This week’s must-see rental dates back to 1974 where it caused an uproar, started a phenomenon, and has achieved cult status. We’re talking about the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”.

The story goes like this: After hearing that the graveyard where her grandfather is buried has been vandalized, Sally (Marilyn Burns), her brother Franklin (Paul A. Partain), boyfriend Jerry (Allen Danziger) and friends Pam (Teri McMinn) and Kirk (William Vail) decide to check things out. After making a side-trip to her grandfather’s abandoned farm, Sally and the others soon realize that the house next door belongs to the infamous “Leatherface” (Gunnar Hansen) and his family, and must try to escape with their lives.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this film is that it is still able to hold up today. It’s still plenty creepy – being pursued by a chainsaw-wielding psychopath in the middle of Nowhere, Texas is still scary, more than 30 years later. And, so it seems, never gets old: It spawned three sequels (one of which stars young up-and-coming actors Renee Zellweger and ‘Mr. Shirtless’ himself, Matthew McConaughey), a 2003 “reinvention” and last year’s blood-soaked prequel.

So, whether you’re a horror fanatic, a low-budget film connoisseur or just plain curious, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is the perfect choice in trying to appreciate the artistic retrospective avenue Tarantino and Rodriguez have steered us down.

Stacie Wieland is a movie critic for the

Northern Star.