And then a film like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) comes along, which demonstrates what the absence of a mommy figure can do to a family—turning men into deranged cannibals, hunting women and other victims for pleasure. Without a woman in the house, the family unit in TCM is deprived of their social sense and meaning. They have no sense of moral wrongdoing without mom around to slap their wrist and send them to their room to think about what they did.
The Baby deals with the exact opposite dilemma; it represents what effects growing up without a father can have on a young boy, and what can happen to a family of women who are left without a daddy to keep things in balance.
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PLUS my January post on Bloody Birthday (1981).
