Director – Tobe Hooper
Starring – Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow and Gunnar Hansen.
Region 0, Dark Sky Films.
Released 26th September 2006
On their way to ensure a family members’ grave has not been tampered with after a spate of grave-robbings, a group of young friends decide to revisit their childhood home at the same time. As they travel through rural Texas, they have no idea of the horror that awaits them at the hands of a murderous family.
Put simply, this film looks, sounds, feels and if it were possible, I am sure that it would smell real too. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, even after 32 years, is still one of the most intense, unrelenting, visceral and truly frightening horror movies ever made. Throughout the relatively short running time, the viewer is uneasy and nervous, never quite sure as to what atrocity will occur and it is here that the true brilliance of the movie and Tobe Hooper’s execution of it, reveals itself: You don’t actually see that much.
Chain Saw is psychological horror at its finest. It suggests that on the outer reaches of society, evil waits, with no regard for you, the law or the boundaries enforced by modern society, it attacks your feelings of safety and any beliefs that strangers will always help in moments of true need. It tells you to forget about your friends too, as they will suffer a worse fate if they come searching for you. The madness of the final act and Sally’s (Marilyn Burns) sheer helplessness is completely believable, and will stay with the viewer long after the film ends. Remember, all this is done without the need to resort to cheap shocks or gore.
For a film to be this effective, everything needed to be just right when it was made. The presumably unintentional pseudo-documentary style that the movie has is perfect, as are the fabulous interior set designs. The acting is good too, with Marilyn Burns really ‘feeling’ the role and Paul A. Partain being as annoying as Edwin Neal is absolutely crazy. Obviously special mention has to go to Gunnar Hansen, who bought character to a man behind a mask with no verbal lines at all. The script, although sparse, even manages to incorporate digs at society and the hardships of the early 70s.
All of this combined with the film’s tiny budget, torturous shoot, talented crew and director and the, at that time, rarely used locations fit together to make a gem. This kind of chain reaction rarely happens, in fact, I don’t know if it has truly happened since Chain Saw, and for anyone who considers themselves a film fan (let alone a horror one) and hasn’t seen this film, now is the best time to initiate yourself.
The Disc
There are various releases of this movie available throughout the world, but the original Region 1 Pioneer release was the one to have, followed closely by the Region 2 Universal item. However, Dark Sky has knocked these two off the top spot with a truly fantastic 2-disc set which honours this groundbreaking movie perfectly.
The picture has been re-mastered in HD from an original 16mm print and looks fabulous, restoring some of the colour and depth missing from the Pioneer release. Luckily, the grain that gives the film its unique look is part of the stock and has not been lost. Texas Chain Saw is one movie that needs to look as if it has spent many years inside a canister waiting to be discovered. The picture is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen.
Sound comes in the form of a new Dolby 2.0 Surround, remixed Dolby 5.1 track or a restored original mono track. When listening, the new 2.0 track sounded excellent, as did the original mono, and although the 5.1 is well made and sounded good on my system, I did prefer the other two. On their own, the picture and sound improvements make this a worthy buy, but when you close the tray on the second disk, it becomes an essential purchase.
Disc regulars include radio spots, trailers, a still gallery and some deleted scenes, but the real joys are the two documentaries. The first is Flesh Wounds, a series of seven personal, sit down interviews with key players on the movies making and history. Daniel Pearl (Director of Photography), Tim Harden (the President of the movies fan club), Dr W E Barnes (who did Grandpa’s make up), Ken Kish and Lloyd Cryer (festival organizers) and a tribute to the people involved with the film who have passed on are all informative and compelling.
The real treat comes from Edwin Neal, who is as crazy in real life as he was in the movie and Gunnar Hansen. Edwin Neal is enormous fun and highly entertaining during his segment, complete as he is with a ‘Taste like Chicken’ t-shirt. We meet Gunnar in his sleepy hometown and while his laid back persona is the polar opposite of Neal’s, his fun side is evident through his dry wit and ‘What Would Leatherface Do?’ license plate surround!
The second documentary is the Blue Underground produced The Shocking Truth, presented by David Gregory. It is exhaustive and fascinating, even covering Part II, III and IV. Back over on the first disc are two feature commentaries. The first is the familiar one from the Pioneer DVD and Elite Laser and features Tobe Hooper, Daniel Pearl and Gunnar Hansen. The second is moderated by David Gregory and features Robert A. Burns (who sounds worryingly like Reverend Lovejoy from The Simpsons), Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain and Allen Danziger. Naturally there is some overlap with the documentaries, but they also work well together, filling in some information blanks on each track.
Regardless if you have none, one or all of the previous releases, Dark Sky Films release of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is an absolutely essential purchase of an astounding movie.
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