I prefer to say Texas Chainsaw Massa-Cree, but I’m just funny that way I suppose. Rev up those high definition saws (they’re family by the way) as Dark Sky brings out the gory graphic classic horror film. They wisely port over the features from the Ultimate edition but also add some extra content.
A Texas cemetery has been desecrated. One of the graves in that cemetery belonged to Sally (Marilyn Burns) and Franklin (Paul A. Partain) Hardesty’s grandfather. She and the wheelchair bound Franklin are traveling to the cemetery to make sure that the grave has not been desecrated.
They’re traveling with Sally’s boyfriend Jerry (Allen Danzinger), his pal Kirk (William Vail), and Kirk’s girlfriend Pam (Teri McMinn).
The group decides to check out the old Hardesty estate, but pick up an insane hitchhiker (Edwin Neal) on the way. After he cuts himself with a razor, our group of travelers quickly kick out of the van. They arrive at the Hardesty homestead and start to look around.
Since they weren’t able to fill their gas tank, Kirk goes to a nearby house to try and get some. What he finds is Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen), a masked madman, who bashes his head in with a hammer.
The house is occupied by a group of cannibalistic crazies, “Cook” (Jim Siedow), the aforementioned hitchhiker, and Grandpa (John Dugan), and only one member of the group from the van will survive their murderous meal preparations.
M&C’s June L. tells a funny story about two of her female relatives whose car broke down on the back roads and were approached by some friendly natives in their pickup truck. The folks said that they could fix their car and offered the comforts of their home (of the trailer variety) while they made the necessary repairs.
The ladies entered the dwelling only to find a living room full of folks watching a film on video. The film you ask? The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, of course. If that didn’t make you want to start hoofing it down the road minus your car, nothing will. The ladies didn’t end up on the menu.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the most influential horror films as well as being a nice thing to put on when you have company over. It was made for around $160,000 in 1974 and went on to pull in over $30 million (and counting I’d imagine) as well as paving the way for numerous other genre classics - such as Halloween (1978).
It also shows up on many “best horror film” lists, as you’ll be likely to see those popping up soon as Halloween is coming nigh. What’s not to love?
It’s certainly true that Dark Sky Films shows the title some love as it marks its initial appearance on high definition. The film will never look fantastic since it was shot on 16mm and blown up to 35mm, but it looks as fantastic as you can get under those circumstances.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (1.78:1). Special features include two commentaries. One from actors Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Allen Danziger, and art director Robert A. Burns. The second is from director Tobe Hooper, cinematographer Daniel Pearl, and Leatherface himself Gunnar Hansen.
All the rest of the special features are presented in standard definition and come from the Ultimate edition release save for one. The only new special feature is the 17 minute “Off the Hook,” an interview with Teri McMinn. The 73-minute “The Shocking Truth” is an excellent making of feature.
There are also 7 minutes of outtakes from the documentary on the disc. The 71-minute “Flesh Wounds” also offers more interviews. Next is some footage of the house used in the film in 1993 and then Gunnar Hansen takes us on a tour of the house (now a restaurant!) in 2003, totaling 8 minutes.
There are also 25 minutes of deleted/extended scenes, a 2-minute blooper reel, a photo gallery on the Grandpa makeup, a still gallery, and a collection of trailers, television, and radio spots.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre looks better than it ever has been on this Blu-ray. Fans will definitely be pleased in this high definition presentation.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre is now available at Amazon . Visit the DVD database for more information.
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