Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The (Special Edition) (UK)

The horror movie has always been a niche genre. Hollywood can't do them properly due to rating restraints. Independent cinema can- but at the expense of looking like a cheap exploitation movie. But then, most horror movies are just that; they exploit the fears of the times and attack common society. George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" not only attacked racism but also played on the fears of a Cold-War strewn country. His follow-up "Dawn of the Dead" attack consumer society and was quite literally decades in head of its time as consumer society rocketed in the 90s. Hollywood horror like just doesn't have this type of satire, fear or unrelenting gore.

"The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" is one of the most notorious movies in cinematic history. Banned in the UK and Ireland until 1999, until 2001 in Sweden and still banned in Norway, controversy and notoriety has always follow Massacre but still remains one of the most popular (in gross terms here folks, $150 million) and critically acclaimed horror films ever made.

Video: A remastered 1.78:1 anamorphic print, supervised by Tobe Hooper. When you press play and see the first clear picture in the movie, you will probably think this is a poor transfer. But folks, remember this is a 1973 movie made for only $100,000. No matter how many times you remaster it there is a limit to how good it will look. And for what it is, it looks pretty good and is a VAST improvement on those VHS releases. Colours are fairly good, though can be a bit muted at times. Contrast and blacks are off a bit. Defects are there but are not very distracting. Sharpness is very good and edge enhancements are minimal despite the copious supplementary material. Although this is the best Massacre has ever look it still can't shake it's low budget soft focus 70's look.

Tobe Hooper's direction and Daniel Pearl's cinematography are exceptional and although they leave the gore to the imagination, they create a very disturbing and distressing atmosphere for the film.

Audio: Despite the back package boasting a "surround sound" track, this is a front stage-only 2.0 sound track. It's a fairly functionary soundtrack and you might as well be listening to it through your TV and save the electricity you use on you sub. Bass is very limited and the track never reaches the shock you sounds of modern horror soundtracks, despite a near continuous chainsaw humming. Still credit must be given due to the fact that the track is cleaned up and none of the hiss or muddiness that dogged the VHS release is on the track. Dialogue is always audible, with the exception of some Texan accents.

Hooper's music is very eerie and very effective. Apparently a lot of it was made from the squeaks of children toys. That's movie magic folks.

Extras: Well this is a special edition and has enough features to warrant a 2-Disc edition, though Universal have opted for a single disc release. Seeing as compression has been handled very well on the main feature I can't really complain. My first disappointment on the disc was the "Stills, Posters and Lobby Cards". I thought I'd actually get them to hold in my possession but alas no, they are merely on the disc. And the poster is an offer available only to people who live in the UK.

Up first is the Feature Length Commentary by Tobe Hooper, Daniel Pearl and Gunnar Hansen (Leatherface himself). This is a real treat for Massacre fans. A chat between the three they offer anecdotes, trivia and reminisce on the hard times of the production. Despite the film's tone, this is a frequently amusing and lighthearted track and is well worth your listen.

Next is the crème de la crème of the disc, a brand new 72 minutes documentary, "The Shocking Truth". Just 6 minutes shy of the film itself, together with the commentary it offers the definitive look at the making and legacy of "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre". Most of the cast and crew appear in the documentary and we get some looks at the locations as they are now. No behind the scenes footage, though that is to be expectation for a film like this. About 20 minutes towards the end is devoted to the sequel. Euk! I've only seen the fourth one and have no desire to see any other.

Excised from the documentary are interviews with Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel. Both run around 10 mintues and are fairly informative.

About 20 minutes of deleted footage is available. Most are poorly presented with no sound. Though it is nice to have these in any form.

Rounding of the disc is a 3-mintue gag reel, a 6 minute look at the production design, trailers and a look at "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation". An informative 16-page booklet is also included.

Overall: In the booklet Mark Kermode describes the film as "a ruthlessly efficient shocker; whose sheer raw power remains undiminished to this day", which is probably the most accurate depiction of the film I have ever heard. The film has a constant sense of dread, not one scene in the entire film releases you from a state of uneasiness. "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" is a sheer depiction of hell. Being chase by killers with no one to help and seemingly no escape. Most Hollywood horror films end on a high, but there is no light at the end of Massacre. To this day "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" remains one of the most important films in American cinema history and one of the most disturbing and distressing pieces of work ever filmed. People say the dinner scene in "Hannibal" was gross. They haven't scene dinnertime with Leatherface and co. If someone said they found this laughable I suspect they're trying to hide the fact the were scared witless. Massacre gets to you, both visually and mentally. Would you like to be in Sally's shoes?

Disc wise, it's not show off material but it is the best presentation of the movie available and the extras are very comprehensive. A very good buy and a must for horror fans and Massacre fans, even if you bought the previous version.

Forget the sub-standard sequels and remake, this is Leatherface at his best. TCM was release to a shocked public in 1974. Hooper hoped to give this a PG rating in the US. He did everything he can to keep within the guidelines. He kept violence to a moderate level. But in the end, the MPAA gave it an R rating. Here, in the UK, we are even more stringent especially with James Ferman where he refused to give a certificate at all. 25 years later we only got to see TCM.

A bunch of teens go to a run-down house only to find themselves killed by a chainsaw wielding, skin wearing maniac. They are killed one by one.

Suprisingly there is very little gore but I see TCM as a pyschological film rather than some blood feast.

Video- In letterbox 1.66:1. Picture quality is poor. Colours are washed out and grain is seen occaisionally. It might as well be in fullscreen rather than non-anamorphic widescreen.

Audio- Again poor. Only in stereo. Purists will be happy, audio junkies might not.

Extras- In this SE, there is a 72 minute documentary which covers the making of TCM and its sequels. It`s self-explanatory.

There are 2 short Interviews with Hooper and Henkel, an audio commentary from Hooper, Pearl and Hansen(Leatherface). This is the same as the previous release.

Next, there are 6 deleted scenes, 4 alternative footage clips and outtakes. They are all presented in fullscreen and of acceptable quality. There is also a props & sets featurette.

The rest are fillers or basic ingredients. Galleries including posters and lobby cards, trailers and tv spots.

Finally, there is a booklet containing interesting facts about TCM.

It`s packaged as a digi-pack. IIRC, later releases are in amarays. There are no subtitles whatsoever.

Overall- Can`t say much about TCM. The DVD`s a bargain and you get a lot of extras for that money. Buy it.

The final moments are almost intolerable, it`s better than the remake by a long way...

I would say strictly for fans of the genre though, a unique film, though not a great one...