A CUT ABOVE THE REST - THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 4K BLU RAY REVIEW
TOBE HOOPER is a hard motherfucker to defend. What with INVADERS FROM MARS (well intentioned but daft), LIFEFORCE (also well intentioned but daft), THE FUNHOUSE (grisly and unpleasant to watch), and TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 (mean-spirited, gross and obnoxious), not to mention the infamous bru-ha-ha surrounding the true extent of his directorial input towards POLTERGEIST, his status as a legend of the old-school is…questionable, to more or less of a degree. If I were to drop onto Facebook so I could update my relationship status with HOOPER, it would 100% say “it’s complicated”. That being said, and even if HOOPER had pulled a JD SALINGER on us after making this movie, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE is some good bank, son. Like, his credit is good here, y’know?
The plot of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, whilst well trodden and painfully familiar to any horror fan worth their salt, is as uncomplicated as you like; five friends on a road trip through Texas run afoul of murderous cannibals. In the wrong hands (see: Platinum Dunes) this idea runs the risk of being, at best, schlocky and throwaway, and, at worst, being cruel and boring. But what makes TCM truly and wonderfully unique where it could have been absolute bullshit is that it’s an actual film with believable and reasonably sympathetic characters, and more-than-competent cinematography. It’s a labour of love filmed in 90 degree heat while suffering from hallucinations and identity crises, and, for a film which has such a strong connection to the original Summer of Love, both on and off-screen events are as far removed from the Age of Aquarius, and as brutally dystopian as it gets.
With respect to our doomed protagonists, the five youths are distinct enough that if I asked you to pinpoint a personality trait from each of them individually, you’d be able to do so without having to think too hard about it. Indeed, it’s worth mentioning that it works to the film’s advantage that there aren’t an over abundance of interactions between them, and every exchange of dialogue feels normal, natural and familiar. These kinda things make the difference to our sympathies when they’re all invariably and unceremoniously fashioned into barbecue, but let’s not beat around the bush here - - Franklin (PAUL A. PARTAIN) is an irritating piece of shit. Wheelchair and vague allusions to potential learning difficulties or not, he’s an irritating piece of shit and HOOPER’s lingering, indulgent death scene which sees a chainsaw driven through Franklin’s torso is darkly comedic and guiltily satisfying. Similarly, The Hitchhiker’s death, crushed under the weight of the wonderfully named “Black Maria” is ample reward for having had to endure his histrionics.
With the exception of Franklin’s arsehole puckeringly infuriating time on screen, and the occasionally heavy handed portrayal of The Hitchhiker, the performances in TCM are pretty damn solid. MARILYN BURNS’ sustained hysteria and JIM SIEDOW’s mischievous and unsettling rendering of “Old Man” are the standouts, but special mention should be made of GUNNAR HANSEN’s Leatherface; a lumbering, unstoppable mountain of developmentally challenged meat, wielding a sputtering, smoking, gas powered, flesh tearing instrument of death. HANSEN is pitch perfect as the character - - from inhuman, shrieking pig squeals to guttural grunts and frenzied thrashing, he endows Leatherface with an unforgettable personality and formidable screen presence.
Shockingly, there’s very little blood on show here, and you’d be forgiven for swearing on your mother’s life that you see a meat hook pierce the flesh of poor Pam’s back, but the majority of the brutality really does exist in the mind of the viewer, such is the subtle effectiveness of the visuals. The looming suggestion of something sinister derives from our inherent fear of the alien and the unknown, the lack of familiar surroundings and cultural touchstones. It’s a descent into madness. And barbecue.
TCM, I am therefore very happy to declare without any modicum of hyperbole, is perfect. Debut motion pictures rarely arrive as fully formed and faultless as this, and even fewer retain their power to discomfort and repulse 50 years after they were released.
After what feels like the five-thousandth home video release of this movie, SECOND SIGHT’s 4K deluxe edition feels like the definitive version you could ever want to own. With its plentiful supply of extras and luxuriant new transfer that defies expectation of what technology can achieve, you’d be a god damned fool to miss out on this one.
Special Features
3 disc edition - 1 UHD and 2 Blu-rays with bonus features on both formats
A new presentation featuring additional restoration work
UHD presented in Dolby Vision HDR produced by Second Sight Films
Audio tracks include new Dolby Atmos and restored original mono mix produced by Second Sight Films
New Audio commentary by Amanda Reyes and Bill Ackerman
Audio commentary with Writer-Producer-Director Tobe Hooper
Audio commentary with Cinematographer Daniel Pearl, Editor J. Larry Carroll, Sound Recordist Ted Nicolaou
Audio commentary with Writer-Producer-Director Tobe Hooper, Cinematographer Daniel Pearl, Actor Gunnar Hansen
Audio commentary with Actors Marilyn Burns, Allen Danziger and Paul A. Partain, and Art Director Robert A. Burns
The Legacy of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - a new feature length documentary produced by Second Sight Films
Behind The Mask: Alexandra Heller-Nicholas on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Shocking Truth documentary, plus outtakes
Cutting Chain Saw with Editor J. Larry Carroll
Granpaw's Tales with Actor John Dugan
Horror's Hallowed Grounds
Flesh Wounds: Seven Stories of The Saw
Off The Hook with Actor Teri McMinn
The Business of Chain Saw with Production Manager Ron Bozman
House Tour with Actor Gunnar Hansen
Tobe Hooper interview
Kim Henkel interview
Deleted Scenes
Outtakes
Trailers
TV and Radio Spots
Stills Gallery
Limited Edition Contents
Rigid slipcase with original classic UK VHS artwork
190 page hardback book with new essays by Heather Buckley, Tim Coleman, Martyn Conterio, Miranda Corcoran, Heather Drain, Lee Gambin, Caden Mark Gardner, Lindsay Hallam, Cerise Howard, Kimberly Lindbergs, Annie Rose Malamet, Maitland McDonagh, Neil Mitchell, Jerome Reuter and Robert Skvarla, illustrated by Adam Stothard
6 collectors' art cards
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 4K DELUXE EDITION is released on APRIL 10th and is available to pre-order from SECOND SIGHT by clicking here.
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