Dark Sky Films' 50th Anniversary Edition Of "THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE" Is A Must Have This Spooky Season (Review)
The saying goes that “Everything Is Bigger In Texas” and the folks over at Dark Sky Films sure know this as we were sent a massive 50th Anniversary boxed set for “THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE.” Let’s dive into this box of terror and check out why YOU need to add this beast of a set to your collection.
It was a few weeks back we received an email from Dark Sky about the new 50th Anniversary edition of TCM they were planning. As huge fans of the film and franchise, we had to get our paws on a copy for you fiends to check out. Now to say there are a lot of reviews for Tobe Hooper’s 1974 classic is a damn understatement. The film has been researched, broken down, and re-watched, frame by frame for years and this review will not be focusing on the film but rather on the packaging and special features that are new for this release.
What intrigued us is that the set is numbered to only 5000 pieces. This means this bad boy is gonna be a collector’s item in less time than it takes to smoke a brisket!
Here’s the breakdown from Dark Sky on just what this set has in store for you.
DISC 1: 4K UHD (FEATURE FILM)
BONUS: 4 FEATURE COMMENTARIES
Writer-Producer-Director Tobe Hooper, Actor Gunnar Hansen, Cinematographer Daniel Pearl
Actors Marilyn Burns, Allen Danziger, and Paul A. Partain, and Production Designer Robert Burns
Writer-Producer-Director Tobe Hooper
Cinematographer Daniel Pearl, Editor J. Larry Carroll and Sound Recordist Ted Nicolaou
DISC 2: BLU-RAY (FEATURE FILM)
BONUS: 4 FEATURE COMMENTARIES
Writer-Producer-Director Tobe Hooper, Actor Gunnar Hansen, Cinematographer Daniel Pearl
Actors Marilyn Burns, Allen Danziger, and Paul A. Partain, and Production Designer Robert Burns
Writer-Producer-Director Tobe Hooper
Cinematographer Daniel Pearl, Editor J. Larry Carroll and Sound Recordist Ted Nicolaou
DISC 3: BLU-RAY BONUS FEATURES
NEW The Merchandise of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
NEW The Restoration of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Feature-Length Documentary: The Legacy of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Cinefamily Presents FRIEDKIN/HOOPER: A Conversation About The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Between William Friedkin and Tobe Hooper
Flesh Wounds: Seven Stories of the Saw
A Tour of the TCSM House with Gunnar Hansen
Off the Hook with Teri McMinn
The Business of Chain Saw: An interview with Production Manager Ron Bozman Interview
Deleted Scenes & Outtakes
Grandpa’s Tales: An Interview with Actor John Dugan
Cutting Chain Saw: An Interview with Editor J. Larry Carroll
Blooper Reel
Horrors Hallowed Grounds: TCSM
Dr. W.E. Barnes Presents “Making Grandpa”
Still Gallery
Trailers
TV Spots
Radio Spots
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 50th Anniversary Chainsaw Edition is the third of many iconic Dark Sky titles that will be available this year. Additional limited-edition releases of fan-favorite films and merch will be announced throughout the year, which will only be available direct to consumers at DarkSkySelects.com.
PACKAGING:
First things first, the packaging for the “Chain Saw Box” is downright gorgeous. The set’s box is covered in very nicely printed artwork celebrating TCM in style. We admit that finding a place to store this massive box is a bit difficult if you’re an avid collector and have little space, as we do. Then diving into the box, we get an epic replica toy chainsaw that opens up to reveal the 4k UHD version of the film and a reproduction of the original VHS with full reproduction of its case. This is pretty epic, to be honest, as an original TCM VHS goes for major money nowadays.
One thing we must give credit to Dark Sky films for is this fun chainsaw that everything is encased in. The chainsaw has sound and revs up if you open the box to get the contents inside. It will definitely be a conversation piece for friends who come over and see it sitting in your “horror room.” Nicely done Dark Sky.
HOW DOES IT LOOK:
The film itself was re-cut, remastered, and even re-color-corrected for this 4k UHD release. This new cut of the film was approved by director Tobe Hooper’s estate after his passing and truly shines above past releases. Seeing TCM in perfect 2160p Dolby Vision HDR was a sight to behold as Leatherface had never looked more gritty and dirty. You could see the dirt and grime of the old house he and his family lived in down to the dirt under each actors fingernails.
The infamous “Dinner Scene” was probably our favorite part of the film to just pause and take a good look at how amazing this cut is. This scene is integral to the film and truly breathes life into each character. With the 4k upgrade, dinner never looked so nasty and gross and we loved it.
The next best scene in the film is of course the ending where Gunnar Hansen as Leatherface dances with his chainsaw as the last victim of his rampage escapes in the back of a truck. The visuals for this area of the film are astounding and truly suck you into the film. The layers upon layers of smoke, wind, and just atmosphere of the scene make the viewer almost smell and taste the hot summer air in Texas. Dark Sky has gloriously done the Texas Chainsaw Massacre proper and we highly recommend you watch this 4k restoration with the lights off and the volume up! Yes, even the audio has been dialed up to 11 with Dolby Atmos (UHD) sound kicking your eardrums out with every scream and chainsaw engine rev.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The special features are abundant on this release and many have been recycled from past releases of TCM so we won’t dive into those but two new documentaries were included in this set that stood out to us. Sadly, these documentaries are only on the Blu-ray disc for the film. These documentaries are “THE FILM WHICH YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE” and “HUNTERS OF ANOTHER KIND.”
In “The Film You’re About To See” various talking heads in the horror community and also directors such as Mick Garris (Hocus Pocus), talk about the validity and even symbolism of TCM and how it has affected the American public since it was released in 1974. Daniel Pearl, the film’s original Cinematographer dives deep into what was needed to make a 16mm film into a standard 35mm film so TCM could be distributed to theaters as well as the different lighting effects and camera angles that he had to use when filming. It’s so surprising to us that the film only used 3 cameras. Two handhelds and one standard 16mm dolly cam. This of course was 1973 so the crew worked with what they had and Tobe Hooper’s vision needed to be just right.
The documentary also dives into what was needed to make this 4k possible. From reaching out to Tobe Hooper’s estate for approval to talking to the film’s original actors and crew. This doc is probably the most simplistic of all the special features but gives new insights into what the film has meant and does mean to the film fan and America as a whole.
“Hunters of Another Kind” takes a look at the various collections and merchandise of TCM. We thought we were pretty decent collectors of all things horror but boy howdy do the participants in this documentary put us to shame. From books and memorabilia to straight-up recreations of “The Pretty Lady” mask and “The Killing” mask from TCM. These collections will put some museums to shame and the doc pulls no punches as it lets you know right away that being a Texas Chainsaw Massacre collector ain’t cheap. We had no idea how many knockoffs and bootlegs of TCM items there were out there and how pricy they all are even though they are “fakes.”
Todd McFarlane (Spawn) was mentioned as one of the first people to create a modern action figure of Leather Face with his “Movie Maniacs” line of toys and sort of re-peaked the interest in TCM and collecting anything related to the film. We remember the “Movie Maniacs” and they sure did pique our interest in horror films again when we were younger. To find an original Leatherface figure from this line is now very pricy so if you’re hunting for one, good luck.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
We can not gush enough over this release from Dark Sky Films. From the packaging to the restoration and tons of supplemental material, even more than we went over today, the 50th Anniversary of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a must-have for all horror fans. It does have a hefty price point and some may say that it’s just too much for a 4k set but we highly disagree. You get what you pay for in this life and the TCM “Chain Saw Box” is for sure worth the time and money. Even the menus for the special features and film are epic to just play in the background. As a horror fan and a film fan, we highly recommend you get yourself a copy of this set while you can. EBay prices for this set are already in the $400 to $500 range and will only go up in price as time goes on.
Now we have to get us some Texas B.B.Q. and look for some more TCM collectibles to add to our collection. See ya at dinner!
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 50th Anniversary Chainsaw Edition will be available for $299.98 exclusively at darkskyselects.com
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