Tobe Hooper’s iconic backwoods horror classic gets yet another reissue, this time from Second Sight Films who were also responsible for the rather splendid Dawn of the Dead box set a couple of years ago. So, when I was asked to review this release, it was a bit of a no-brainer.  " />

Tobe Hooper’s iconic backwoods horror classic gets yet another reissue, this time from Second Sight Films who were also responsible for the rather splendid Dawn of the Dead box set a couple of years ago. So, when I was asked to review this release, it was a bit of a no-brainer. 

Originally released in 1974, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre remains one of the most talked about horror movies in the history of the genre. It was a low-budget movie about a group of teenagers driving through Texas on a road trip who fall foul of the Sawyer family, a family of psychotic slaughterhouse workers who skin and eat their victims. Loosely based on the life of serial killer Ed Gein, whose mild-mannered persona allowed him to evade detection for some time, but whose home was filled with grisly discoveries that included both a suit and lamp shades made from human flesh. After the teens have a run-in with the hitchhiker (Edwin Neal, Future Kill, Murder Set-Pieces and My Boyfriend’s Back) they go in search of Franklin (Paul A Partlain, Race with the Devil, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation and Rolling Thunder) and Sally’s (Marilyn Burns, Helter Skelter, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation and Eaten Alive) grandfather’s old home. One by one the group fall prey to Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen, Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers, Freakshow and Campfire Tales) the power tool-wielding, human-skin-wearing horror icon who shocked and disgusted audiences across the globe. Sally Hardesty is the last alive and when she is captured and taken to dinner with the Sawyer clan, all hell breaks loose in an outstanding finale that will never be bettered. 

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a classic for a variety of reasons, it was Tobe Hooper’s debut feature and remains his finest work to date, despite the fact Hooper would go on to make such iconic titles as Poltergeist, Eaten Alive and Lifeforce, Texas Chainsaw is the one everyone returns to. It’s genuinely shocking, Leatherface and his family are remorseless killers who treat other humans just like the cattle they slaughter for meat.  The mysteriousness surrounding Leatherface,  whose face is never revealed beneath his human skin mask, who never speaks, and who brutally and systematically murders his unsuspecting victims, coupled with the harrowing experiences that Sally suffers whilst captive to the family, as well as the darkly sinister score that Hooper and Wayne Bell created all add to the deeply unsettling atmosphere that saturates every scene in this horror classic. I may be a TCM fanboy but along with Night of the Living Dead, The Shining and Halloween it remains a staple choice for horror fans everywhere.

This new Blu-ray set from Second Sight features a stunning new print of the movie, it really has never looked so good. The colours are vibrant and whilst the original grain remains there is no noticeable print damage at all. The original mono score has been restored and there is also the option of listening to it in Dolby Atmos. On top of this, there are a host of cool bonus features including audio commentaries with the likes of Tobe Hooper, Amanda Reyes and Bill Ackerman, Gunnar Hansen, Marilyn Burns, Paul A Partain, Alan Danziger to name just a few. There is a brand new feature-length documentary recorded specially for this release, The Legacy of the Texas Chain Saw Massacre, as well the popular The Shocking Truth documentary that has appeared on previous releases as well as a host of other stuff. As well as the standard UHD Blu-ray release, there is also a limited edition 3 disc (1 UHD and 2 Blu-ray discs) release that comes packaged in the original UK artwork as well as featuring a 190-page hardback book featuring brand new essays galore for fans of the movie to dig into.

Going back to The Legacy of the Texas Chain Saw Massacre, this brand new one hour and twenty-seven-minute documentary features a host of modern horror legends including director Mick Garris (Critters 2, Sleepwalkers and The Stand), Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe and The Girl in the Spider’s Web) and Jamie Blanks (Crawlspace, Urban Legend and Crush) among the talking heads on display. Writer-director, Phillip Escott (The Found Footage Phenomenon, Teenage Wasteland! and Cruel Summer) takes a fresh look at the film’s history and explores what others love about the movie, almost 50 years after its release. As well as interview footage, the documentary is intercut with scenes from the movie and rare behind-the-scenes footage. It’s a more than solid documentary that draws on the talent and expertise on display to highlight just what an achievement The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was at the time of its release. The fact it still draws such intense debate all these years later is a testament to the incredible job that Tobe Hooper and his crew made of this masterpiece of low-budget cinema. 

Overall, this is a stunning release for one of my all-time favourite movies. The film looks and sounds better than ever and the bonus material is extensive and excellent. Second Sight have once again produced the goods here. I was sceptical of yet another Texas Chainsaw reissue, but my fears have been allayed by this gloriously stunning set.