The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Two-Disc Ultimate Edition)
by Tobe Hooper
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Allen Danziger, Edwin Neal, Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, William VailDirector: Tobe Hooper
Brand: BURNS,MARILYN
Producer: Tobe Hooper
Writer: Tobe Hooper
Producer: Jay Parsley
Producer: Kim Henkel
Writer: Kim Henkel
Producer: Louis Peraino
Producer: Richard Saenz
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 1.0; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0
Format: NTSC, Restored
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 83 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-09-26
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Dark Sky Films
Movie Reviews of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Two-Disc Ultimate Edition)
Movie Review: "My family's always been in meat." -The Hitchhiker
Summary: 5 Stars
Tobe Hooper's classic masterpiece known as "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", aka "TCM" (the original version) is quite simply one of the greatest horror movies ever made. Made in 1974, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" continues to frighten and horrify viewers, who are brave enough to watch and endure its horror, to this very day!! Interestingly enough, the simplicity of the story of "TCM" is astonishing when considering its lasting effect on horror movie audiences and the horror genre itself. The story of "TCM" is horrifying enough to the viewer, but the way that the story is presented to the audience accentuates the horror and dread that the audience experiences to the utmost degree. Tobe Hooper presents "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" to the audience with a sense of horror with a brilliant style as well as a truly terrifying subject matter, both which create a truly horrifying experience for the audience. Hence, this is the essence of a pure horror movie, to scare and frighten and not just to shock and disturb.
"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is a movie about a group of young adults (in their early to mid 20s) who take a summer's day drive during the heat of the August sun in the heart of the slaughterhouse region in Texas. The movie starts out with our young adults which include the invalid Franklin, his sister Sally, Jerry, Curt, and Pam on their way to Sally's and Franklin's father's unoccupied house out in the middle of nowhere to have a fun summer's day. What ensues from this point forward is a horrifying ordeal that goes beyond the imaginations of ordinary people like Sally and Franklin.
Perhaps what is so amazing about "TCM" is its simplicity and realism. In fact, it wouldn't be that farfetched in today's world to find people just like the villains in "TCM". Clearly, this is one aspect of "TCM" that absolutely terrifies the viewer, the idea that this could happen to you if you find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time and around the wrong people. Just like the cook in "TCM" said, "you don't want to go foolin' around other folk's property, some folks don't like it, and they don't mind showin' you!". Of course, those of us that have seen "TCM" know that the horror of "TCM" goes much deeper than that. It seems that Leatherface and his friends have a taste for beef, and they are not that discriminatory about how they get it if you know what I mean and I think you do (to borrow the great Joe Bob Briggs' patented phrase)!
The horror of "TCM" is so intense when it hits you that it's not uncommon for some folks to get sick in the stomach before they finish this film. I remember when I first watched it I was waiting for my Mom's favorite country style steak dish to be cooked, but after I watched "TCM", I wasn't that hungry if you know what I mean. Indeed, "TCM" is gross folks, and it could sicken you to your stomach, and it's not gore we're talking about here; it's the kind of disgusting and horrifying people that our young unsuspecting adults unfortunately run into. They are disgusting individuals, and the sad and scary thing about it is that there are really people like this out there, maybe not just like (although I would not be surprised if there were people just like this in today's world) Leatherface, the Cook, the Hitchiker and Grandpa, but of the same malignant nature and ill mind. Clearly, the sadistic, malignant, and evil nature of the villains in the original "TCM" transcend just about anything you will ever see in a horror movie and I've just about seen them all, and I say that because of the joy these guys took in terrorizing, torturing and murdering their victims. Just watch the way these monsters act with Sally and see what I mean...ghastly!!!
The realism of the way "TCM" is executed is a superb horror movie device as the viewer will notice that much of the killing occurs in broad daylight dispelling some of the horror movie cliches that the seasoned horror movie viewer is so accustomed to. "TCM" truly catches the viewer off guard with the way in which the movie unfolds. The audience becomes shocked at the brutality, savagery, and yet horrifying way in which the killings occur. However, aside from the brutality and savagery involved, "TCM" is also a scary movie as it produces a terrifying atmosphere conducive to cinematic horror and a sense of dread, fear and suspense about what is going to happen next which is essential to a horror movie's effectiveness.
The setting of "TCM" is truly outstanding. The detail in "TCM" is amazing considering its low budget and simplicity. The houses look scary, everything is placed in the perfect location like the tooth on the porch, the bones, the cans in the trees, the chicken in the cage, etc. etc. "TCM" isn't effective just because a crazy person saws people up with a chainsaw (if you want to see that, just watch the comical "Pieces"), but "TCM" is a work of art, a virtuouso that paints a horrifying picture and plays a terrifying tune of horror, a piece of art that is pure terror at its finest that captures the audience and drives the horror home to the viewer with its sense of evil, malignancy, brutality, and realism. The acting in "TCM" is second to none. The actors who play the hitchhiker, the cook, Leatherface, Franklin and the cemetery drunk are absolutely perfect in every conceivable way!! Also, the story of "TCM" itself provides the audience with a realistic portrayal of horrifying events that strike at the very heart of the viewer's consciousness. Moreover, the music in "TCM" is also quite effective in producing the appropriate mood, motifs, and themes at the precise moment so that the movie is able to produce the maximum fear effect in the audience out of each horrifying scene. "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" garners HorrorMan's highest recommendation, and this movie is a classic and must-own piece of horror cinema that helps create the crux of any true horror movie collection.
In "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", Tobe Hooper creates one of the most horrifying movie experiences ever made, and one of the greatest and scariest horror movies of all-time in the original "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". Truly, there have been many pale imitations, but there has never been anything quite like the original "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and there won't be either. In fact, I don't think it is an overstatement to say that the original "TCM" paved the way for many subsequent horror movies as well.
As a side note, I have seen the remake of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", and while I did honestly find it to be entertaining (and rather amusing at times as well), it is absolutely NOTHING compared to the original. As a final note, I should point out that the original "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is VERY LOOSELY based or perhaps I should say that the idea for this movie is derivative from the twisted and sadistic life of Ed Gein, a disgusting killer from the State of Wisconsin from many years ago.
If you have not seen the original "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", then you are missing something my friend. Go buy the original right now, sit down (without any food whatsoever) and watch one of the most horrifying movies ever made, but just don't blame me if you get sick with horror after seeing it, and I say that with all of HorrorMan's sincerest affections of course. :)
Summary of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Two-Disc Ultimate Edition)
It has been called "grisly," "sick," and "perverse," as well as "raw," "unshakeable," and "the movie that redefined horror." It was attacked by churches, banned by governments, and acclaimed by only the bravest of critics. It stunned audiences worldwide and set a new standard in movie terror forever. In 1974, writer-producer-directorTobe Hooper unleashed this dark, visionary tale about a group of five young friends who face a nightmare of torment at the hands of a depraved Texas clan. Today it remains unequaled as a landmark of outlaw filmmaking and unparalleled in its impact as perhaps the most frightening motion picture ever made.
Dark Sky Films presents this masterpiece like you've never seen or heard it before, newly transferred in High Definition from the 16mm camera originals, remixed in 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo Surround, and featuring never-before-seen Bonus Features produced exclusively for this definitive collection.
Bonus Features:
- Steelbook Packaging
- Feature-length commentary with actors Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Allen Danzinger, and art director Robert A. Burns
- Feature-length commentary with director Tobe Hooper, cinematographer Daniel Pearl, and actor Gunnar Hansen
- Theatrical Trailers & TV and Radio Spots
- "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Shocking Truth"
- "Flesh Wounds"
- A Tour of the TCSM house with Gunnar Hansen
- Deleted Scenes and Outtakes
- Blooper Reel
- "The Shocking Truth" Outtakes
- Still Gallery
This sensational, extremely influential, 1974 low-budget horror movie directed by Tobe Hooper (Poltergeist, Lifeforce, Salem's Lot), may be notorious for its title, but it's also a damn fine piece of moviemaking. And it's blood-curdling scary, too. Loosely based on the true crimes of Ed Gein (also a partial inspiration for Psycho), the original Jeffrey Dahmer, Texas Chainsaw Massacre follows a group of teenagers who pick up a hitchhiker and wind up in a backwoods horror chamber where they're held captive, tortured, chopped up, and impaled on meat hooks by a demented cannibalistic family, including a character known as Leatherface who maniacally wields one helluva chainsaw. The movie's powerful sense of dread is heightened by its grainy, semi-documentary style--but it also has a wicked sense of humor (and not that camp, self-referential variety that became so tiresome in subsequent horror films of the '70s, '80s, and '90s). OK, in case you couldn't tell, it's "not for everyone." But as a landmark in the development of the horror/slasher genre, it ranks with Psycho, Halloween, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. --Jim Emerson
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