DVD Corner

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: 50th Anniversary Chainsaw Edition Review

“The Texas Chain Saw Massacre”: 50th Anniversary Chainsaw Edition is the box set of the year.

Written by Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel, 1974’s “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” is a simple, but supremely effective horror film loosely based on the life of Ed Gein. The story follows 5 young people (Sally and her brother Franklin, Jerry, Pam and Kirk) taking a nightmarish road trip through Texas that involves an encounter with a deranged hitchhiker, a stop off at Sally and Franklin’s family home, and ends with a doom filled encounter with the nearby cannibalistic murderous Sawyer family (including Leatherface, the hitchhiker, grandpa and the old man cook). Will anyone make it out alive? You’ll have to experience the film yourself if for some reason you have yet to see this horror classic.

It’s no secret that director Tobe Hooper’s “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” is one of the best and most influential horror films ever made. It’s hard to find a truly unsettling and scary horror film, but ‘Chainsaw’ is just that. It’s raw, intense, gritty, ominous, and it feels dangerous. It encapsulates peak 70’s cinema, but it also showed just what a filmmaker could do in the often unfairly maligned horror genre. It’s also the type of movie that is just filled with dread from start to finish which makes the viewing experience all the more effective.

There’s a myth that ‘Chainsaw’ is one of the most violent movies ever made, but it’s far from it. Hooper shows flashes of violence and dwells on some deeply unnerving scenes, but it’s the sense of dread and the chilling atmosphere that is really what makes it such a scary horror film. The grotesque production design of the Sawyer house, the haunting score by Tobe Hooper and Wayne Bell, and the note perfect performances by Gunnar Hansen (Leatherface), Marilyn Burns (whose unbridled terror really sells it), and Edwin Neal (the crazed hitchhiker) make it even more frightening.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.85:1 2160p With Dolby Vision HDR. How does it look? The 4K restoration maintains the grain and 70’s look while offering up sharper image quality and the ability to notice more little details. It’s a superb transfer all around.

Audio Tracks (On The 4K): Dolby Atmos, 7.1 DTS-HD MA, 2.0 DTS-HD MA, 1.0 DTS-HD MA. How do they sound? Viewers have great audio options galore here, but the Atmos is certainly the most layered. You hear so much more from the score, the radio broadcast, background noises, etc.

Extras (On The Blu-ray Bonus Disc Unless Noted):
* A VHS copy of “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” with an exclusive artwork
* 4 commentaries on the 4K disc. 1. Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Pertain, Allen Danzinger and Robert A Burns. 2. Tobe Hooper, Daniel Pearl and Gunnar Hansen. 3. Tobe Hooper. 4. J. Larry Carroll, Daniel Pearl and Ted Nicolaou.
* A Blu-ray copy with the same 4 commentaries.
*  40th anniversary trailer, 2 trailer, TV and radio spots
* “The Film Which You Are About To See”- A new extra featuring interviews and discussions about the coloring, the cinematography, some behind-the-scenes stories, and theatrical prints.
* “Hunters Of Another Kind”- The 2nd new extra covers the vast amount of Chainsaw merchandise. Big fan of this one.
* “The Legacy Of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre”- An 82 minute documentary with interviews and discussions about the film’s story and cultural impact.
* “The Cinefamily Presents Friedkin/Hooper: A Conversation About The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Between William Friedkin And Tobe Hooper”- A 54 minute Q&A for the film’s 40th anniversary.
* “Flesh Wounds: Seven Stories Of The Saw”- A 71 minute documentary about 7 different TCSM subjects.
* “A Tour Of The TCSM House WIth Gunnar Hansen”- The title says it all.
* separate interviews with production manager Ron Bozman, actor John Dugan, editor J. larry Carroll and actress Teri McMinn.
* 25 ½ minutes of deleted scenes/outtakes.
* A near 2 ½ minute blooper reel
* “Horror’s Hallowed Grounds TCSM”- An episode of Sean Clark’s show that looks at shooting locations.
* “Dr. W.E. Barnes Presents Making Grandpa” covers the Grandpa makeup.
* Still gallery.

As for the box set itself, everything is housed inside a big box featuring artwork on all sides. Once you open up the box, there’s a plastic chainsaw and a detachable plastic blade that are held into place by Styrofoam. Upon removing and assembling the chainsaw, you can open up the chainsaw to find the VHS copy and the 3 disc 4K/Blu-ray copy with an exclusive slipcover. Inside you will also find a removable tab which provides chainsaw sound effects whenever you open up the chainsaw. It’s a TCSM fan’s dream come true! 

The limited to 5,000 copies box set is available to purchase here for a list price of $299.98: https://selects.darkskyfilms.com/products/the-texas-chain-saw-massacre-50th-anniversary-chainsaw-edition

October 2, 2024 - Posted by nicklyons1 | 4K UHD Review | Box Set, Chainsaw Box Set, Gunnar Hansen, Leatherface, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 4K UHD Review, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre VHS, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: 50th Anniversary Chainsaw Edition Box Set Review, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: 50th Anniversary Chainsaw Edition Review, Tobe Hooper