This year marks 50 years since the release of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which is not only the great-granddad of all slasher movies, but also the only entry in the nine film series to split up the word “chainsaw.”
The franchise, created by director Tobe Hooper and co-writer Kim Henkel, has been written about literally ad nauseum, its influences and themes well documented by better writers than yours truly. Besides arguably introducing the concept of the Final Girl in Marilyn Burns’ Sally Hardesty, as well as “teenagers” as horror protagonists, the movie draws from the Vietnam War’s impact, and can be viewed in the same post-apocalyptic canon as Mad Max or Night of the Living Dead.
Personally, I could go on and on: the ferocity of the action; the sound design; the iconic shot selections — which were mostly dictated by the camera budget (or lack thereof); the nihilism of the Sawyer clan (“A whole family of Draculas!” as Franklin would put it); the black humor (“Look what your brother did to the door!”); the sense of mourning you feel for Marilyn Burns’ vocal chords.
This was also the movie that taught me Mars was a “malefic influence.” Thanks, Pam. Watch out for that hook.
TCSM was also one of the first horror movies to be merchandised, paving the way for yet more toys to horrify pearl-clutching parents. To that end, Dark Sky Films has released a 50th anniversary box set. There’s a good deal assembled from previous releases (more on that in a sec). But there are new features and a VHS release, which I wasn’t able to review for, uh, technical reasons.*
It also comes in a replica of the original movie’s Poulan 245 chainsaw, which — when opened — makes that famous chainsaw sound. Surprise your kids!
The set contains three discs. The first is the new 4K UHD (prepared from the original 16mm film), while the second is a Blu-ray. Both contain four commentary tracks:
– Tobe Hooper, Gunnar Hansen, Cinematographer Daniel Pearl
– Marilyn Burns, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain, and Production Designer Robert Burns
– Tobe Hooper solo
– Cinematographer Daniel Pearl, Editor J. Larry Carroll and Sound Recordist Ted Nicolaou
These commentaries aren’t new, for obvious reasons (Hooper, Hansen, Burns, Partain, and Burns all passed away years ago), but are still interesting. The Hooper/Hansen/Pearl track gets into the film stock used, how Burns got bones and meat for the house shoot, the 27-hour (!) dinner scene shoot, and Hooper’s decision to separate certain actors, meaning that’s Danziger’s real scream when he first “meets” Hansen as Leatherface.
The track with the actors and Burns is another oldie, but still contains some gems like Burns’s very real irritation with Partain while filming their night scene, and her long-standing belief that Hansen “accidentally” cut her finger during the dinner scene. ’70s filmmaking, everybody.
Pearl, Carroll, and Nicolaou’s track may be the most illuminating. The three all went to film school together at UT, which facilitates the conversation and also reveals tidbits as in how Pearl was able to leverage his position as a T.A. to “reclaim” a camera taken away by the movie’s producers, or filming on 25 ASA reversal stock film (not fun), and the setup for the iconic Teri McMinn swing shot.
The third disc is all special features, though only two are new: “The Merchandise of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” and “The Restoration of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.” In short, thank Todd McFarlane’s Movie Maniacs line for all the horror goodies you currently enjoy. In the latter, Pearl, Henkel, and restorer Mike Matusek go into enviable detail about the various releases and restoration efforts.
We also learned the memorable final scene was done in a single take, because everyone thought Hansen had actually hit Pearl with the chainsaw during filming.
The rest of the features are as follows:
The Legacy of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
– Interviews with filmmakers (Fede Alvarez, Marcus Nispel) and movie writers (Phil Nobile, Jr., Meagan Navarro) about the film’s influence. Although I don’t think I ever need to hear how horror” holds a mirror up to society” again.
“A Conversation About The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Between William Friedkin and Tobe Hooper”
– Look fast and you’ll see Lemmy as Hooper is introduced. Hooper is, sadly, clearly not all there during this.
“Flesh Wounds: Seven Stories of the Saw”
“A Tour of the TCSM House with Gunnar Hansen”
“Off the Hook with Teri McMinn”
– McMinn was a hard get for a long time because she was apparently unhappy about the the emphasis put on her derriere during the swing shot, but has since embraced the film and its fans.
“The Business of Chain Saw: An interview with Production Manager Ron Bozman”
Deleted Scenes & Outtakes
“Grandpa’s Tales: An Interview with Actor John Dugan”
“Cutting Chain Saw: An Interview with Editor J. Larry Carroll”
Blooper Reel
Dr. W.E. Barnes Presents “Making Grandpa”
Still Gallery
Trailers
TV Spots
Radio Spots
– The one used for the 1981 release almost made me shit my pants as a kid.
The Dark Sky box set has been marked down to $269.96 (from $299.99), and is limited to 5,000 copies. So you may want to get on that action.
*My VHS player gave up the ghost about 15 years ago.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
