Reviewed

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre SE (1974) - Universal Pictures

Director : Tobe Hooper

Starring : Marilyn Burns, Paul A.Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow and Gunnar Hansen.

Picture 1.85:1, DD 2.0 Stereo, Single-Layer, Custom Case

Running Time : 80 mins

The story:

For five young friends, a typical summer afternoon drive becomes a terrifying nightmare.

After hearing reports of grave robbing, five young friends set out to check on a family grave. They set off on their journey but find themselves stranded in rural Texas after running out of petrol. They shelter in an old disused house but one by one the group wander into the clutches of the murderous chainsaw-wielding Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) and his family of inbred country hicks.

The summary:

This is perhaps one of the most important films in horror history. Back in 1974 when the Texas Chainsaw Massacre was unleashed upon the world, it portrayed a shocking violent and disturbing image and soon found itself banned in many countries until as recently as last year. If it wasn't for this film and the rest of the 'video nasties' that attracted a huge cult following, we may never have seen the horror classics we have today. In reality, whilst the Texas Chainsaw Massacre shocked in it's day, this was largely due to infamy rather than its actual content.

Supposedly a true account of the slaughtering of a group of friends by a family of cannibals, this was actually just based on some murders by Ed Gein. There's little to be seen in here that could warrant such a lengthy censorship. Though the scenes are often dark, gruesome and evil looking, there's little actual bloodshed and only brief scenes featuring the chainsaw. This is largely down to the tiny budget, but also due to Hoopers theory that the hint of violence was more chilling than any special effect could be. Indeed this works well in the film and there's plenty of haunting images and chase scenes to build up the tension. The only problem is that the story is very thin and the acting is very poor. The reality is that this is more comic than horror and I guarantee you'll laugh out loud at least a couple of times. A classic in it's day, but dated by today's standards, especially when compared with other horrors, this is still a film that you should see at least once in your life.

This Special Edition version is similar to the region one Pioneer version but includes a brand-new 72-minute documentary entitled 'The Shocking Truth'. Nothing has really been done to improve the transfer and by today's standards both audio and video fall somewhat short of the mark but this does tend to add to the overall effective low-budget look and feel. TCM fans will notice the absence of the mono soundtrack - personally I always preferred the stereo track but some may be annoyed by it's removal. Universal have also taken to calling this 'Texas Chain Saw Massacre' (or TCSM) rather than 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (TCM) in keeping with the original trailer. Still, it makes no difference to horror fans and with the new documentary on board this a must buy.

Extras:

* Audio Commentary - featuring the Director, Tobe Hooper plus the director of photography Daniel Pearl and Gunnar Hansen - Leatherface himself!

* 'The Shocking Truth' - Brand-new documentary that gives the most comprehensive look into The Texas Chainsaw Massacre ever. Features behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with cast & crew and everything you ever wanted to know about TCM. Fascinating viewing. 72 mins 48 secs.

* Interviews with Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel - Two new interviews, the first with Director Tobe Hooper and running for 13:45 mins. The second is with Writer Kim Henkel and runs for 8:22 mins.

* Deleted Scenes and Alternative Footage - 6 deleted scenes and 4 alternate scenes running for around 17-minutes in total. The 6 deleted scenes are 'The Van', 'The Campsite', 'Make-Up Scene', 'Death Of A Hitchhiker', 'Sally's Escape' and 'Tantrum Outside The Service Station'. The alternative scenes are 'Corpse In The Graveyard', 'Original Opening', 'Sally In The Service Station' and 'A Study In Filming'.

* Blooper Reel - Poor quality fit-inducing outtakes. For fans only.

* Trailers and Sequel Trailers - The original grainy looking trailer, the much-improved re-release trailer, trailers for TCM 2 and 3 and finally an early rough-cut promotional reel for 'The Return Of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (or 'The Next Generation' as it's otherwise known).

* Original TV Ads - Original promo ads from '74.

* A Study in Filming - A 2-minute look at the film-making process using one of the scenes as an example. Shows various silent takes of a 20 second scene.

* Stills Photos - A collection of 56 frames showing the cast and make up shots.

* Props and Set Footage - Film footage of the various props and sets used during filming. 6 minutes 20 seconds.

* Posters and Lobby Cards - Film posters from around the world for the original cinema release.

* 16-Page Collectable Booklet

* DVD-ROM - Weblink.

Our Verdict...

Pioneering horror that paved the way for the countless video nasties to follow. Little in the way of gore and relies instead on your vivid imagination to create the terror for you. 7/10

Similar in quality to previous versions, there is still some noticable print damage which is down to nothing more than the age of the print. 6/10

No 5.1 mix, just the DD 2.0 stereo mix that was featured on previous versions. The mono mix is also missing! Sound quality is acceptable for a film of this age, but don't expect too much from it. 5/10

Worthy of the Special Edition tag, the 'Shocking Truth' documentary alone is worth a purchase. Also includes some new interviews plus all the extras from the original Pioneer release. 8/10

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