Sally, her brother Franklin, and three of their friends are sidetracked when travelling to a grandparent’s house. Their impromptu detour leads them into the clutches of the Sawyer family, and the deranged killer known as Leatherface.
There has been so much written about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre over the years that it’s difficult to know where to start. From the early discourse that it was one of the most extreme movies ever made leading to a ban in some countries, to the modern take of it being an all-time classic, every facet has been covered. With the release of a fantastic 4k master from Second Sight, another layer has been added to the legend.
The premise is simple. A group of carefree youngsters venture into unknown pastures, and a masked killer brutally picks them off one by one. What makes The Texas Chainsaw Massacre so memorable is its unrelenting suspense and bleakness, its knack for never letting up once the proverbial shit hits the fan. Added to this, more often than not the actual gore is what is perceived in your head, rather than what you witness on screen.
Within this inescapable terror, there are also moments of genuine beauty. Almost everyone of a horror persuasion will have seen at least some part of the Leatherface “dance” in the closing moments of the film, and the cinematography is as awe-inspiring as ever, with Hooper capturing shots of the surrounding countryside with a keen eye. This level of detail is something which adds to the horrific moments we experience through the same lens. How can something that is so intricate, be so fear-inducing mere minutes later?
With the crystal clear detail of 4k being added, my worry was that some of the scuzziness may be lost in all the high-tech wizardry. On the contrary, the sharper image seems almost to highlight what was there before. The sprawling Texas landscape feels dryer, the air seems more suffocating, and the sweat more uncomfortable. And the horrors which await in the Sawyer house are even more grimy and filthy than ever before. There has always been a real “dirt under your fingernails feel” to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and none of that is lost in this remaster.
The staying power of this movie has always been its ability to shock and repulse in equal measure, and almost 50 years later, it has lost none of that effect. The introduction of Leatherface is one of the most iconic scenes to grace the horror genre, and his appearance is just as gruesome as the first time he was witnessed. The plethora of remakes, sequels and reboots have perhaps diminished his fear factor over time, but he remains one of the most iconic on-screen killers of all time, and this new release will hopefully introduce the newer generation of horror fans to an all-time classic
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is out on 4K Second Sight Blu-Ray
Andy’s Archive: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
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