Product: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Original Uncut) [Region 2] (1974)
Rating: 5.0
Macabre!!! Beyond any horror movie, a Nightmare on Film!!!
The original 1974 release of "The Texas chainsaw massacre", an independant film shooted on a very low budget, with a debutant director and amateur crew, young actors from the University of Texas, staged on existing locations like an almost documentary-film, became infamous under the unfear reputation of being considered a B-Horror flick gorefest, thanks to the inferior more "hollywood" sequels, and the now celebrity horror character, one of the most famous slashers in horror films history, Leatherface. Fact is, and this matter dissapointed more than one, there's almost no gore in here.I say this, because i believe this original Cult classic is more, way more than a Leatherface-for scenario in slashing and torturing teenagers for the fun, as one may think after viewing so many versions, sequels and re-makes of the TCM, this is more than a portrait of this Chainsaw wielding human horror show. This is major important film for many reasons. I can only think of two:One, this was not a supernatural or science fiction horror movie, the two most popular sub-genres in horror film industry at the time. This film was based in the career of Ed Gein, the real-life serial killer of Wisconsin, a character in wich Alfred Hitchcock based his influential masterpiece "Psycho". I could mention many previous important slasher films in the early 70's, like Italian filmaker Mario Bava's "Bay of Blood", but this film was something nobody ever imagined could be possible. From the initial narration, cemetery digging scene to the final excrutiating climax, this film is pure fear, fear that reflects on ourselves and gets under our skin. Forever. A monster is not necesearly a mutant or an alien anymore, no more.Two, the macabre, tense, disturbing, gruesome, atmospheric, menacing scenarios and situations, the creepy suspense, the fear... This movie is an actual surrealistic nightmare. Some scenes are unbearable, because of the atmosphere director Tobe Hooper created, product of the almost accidental mix of the low budget and improvisation in the amateurish performances of the drama student actors. Because of that important factor, the low budget, Tobe Hopper had to descent and describe the lowest levels in human psychology and madness, the most cheap but difficult work to show on film, and succeded in a way never sawn before, by leaving most of the gruesome action to our imagination. Even the original haunting music score is an important achievement for this film, turning the atmosphere unbreathable. So here, what we have is the story of five teenagers in a van trip, that ended up being victims by a family of homicidal slaughterhouse cannibal workers. Happy endings? No victim can be saved, even if they survive.Because this was the movie that teached me that the most bizarre and cruel behaviors are whithin human kind. I used to think as a kid that horror lies in vampires or werewolfs, mutants and aliens, but it was surrounding me all along, in real life. And that scared me, knowing that the most creepy and disturbing situations one can possibly imagine are recorded on Police Files, not in the "Nostromos" or other fantastic scenarios. That, i think, was the most important contribution of this film in my now-insecure frightful person. Not because of the slasher concept, long done and studied before, but the way to turn a simple every-day situation into the most realistic, horrific atmosphere i have ever witness on film.Ok, now this DVD edition for this masterful piece of work, a brief description and conclusion for you guys:- High definition transfer from the 16 mm camera originals.- English 5.1 english, 2.0 stereo, and original remastered mono soundtracks, with commentaries by the director, and cast and crew.- Theatrical trailes, tv and radio spots.- TCM: "The Shocking truth" documentary.- "Flesh wounds" documentary.- A tour to the TCM house by Gunnar Hansen.- Deleted scenes and outtakes.- Outtakes of the documentaries.- Blooper reels.- Still Gallery.- Subtitles: English, Spanish.The trailers included are: TCM (braiston), TCM (newline cinema), Eaten alive, The Manson family, Henry: portrait of a serial killer 1 and 2.First, a warning: This looks almost exactly like the previous DVD release by newline back in 2003, so if you already own that one, don't bother go after this one, unless you are a die-hard collector.The diference is that the presentation is very "original" in this new colorful box, but not very comfortable, with one disc mounted on top of the other. The quality of the DVD is good enough to enjoy the movie in full, in both video (some scenes in the forrest at night are pitchblack, so thanks)and audio(miss marilyn burns, know what i mean?).Ok, i would like to extend an invitation to the new generation of young horror fans hungry for shocking experiences, the ones that can't seem to be shocked by anything by now, to see this "oldie". There's little gore actually, but this is more than a history lesson. This is an experience every horror film fan should go throught. This is THE iniciation, so come, come, come... to the hell within ourselves!Enjoy my friends, This is the best TCM edition so far, in my opinion.Suggestion: watch it alone, at night, and find out the real size of your guts!