Product: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Original Uncut) [Region 2] (1974)
Rating: 5.0
One Of The All-Time Best Horror Movies, Period.
When I was a kid, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was one of those pictures that every kid talked about, but none of us had actually seen. I always knew that after all the hype, when I finally saw it, it'd probably be a letdown. I couldn't have been more wrong...Chainsaw follows a familiar plotline- The group of teens being picked off by a maniacal killer. The similarities end there, because A)- Chainsaw was one of the first movies to use that plot, and B)- It's actually a great movie, something very few of it's successors could claim. The movie has a cheap, dirty feel to it, and it achieves an almost documentary realism, something I've never seen done so well. Despite the fact that there isn't much actual on-screen gore (In the commentary, Director Tobe Hooper reveals he was trying for a PG rating!), this remains the most disturbing film I've ever seen. It almost feels like you're watching it happen in front of you. The acting is better than you'd expect, and the characters of Leatherface, The Cook, The Hitch-Hiker, and Grandpa will stick with you for a long time. Hooper and Writer Kim Henkel have created a truly chilling mythology, and the Family's obsession with "The Meat" is REALLY scary.The DVD contains a nice widescreen transfer, commentary by Director Hooper, Gunnar "Leatherface" Hansen, and Cinematographer Daniel Pearl, trailers and TV spots for all of the Chainsaw films, deleted scenes and bloopers, a still gallery, poster and product gallery, and a spot about the props and sets. Great extras, but it'd be worth buying just for the film: It's a classic!