“The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” is a horror classic.

The logline: Sally, her wheelchair bound brother Franklin and three of their friends stop off on a road trip to take a peek at their grandpa’s old house. As the group begins to explore the area, they accidentally come across a cannibalistic family who are out to kill them.

 

The original “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” is still as creepy, atmospheric, gritty, and tension filled today as it was back in 1974. What makes ‘Massacre’ such a unique and refreshing horror film is that director Tobe Hooper managed to create a film that is unpredictably sick and deranged. There’s literally something here to disturb or scare just about anyone. There’s the crazy chainsaw wielding Leatherface, the blood sucking barely alive cannibal grandfather, the skin slicing hitchhiker, the bone/skull/meat infested house, and the haunting death scenes (which aren’t as gorey as people say).

 

My only complaint is that I do wish there would have been more characterization. The 5 road trippers are mostly one dimensional characters.

 

Summary: Forget the re-makes and sequels and buy the original “The Texas Chain saw Massacre” on Blu-ray. The film has never looked better and the disc contains a ton of great extras to boot.

I was skeptical about the 1.78:1 1080P picture quality, but I have to admit this is mostly a gorgeous print. The Dirt and grain have really been cleaned up here. The only major problem I noticed is that the frame was a little jumpy in spots.

Sorry folks, there are no Hi-Def tracks here. With that said, the 5.1 DTS and the 2.0 PCM tracks still manage to contain clean sounding dialogue, music cues, and chainsaw sounds.

* Deleted scenes and outtakes (25:30). More corpse shots and alternate shots involving a deserted tent and Leatherface.
* 2 ½ minute blooper reel.
* Still gallery.
* “Outtakes from The Shocking Truth” (7:30)- Cast and crew interviews about various topics of the film. Worth a gander.
* “Making Grandpa”- Still gallery showing how the creepy grandpa look was created.
* 2 trailers, 3 TV spots, and 2 radio spots.
* “Off The Hook With Terri Mcminn” (17:00)- An exclusive new featurette with the actress chatting about her experiences making the movie.
* “A Tour Of The TCSM House With Gunnar Hansen” (8:00)- A tour of the house in 1993 by the Leatherface.
* “Flesh Wounds: 7 Stories Of The Saw” (71 mins.)- A fascinating documentary that covers the cameraman’s career and experiences, the TCSM fanclub president, a tour of the now refurbished house, the odd Edwin Neal (hitchhiker), a tribute to the actors who passed away, Dr. W.E. Barnes makeup, cinema wasteland and Texas Frightmare conventions, and Gunnar’s life.
* “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Shocking Truth”- A comprehensive fact-filled 82 minute making of docu.