The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (4K UHD) [Blu-ray]

Since the dawn of time, man has entertained one another by telling chilling tales of the mad and macabre. In the beginning merely illuminated by the flickering lights of a campfire, later the stories of horror was put on to paper and the theater stage as the institution of man grew more sophisticated, through the annals of time. When the magic of motion pictures first dawned upon us in the early 20th century, that grand tradition naturally continued in this new medium and now, almost a hundred years later, an extensive catalogue of titles have been responsible for generations upon generations of nightmares, chronicled and passed down through the ages to invoke joy and wonderment in the hungry masses of scare crazed fans. In the 21st century however, one of the ultimate truths in the way of fright flicks is that something changed back in the smoldering summer heat of 1974 (just as it did when George A. Romero created the modernized version of the zombie in 1968). The change? From them on out, all roads traveled in the ways of horror would inevitably lead to Texas. After hearing rumors about grave robbing and ritualistic desecration of the corpses at various rural graveyards in and around Texas, five youths, consisting of Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns) and her invalided brother Franklin (Paul A. Partain) accompanied by three of their friends are subsequently en route to examine the condition of their grandfather's resting place and afterwards spend a few days crashing at an old family heirloom - an abandoned farmhouse, that's as desolated as it is sheltered - for a bit of relaxation under the blistering hot summer sun. As the group ventures though the bucolic landscape, they pass a depleted and crumbling old slaughterhouse, where they decide pick up a dense looking hitch-hiker (Edwin Neal) standing at the side of the road, but this benevolent act backfires horribly as the mood turns increasingly sinister, culminating in the ominous stranger attacking the wheelchair bound Franklin and cutting his arm with a filthy straight razor before the group can managed to push him out of the van. As the party reaches the confides of the old family home, the mood is understandably a bit tense, with Franklin in particular, distressed by the preceding events, getting on everyone's nerves with his excessive whining about the matter. As the mood starts to settle and the group begins to unwind, the faction soon separate and while some stay at the house to get settled, others turns to exploring the area - an initiative that will prove highly ill-advised as a certain part of the region's residents doesn't take too kindly to strangers. Soon the kids plunge into a seemingly never-ending nightmare as they are attacked by the monstrous Leatherface (Gunner Hansen) and his nefarious family of cannibals who proves that you don't need much in the way of etiquettes or social skills, when equipped with a bloody big chainsaw and a full-size supply of meat hooks. You might wonder why I chose to incorporate the little intro on the history of horror, preceding the synopsis. Well, you see, I was going for that epic feel - a touch of grandeur, if you will, as I not only regard The Texas Chainsaw Massacre as the greatest horror film of all time but quite possibly the greatest motion picture ever produced, period! Just like it pertains to most examples of great filmmaking, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is utterly unique - a movie that completely obliterates genre conventions and transcends the boundaries of its form. I cited Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968) earlier, which is the film that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre undoubtedly shears most of its attributes. Both were conjured up during times of great turmoil, globally as well as within the United States. Both movies also reflects an alarming distrust in authorities and societies' appointed leaders and their escalating lies and deception, while simultaneously operating as a stake through the heart of the American myth concerning the altruistic good guys sporting white hats while forever prevailing against the deficient elements. In these films man as a whole, was the deficient element. Another funny coincidence is that both films have also been added to the permanent collection of New York City's Museum of Modern Art, thus validating their claim as legitimate, unconventional art. Not bad for a film originally entitled Headcheese. Co-written by Kim Henkel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is, just as Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960) and Deranged (Alan Ormsby, Jeff Gillen, 1974), inspired by the heinous crimes of Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein, and introduces gritty Texas-atmosphere in a sizzling heat with discomfort, disgust and death along with the now almost mythical chainsaw and one of the most iconic masks in horror cinema history. But the film is not just cruel and horrifying. It's also a kind of social satire (without being funny), which turns and twists 'the American dream' and the gloss image of the perfect American family. Daniel Pearl's secure sense of eerie cinematography is one of this film's many strengths. Shot on 16mm using a Bolex and Eclair NPR camera, the visuals and the compositions are a work of pure incontrovertible art (you could hang any frame on the wall) and Pearl's handheld, free-wheeling, pseudo-documentary cinema-vérité style with almost panic-like zooms on skulls, bones, rusty birdcages and dilated eyes, is an ideal fit for the frantic and unsettling narrative, palpable throughout the piece. But that doesn't mean that there isn't room for some sly and rather sophisticated set-ups along the way. Check out the scene where Teri McInnis' Pam walks from her previous position by a swing set, towards the ominous looking farmhouse, for further proof of this. A grainy and nicotine yellow color pattern seems to be all pervading in the scenes depicting daytime activities, capturing the desolated landscape of the lone star state flawlessly, with its desiccated dirt roads and untamed vegetation, whereas nighttime as a fusion of shadowy black and steely blues invokes similar awe and astonishment at the capacity of the film and the people behind it. The score by Wayne Bell and Hooper himself is another triumph. This experimental soundtrack is reminiscent of twisted uncontrolled metal sounds and squeals, and is highly unorthodox in its chaotic sound design, tailor-made for evoking anguish and discomfort. Last I want to mention the film's brilliant set-design courtesy of art director Robert A. Burns, which truly act as a benchmark for the genre and has acted as inspiration for every "Hillbilly Horror" following. The acting performances are also incredibly effective. Especially Marilyn Burns and Paul A. Partain are extremely valuable in bestowing the film with an almost impenetrable sense of tension and despair, throughout its 90 minute of run time. The rest of the fresh faced cast seems to act primarily as fodder, but personally I enjoyed the fact that they are portrayed with an air of naive innocence about them. But let's face it, you came here for the family and boy do they deliver, as this is quite possible the baddest bunch of hombres ever depicted on film. Edwin Neal is absolutely radiant as the psychotic Hitch-Hiker, attacking each scene with a manic energy befitting a true berserker; he doesn't so much draw you in as pull you violently face to face with his epic performance. Equally impressive is the character of the cook, the irascibly family patriarch, who is brilliantly brought to life by veteran character actor Jim Siedow. Sadly he passed away in 2003 but left us this immaculate part to enjoy. Leatherface meanwhile is a full-fletched horror-icon, celebrated by all as the true face of the franchise and it's not difficult to see why. Gunner Hansen embodies this monstrosity with all his might and he truly is Leatherface, reducing all others who have subsequently donned the human skin mask to a mere afterthought. Tobe Hooper's almost apocalyptic landscape is a deserted wasteland of dissolution where vibrant colors and hope for a future is all but desiccated. The lone star state has metamorphosized into a hellish bone yard of dying cattle, rusted gas stations and desecrated cadavers, and now functions as home base for a pack of psychotic killers whose hunt for rations is the standard when it comes to challenging the established American experience in movie terminology. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is without a doubt Tobe Hooper's masterpiece and an utterly flawless motion picture experience and its impact on the unsuspecting viewer, neither can nor will be replicated, ever again. Hooper has never since managed, or even gotten close, to reaching the majestic heights of his debut feature. Much like a young Orson Wells, Hooper hit the ground running, only to gradually run out of steam throughout his subsequent career. Never the less, I have lived this film like few others, through the times of VHS and Laserdiscs up until DVDs and Blu-ray and a viewing of this magnum opus have come to constitute a homecoming. To me, the saw is family! The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has more releases then there exists jokes about pedophilia in the Catholic Church, but for true TCM aficionados there is only one real choice, that being the pricey yet absolutely beautiful Japanese 5-disc box set from DEX Entertainment. Not only do you get the discs housed in a fantastic digi-pack confined in a sturdy hard cover box but the film's iconographic artwork is gorgeously recreated on the package for maximum effect. Furthermore you get the film's Japanese lobby cards, two booklets (one of which has a hardback spine) with lots of great pictures, the Japanese movie poster and some sort of certificate. Disc one is home to the main feature presented in anamorphic widescreen 1.78:1 and the picture quality is absolutely flawless, the same goes for the audio track available in Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0, and mono for purists. Extras on this disc consist of various trailers, TV and radio spots for the film. There are also two audio commentaries available. One features director Tobe Hooper, cinematographer Daniel Pearl, and star Gunnar Hansen and it's an essential listen filled with tons of making-of info about the development of the script, shooting in crazy, harsh conditions and the success of the film. The second track features art director Robert A. Burns intercut with cast members Marilyn Burns, Paul Partain and Allen Danziger and it's a fun albeit fluffy listen. Disc two presents a wide variety of extras, starting off with the hour long documentary `Flesh Wounds' and two featurettes entitled `Chainsaw House Tour' lasting 20 minutes where Gunnar Hansen gives us a walking tour of the infamous halls of horrors and `Off the Hook' which lasts 10 minutes. Last you get deleted scenes and outtakes, blooper reel, still gallery and various promotional materials to round off the disc. Disc three is somewhat exclusive as it presents the Japanese TV version with a plethora of Japanese promo material like trailers and poster art. Disc four and five houses the two excellent feature length documenters entitled `A Family Portrait' and `The Shocking Truth', and there's a wide selection of extras, but these consist of Japanese filmmakers in interviews talking about the impact the film has had on their lives and doesn't have any subtitles so unless you speak the language it's filler, I'm afraid. Most of this material is already available on other releases but there is absolutely no way you'd be able to refute the awesome presence that this stunning release will instill on your DVD/Blu-ray collection. Enjoy!

You must own this 4K/Blu-Ray set of the best Horror film of all time as at the moment this is the release of the year until Second sight release something else or another distributor releases something that comes out of nowhere. I didn’t think that the picture quality of this near 50 year old masterpiece could get any better but it has and I can’t believe it’s this good, the restoration work done by Second sight is crystal clear nearly as much as the OCN can allow this new fresh new 4K scan so there might be a few tiny soft issues but with all BD'S 4K restorations it's the OCN not the new clean up work! Also, the audio has been given a new dolbyatmos5.1/7.1 track with the existing DTS HD 5.1/7.1 and LPCM mono original track if this is correct. The sound is amazing and you hear everything, foreground & background noises and dialogue are balanced well so it’s the best audio any Blu-Ray has to offer and it’s ultra reference quality to hit streaming where it hurts so in terms of this great release of the year - take that streaming viewers!! Extras are through the roof and the special features are covered over the 2 discs with a brand new 83 minute documentary and a new commentary track from pod cast experts of the film, all the old and existing extras are intact and ported over of which you’ll need a chainsaw to go through them as there’s so much to watch and listen too. There’s also a couple of swag items with the 4K version including a book and some postcards. So this Blu-Ray is the best set of the year so you just need to buy this if you love Horror films, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) is the greatest Horror film and it’s top of the pile as it’s my number one, not even the greatest film director of all time – Stanley Kubrick could better it with his masterpiece – The SHINING. I don’t think that any Horror film coming up in the near future will ever beat Chainsaw, there could be but if there is will it last half a century? This is such a well made film as I don’t know how some people don’t like it as the Horror film grabs you and never let’s go until the end, it’s just a great nasty and violent disturbing Horror film of which this is. It is violent, not graphic but the on screen deaths are brutal, Teri being put on the meat hook, Kurt being hit hard over the head, Franklin being killed by Leatherface and Sally being tortured at the dinner scene at the end and her escape through the window of her being cut while running away from Ed Neil him being run over by the truck and Sally covered in blood, yes it’s violent and shocking so it is violent, so if some people are saying it’s a non-violent film then you are wrong! I don’t need to explain the plot of the film as by now I think that everyone has seen this Masterpiece it’s an emerald gem of a Horror film and it should be owned and viewed by everyone so if you haven’t seen it watch The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) now! I can’t rate this set more highly as this is nearly a perfect Blu-Ray release of which I have purchased it twice on both formats, the film, picture and sound and the special features are out of this world and Second sight have knocked this one out of the park - great stuff! Here’s to another chainsaw film as the recent one from Netflix sucked and as a fan of the original trilogy of films 1 -4 I would love Rob Zombie to direct The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 5 as I love The Devils Rejects!! If you love this film and Horror films like I do then just purchase this set at once! Film: 5 stars. Picture & sound: 5 stars. Special features: 5 stars. Overall product verdict: 5 stars. This is the best Blu-Ray to beat at the moment and I thought that Dawn of the Dead (1978) from Second sight was great! This work and Blu-Ray set should be given awards!

If you want to know how effective TCM is as a horror movie, consider this: director Tobe Hooper was aiming for his film to be given a PG rating, the finished product having little bad language or gore. Instead it was subject to censorship around the world, with the BBFC's director James Ferman declaring that he had a "problem" with the film and refusing to pass it for an 18 certificate. Having your horror movie banned largely on the strength of the atmosphere it creates is high praise indeed. It's interesting to consider why the original "chainsaw" is so more effective than the recent sequels, all of which had the advantage of a higher budget, glossier production and so on. For me, it's very much a case of "less is more". The sparse direction, mundane but creepy dialogue and characters and the low-tech discordant soundtrack all build up a feeling of dread long before Leatherface makes his first appearance, and the basic camerawork and grainy 16mm look add to the realistic documentary feel. The "fish out of water" scenario worked just as well for Alien as it did for this film - in rural Texas, no one can hear you scream. When the horror finally kicks in, it's unrelenting - the suffering of Sally Hardesty is the classic "female in peril" plot device turned up to eleven, and it's this that so upset James Ferman. Technically speaking, this blu-ray release is a significant improvement on the DVD. The HD transfer certainly betrays the film's low-budget origins - the transfer is grainy and uneven with the occasional scratch, but it's sharp and colourful and looks much better than the standard-definition picture. This is probably the best the film will ever look, short of a full-blown theatrical restoration. For sound you have the choice of the original mono track (presented as centre-channel Dolby Digital), stereo PCM, or remixed DTS 5.1. Purists will want to stick with the mono track, but the surround effects on the DTS track are nicely done. It would have been good to have the latter in HD lossless format, but given the limitations of the source material you're not really losing anything. It's worth mentioning that the audio tracks do not appear to suffer from the missing audio cues that affected the Dark Sky DVD release. A comprehensive selection of extras rounds off the package. Overall this is a great release of an essential piece of 70's horror, and a worthy upgrade to previous DVD versions.

This review is for the movie and the Second Sight 2-Disc Blu-ray and the 3-Disc Blu-ray 4K Ultra HD. PLOT... Five friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. You can't have a cult classic horror collection on Blu-ray without owning this movie and this Second Sight Blu-ray release which is probably the best out there. A classic horror that still shocks and haunts you now as much as it did back in 1974, the movie is Rated-18 not so much because of the violence as its not particularly gory, but its shock value alone and the screaming and the humiliation and torture of our female characters especially final girl Sally! A vicious crazy movie which is very well made for the early 70's, some fantastic shots and locations and camera work from Hooper the director. This was one of the early Video nasties that started the trend for brutal horror and paved the way for many great films, great cast of characters even if they don't last long, good music and sound effect score, great locations and set design and most of all the creation of Leatherface in that iconic skin mask. A must for fans of the genre. The 4K Picture on the limited edition is great. Features include multiple commentaries and interviews, long featurettes (376mins worth approx over 6hrs) plus trailers, Deleted scenes, TV spots, Gallery, worthy of the price, some of these features are new and are not on the 2-Disc version. Region FREE ABC 4K Disc. Region B Blu-ray's. Running time 84mins. 1974. Limited edition box is rigid and great quality, amazing 190page hardback book and art-cards. English language movie. English subtitles. The Earlier Blu-ray pictured in images has a good HD picture. Features are plentiful with many featurettes, interviews, outtakes, bloopers, deleted scenes (approx 301mins) plus 4 commentaries, gallery, trailers, TV and radio spots. Region B UK. Running time 84mins. 1974. English language movie. Subtitles English HOH. Reversible sleeve. 2-Discs.

Was enjoying the film until the last 10 minutes when the picture went to a black screen but the audio was still playing the film but no picture and there was some video issues such as if it was glitching

This has to be the best horror film ever made. Fact! No matter what your preferences are in whatever genre, fans and non-fans alike must agree that this represents the blue print for the way decades of future slasher films were made. However, the spate of "new" versions of this movie are simply a rip-off. This long version includes all the unused footage we have seen in the extras on previous editions. No surprises for us. And frankly, they were left out for a reason. They slow the film down. As for the High Def DVD edition, well the colours are clearly more vibrant and the detail is sharper. And the Blu-Ray? Remember that this film was shot in 16mm so there's only so much HD glory you can squeeze out of it. My advice...buy the HD-mastered DVD version with all the extras, and watch it on an HD TV from a PS3. Then you have it all!! This dvd is for purists only.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1974 is a true classic in horror. I was amazed when I first watched this film back in 1997 on Laserdisc. I now own the new 4K remaster on Blu Ray. I must say the picture quality is more grainy then the previous Blu Ray version I owned, but the colours are more vibrant and detailed that pop on screen. The film comes on two discs and is packed with extra's. I decided to skip the steelbook version in favour of the normal amaray blue case version. The amaray consists of two cover arts, the newly commissioned art and the original art, the latter being the reason I wanted this version. I love the original theatrical poster art on my Blu Ray covers, which gives it that authenticity and nostalgic feel. ( TRIVIA ) • The chainsaw that ( Leatherface ) uses is real. It was no movie prop. • The titles original name for the film was ( Headcheese ) it later changed to ( Leatherface ) before the eventual title name arrived that we all know today as ( The Texas Chainsaw Massacre ) • Gunnar Hansen who played the role as ( Leatherface ) stood at six-foot-four inches tall and weighed 300 pounds. • Tobe Hooper the director wanted a PG rating release. So that the film would reach a wider audience. However there was no PG rating system at the time and was told by the Motion Picture Association of America that he could help his cause if he limited the amount of onscreen blood. '' As you watch the film, notice there's probably about two ounces, '' Hooper later joked. Alas, the film's intensity ultimately meant it earned a R rating. Still, it's probably not as gory as you remember. • The Shoot was Harrowing. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was produced on a budget of $60,000, which meant little pay and long hours for the cast and crew. To make matters worse, the production endured a Texas summer with temperatures in excess of 100 degrees ( including 115-degree heat for the un-air conditioned interior shots) , a single bathroom shared by more then three dozen people, costumes that could not be changed because the actors only had one set of clothes, and the constant presence of the bones and rotting meat used as props. Virtually no member of the cast went uninjured, and the heat and stench got so punishing at one point that the actors would run to the windows of the house where the dinner scene was shot to throw up and breath a little fresh air between takes. Years later, Hooper sarcastically referred to the experience as an '' interesting summer.'' • The legendary dinner scene was shot in a single marathon day. In addition to the excessive heat and odour in the dining room during filming, the sequence was given another challenge: It had to be completed in a single day because John Dugan, the actor who played Grandpa, refused to endure the 10-hour process of getting his makeup applied a second time. '' He announced that he was not sitting through it again, '' Hooper said. As a result, the cast and crew worked for 27 straight hours to finish a scene that takes up only a few minutes of the film's runtime. • Leatherface actually wears three different masks in the film. There's The Killing Mask he wears for most of the film, the ''Grandma '' Mask he wears while preparing dinner to show his '' domestic side, '' and the Lady Makeup- covered Mask he wears to sit down to dinner, complete with suit in the southern tradition of dressing up for the evening meal. This is only seven Trivia facts on what happened during the filming of this iconic film, there are many more facts that happened on set. Overall Rating 10/10 Horror Masterpiece

What makes Tobe Hooper's Texas Chainsaw Massacre so special? Well, it's one of the most original 'classic' horror films out there. Considering the time it was made and its budget, it's a masterpiece. Nothing had been done before that had been quite as effective. The first time I watched this I was truly frightened, I like many others placed myself in Sally Hardesty's shoes as she was being chased by the chainsaw wielding maniac, the feeling of sheer panic is uncompromised. Lets face it, it's what nightmares are made out of. Not to mention the brilliant score that was used; throughout, the music transformed this already frightening film into something mercilessly terrifying! I've no doubt that many are already familiar with this film with it being so well known, so I'll give a rundown on the Blu ray aspects... Bearing in mind the film was made in 1974 using a 16mm camera, the Blu ray transformation is fantastic. There's a notable increase in quality from that of the DVD version, if the people responsible used the well known techniques such as digital noise reduction they've done a great job restoring it unlike the film Highlander which is an example of an wrongly restored film, where the image was sharpened to such an extent it was rendered unwatchable. Lets not forgett the 5.1 DTS and 2.0 stero sound soundtracks (sounded incredible with my 5.1 surround setup.) which really aids the film towards the fullest of restoration. I'd say that fans of TCSM in possession of a Blu ray player should definitely buy this 'seriously ultimate edition', just on the quality factor alone, but if that's not enough incentive to spend your hard earned, check out what the special features have to offer: Commentary with director Tobe Hooper, cinematographer Daniel Pearl and actor Gunnar Hansen Commentary with actors Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Allen Danziger and art director Robert A. Burns 'The Shocking Truth' documentary 'Flesh Wounds' documentary Gunnar Hansen's Chainsaw House Tour An interview with Tobe Hooper and writer Kim Henkel 'Off the Hook' with actor Teri McMinn 'The Business of Chainsaw' with production manager Ron Bozman Deleted Scenes, Alternative footage and Outtakes Sitlls, posters and Lobby Cards Gallery They've really gone to town on the extra material you get . All in all, the best edition of the film thus far. A must have. [5/5]

De beschrijving van de verkoper vermelde dit niet, waardoor ik nu met een onbruikbare video zit. Retourneren heeft geen zin omdat ik zelf de kosten moet betalen en een brievenbuspakje via DHL kost €3,70 terwijl de DVD maar € 3 kostte.

In einer Welt, in der der Kapitalismus die Menschen zu Monstern macht, die gezwungen sind, sich gegenseitig aufzufressen, ist dieser Klassiker des Slasher-Films angesiedelt. Von Regisseur Tobe Hooper ("Poltergeist") klug inszeniert, avancierte dieses Meisterwerk zu einem Instant-Kultfilm. Hooper ist geschickt darin, den Zuschauer an die Hände zu nehmen und ihn zum Ort des Geschehens zu führen. Vor da an überlässt er alles dessen Imagination, sodass "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" mit einem Minimum an Blut und kaum gezeigter direkter Gewalt auskommt. (Als man Hooper seinerzeit sagte, der Film müsse gekürzt werden, fand die Zensurbehörde tatsächlich keine Aufnahmen expliziter Gewalt, sodass er ungekürzt in die Kinos kommen durfte.) Der Horror entsteht durch die Atmosphäre, den Schnitt und vor allem das Sounddesign. Außerdem ist der Film sehr gut gespielt -- eine Ausnahmeerscheinung in diesem Genre. Der Psychohorrortrip ist hier in einer wunderbar aufbereiteten Edition auf dem Markt gebracht worden. Die Restauration ermöglicht eine erstklassige Bild- und Tonqualität . . . und man ist erstaunt, was für kunstvolle, schöne Bilder dem Kameramann gelangen. Es gibt viele Extras, u. a. vier Audiokommentarspuren und etliche Interviews. Ein Tipp ohne Einschränkungen. Viel Spaß!

Ogólnie wszystko ok, ale przy odbiorze należy zapłacić opłatę celną, więc dochodzi to do kosztów zamówienia. Także lepiej jednak zamówić na Amazonie uk, gdyż oni opłacają z góry wszelkie opłaty celne.

¿Se puede apurar más un negativo de 16mm para una edición en 4K UHD brillante? Este es el ejemplo. Esta edición es insuperable, de referencia. Posiblemente el visionado en casa de este disco sea tan auténtico como haberla visto en cine: el grano está presente en casi todo el film y nunca se tiene la sensación de estar visionando un disco con un archivo digital. Título fundamental para amantes del cine de terror en la edición definitiva.

Classique