The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (The Ultimate Edition)
October 2008 Reviewed by: Mischa Hayek Format: Blu-ray	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Topping a poll by Total Film magazine as the best horror film of all time, even beating out John Carpenter’s Halloween, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, and Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, Tobe Hooper’s cult classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has been released on Blu-ray almost 35 years after it first horrified, sickened, and offended audiences. Originally banned in several countries, including Australia and the United Kingdom, it quickly became a cult classic and changed the direction of modern horror films, making the new object of fear the dysfunctional family next door. Instead of the creature from outer space or the vampire from Transylvania, your new nightmare could just be the guy you met at the gas station while you filled up your car or the hitchhiker you picked up because you’re a Good Samaritan. Safety exists nowhere.

Dark Sky Films has released Hooper’s film with the respect and attention it deserves. Three versions of the soundtrack are available. Purists will probably first go for the original mono track, seeing as it's closest to what was first created, but the PCM stereo and DTS 5.1 tracks have been fully remastered and are far better-sounding, even if you don't want the newly introduced spatial effects. The stereo and DTS tracks are fuller-sounding, cleaner, and far more detailed. Subtle nuances that are all but lost in the original mono track are now easier to discern.

Chain Saw was originally shot on 16mm film stock, so it has an inherent coarse, grainy look. Once you realize that, you'll see that this is a pristine-looking transfer in terms of getting what was originally on the film to digital. It also indicates that a very good film print was used as a source, or that the technicians spent a lot of time touching it up. It's nearly flawless, with vivid colors and excellent detail, even in the many dark scenes. Given that many people originally saw this film at the drive-in or years after its original release in theaters showing worn-out prints, this is probably the best-looking Chain Saw many have ever experienced.

The original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was only 83 minutes long, but the many special features included on this Blu-ray release total more than three hours. The featurette "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Shocking Truth" is outstanding. It tells the complete story of the making of the movie from its initial inspiration -- a true story of cannibalism taking place in America during the 1930s -- to the film’s controversial release, its subsequent cult status, and the sequels that it spawned. Interviews with director Hooper, art director Robert A. Burns, and the numerous actors and others who worked on the film provide a well-rounded, funny, informative exposé. Bonus features on this Blu-ray release include another lengthy featurette, "Flesh Wounds: Seven Stories Of The Saw," several shorter featurettes,TV and theatrical trailers, a blooper reel, a stills gallery, and 25 minutes of deleted scenes and outtakes. Even though the deleted scenes and outtakes come with no explanation as to why they were excluded from the final version, after viewing them it seemed that director Tobe Hooper’s cut of Chain Saw was by far the best. This release comes with two film commentaries: one with actors Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Allen Danziger, and art director Robert A. Burns, the second with director Tobe Hooper, cinematographer Daniel Pearl and actor Gunnar Hansen (who played Leatherface, the film’s infamous villain).

Film collectors and historians will welcome this definitive treatment of a landmark horror classic.

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