The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
2-Disc Ultimate Edition
(Dark Sky/MPI Region 1 NTSC DVD)
(1974)
review by Head Cheeze

If you haven’t seen the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, well…jeez, I don’t have an answer for that. I mean, I just sort of figure everyone’s seen this film by now, save for the very young, the very prudish, or the legally blind. Then again, some of our younger viewers may have only seen the far more bloody remake (which is really quite good despite fanboy protests – my own included), while others may have last visited Leatherface and the gang back in the VHS days, so a refresher course may, in fact, be needed.

So here it goes.

A group of teens traveling the back roads of southern Texas are victimized by a cannibalistic family, lead by its flesh-wearing, chainsaw-wielding scion.

That’s it in a nutshell, so let’s move on to the real review here! You see, we are here to celebrate the all-new, two-disc Ultimate Edition DVD of one of horror cinema’s all-time classics, and this baby is just so chock-full-o-goodies that we just don’t have the time to go and rehash the plot of a movie most of you should have committed to memory by now! Anyway, if you haven’t seen it, you’ll thank me for not ruining it for you. Oh, and if you haven’t seen it, well then, now is the perfect time to do so as Dark Sky/MPI are offering up the best looking cut of the film yet!

Taken from the original 16mm negatives, the Ultimate Edition sports a crystal clear HD transfer that manages to retain the original film’s necessarily grungy look while still improving overall picture clarity and color. Up until now, I didn’t think anyone could top the fantastic Pioneer transfer, but Dark Sky/MPI have done it, and even tweaked out the audio, with a thumping 5.1 Dolby Digital surround track that will have your neighbors thinking you’ve opened a saw mill in your apartment. Oh, and the transfer is anamorphic for all of you Richie Rich’s out there with widescreen tellys; you know who I’m talkin’ to.

The film has never looked or sounded better, and, for that reason alone, this DVD is an essential purchase for collectors and fans. But this wouldn’t be an Ultimate Edition if it didn’t have a few other tricks up its sleeves, now would it?

This 2-disc set is locked and loaded with two commentary tracks (the first is an all-new track by actors Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Allen Danziger, and art designer, the late Robert A. Burns. The second commentary is a “classic” that features director Tobe Hooper, cinematographer Daniel Pearl,and actor Gunnar Hansen). Disc one also offers up an assortment of vintage Trailers, TV, and radio spots.

Sounds pretty special so far, but is it really ULTIMATE?

Well how does the addition of two, count ‘em, two feature-length documentaries grab ya? That’s right, this set features both the 2002 documentary, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Shocking Truth, as well as the all-new Flesh Wounds: Seven Stories of the Saw, both of which add up to nearly three hours worth of bone-crunching goodness. While The Shocking Truth is the most comprehensive of the two, offering up scads of interviews, behind-the-scenes images and footage, and pretty much everything one could hope to learn about the origins, making-of, and impact of this seminal film, Flesh Wounds somehow manages to delve even deeper into the mythology, with more personal stories about the production.

I don’t even think I need to tell you that you simply have to own this set. I don’t care how many other versions of this film you’ve already got; the Ultimate Edition will mop the floor with any of ‘em on the strength of the new transfer alone, nevermind the all-new features and the inclusion of some of the “classic” features from previously released sets (which, I have to say, is a really cool inclusion as so many “Ultimate” editions always seem to leave something out). I really can’t see how anyone can top this set, but, let’s be honest; you just know that someone will try to find a way down the line. However, rest assured that this new Ultimate Edition is the current king of the Chainsaw castle, and earns…nay…demands a place in your collection!