Jeri Jacquin
Coming to 4K Ultra HD, VHS (yes, VHS!) and Bluray in a Chainsaw Edition from director Tobe Hooper and Dark Sky Selects comes the film that caused a stir in theatres in 1974 and is celebrated fifty years later with THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE.
Driving through Texas in 1973, Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns), Jerry (Allen Danziger), Pam (Teri McMinn), Kirk (William Vail) and brother Franklin (Paul A. Partain) are on a road trip of fun. Siblings Sally and Franklin decide to stop and pay respects to their grandfather’s grave and Franklin speaks about his family’s history and their slaughterhouse. On the road is a hitchhiker and when the group picks him up, he also tells of his family’s involvement in the slaughterhouse. After a confrontation, the group kicks him out of the van!
Next to an empty gas station, they gang walks through the hold house the Hardesty family once lived but Kirk and Pam decide to go the swimming hole. When the couple comes across a run-down house, they go exploring and that starts a chain of horror events. When Sally and Franklin go looking for their friends, Sally finds herself in the same house chased by a masked man. Trying to escape, she ends up back at the gas station being told about Grandpa (John Dugan) and Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen).
The night of terror has only begun!
Burns as Sally brings the most memorable and frightening character to the screen. The chase between she and the vicious family is on in a night of terror. Through the years Burns has spoken about her role and how she never expected it to be talked about throughout the years. Supporting the film through conventions and appearances, Burns’ role in the film brought her fans world-wide. She did appear in other films and television productions such as the role of Linda Kasabian in the 1976 series Helter Skelter. Burns passed away in 2014.
The other notable character that continues to keep fans on their toes is Leatherface played by Gunnar Hansen. Every year, the costume of Leatherface is always front and center around Halloween, even fifty years later! Hansen took on roles after the film and also became an author with his Memoir on traveling with Islands at the Edge of Time: A Journey to America’s Barrier Islands and 2014 book Chains Saw Confidential.
Other cast include Jim Siedow as the Old Man, Robert Courtin as Window Washer, William Creamer as Bearded Man, John Faulk as the Storyteller and John Larroquette as the Narrator.
Dark Sky Selects is committed to delivering a meticulously curated selection of high-quality, limited edition film releases and exclusive merchandise to the collector's market. As an extension of MPI Media Group and Dark Sky Films, Dark Sky Selects hails from nearly five decades of experience in genre films, as a specialty label dedicated to preserving the legacy of iconic titles like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, and modern classics like The House of the Devil. Our mission is to provide premium, collector-focused products that honor our cinematic heritage and ensure its preservation for future generations.
Dark Sky Films works with emerging talent as well as established veterans to develop, produce and finance feature films and episodic television projects. Representing films from some of most talented directors working today, such as Ti West’s THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL and THE INKEEPERS, and Jim Mickle’s STAKE LAND, Dark Sky continues to identify original talent and projects to bring a vibrant slate of films to the world market, with original productions and releases such as GIRL ON THE THIRD FLOOR, WE ARE STILL HERE, and most recently, THE DARK and 1BR. For more please visit www.darkskyfilms.com
Bonus Features include Disc 1: 4-Feature Commentaries of Writer-Producer Toe Hooper, Actor Gunnar Hansen and Cinematographer Daniel Pearl, Actors Marilyn Burns, Allen Danziger and Paul A. Partain, and Production Designer Robert Burns, Writer-Producer-Director Tobe Hooper, Cinematographer Daniel Pearl, Editor J. Larry Carroll and Sound Recordist Ted Nicolaou. Disc 2 includes the feature film.
Disc 3 Bluray Bonuses include: The Fil Which You Are About to See, Hunters of Another Kind, Documentary: The Legacy of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Cinefamily Presents Friedkin/Hooper: A Conversation About THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE Between William Friedkin and Tobe Hooper, Flesh Wounds: Seven Stories of the Saw, A Tour of the TCSM House with Gunnar Hansen, Off the Hook with Teri McMinn, The Business of Chain Saw: An Interview with Production Manager Ron Bozman, Grandpa’s Tales: An Interview with Actor John Dugan, Cutting Chain Saw: An Interview with Editor J. Larry Carroll, Deleted Scenes & Outtakes, Blooper Reel, Horrors Hallowed Grounds: TCSM, Dr. W.E. Barnes Presents “Making Grandpa”, Still Gallery, Trailers, TV Spots and Radio Spots.
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE hit theatres in 1974 setting the horror genre and movies goers teeth on edge – and we’ve loved every minute of it. Starting out with an X rating, the film was edited with a final rating of R. Reviews went from hailing is a work of horror genius to trash and everything in between. No one who has seen the film through the years can ever hear the sound of a chainsaw and not have their, pardon the pun, skin crawl for half a second. The film has continued time and time again to bring fans to its story and although there have been many incarnations since then but, purist will always be the first in line to bask in the original frights.
Available in a stunning box set that includes your own chainsaw, a 4K Ultra HD/Bluray copy and, for all the purists at heart, a VHS copy. Is it twisted to say this is so much fun to have in anyone’s home entertainment library? It is time to gather up your own group of Leatherface’s, turn out the lights, crank up the big screen television and soundbar up loud because THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE has come home once again bringing that memorable sound to chill us all!
In the end – can you survive?
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