The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - Special Edition [DVD] [1974]

Made on an ultra low budget, this film is a superb example of how to make a horror film. The first half of the film rakes up the tension like the climb up to the top of a roller coaster then we are dropped mercilessly into one of horrors most sustained assaults on the senses.

The furore that surrounded this film when it first came out was astounding and by today's standards the film can seem relatively tame to jaded (or CGI spoiled) eyes being as it is much less explicit than many films now. However for those who care to allow themselves to be immersed in this film it can be one of the most terrifying experiences a film can offer.

Where it lacks in on screen gore it more than makes up for with the quality and imagination of the filming and particularly the editing which makes the violence feel strikingly real. The feeling of impact during some of the films most notorious scenes is enough to make even the most seasoned horror film fan wince and all this is done with barely a drop of onscreen blood being spilled. The fact that this film is relatively bloodless should not put any splatter fan off of this because despite this it is still incredibly strong stuff and is more effective in many ways for not attempting the horrific 'money shot' which often, even with the best of intentions and the highest budgets, fail to live up to their full potential. Incidentally, the lack of bloodshed of screen was a decision made by Hooper in an attempt to get a PG certificate from the MPAA (the uber-strict American counterpart to our BBFC); a rather extraordinary (and somewhat amusing) aim considering the ferocious nature of this film.

Now one of the most common criticisms of this film is levelled at the Actors. Well admittedly none of them was likely to be given a certain gold statue for their performance but then how many low budget films, especially in the horror genre, could afford that kind of talent. Even those who did appear in these films in those days tended to change their names for the sake of some anonymity. So yes the acting is by and large shaky but let's face it, SO WHAT! It doesn't stop many people watching soap operas. This said, the performances from Ed Neal (The Hitchhiker), and Gunnar Hanson (Leatherface) are superbly over the top and Marilyn Burns as Sally Hardesty is rightly one of horrors iconic screaming victims, how the hell she could ever talk again after filming this is WAY beyond me.

Now for the inevitable bit, the comparison to the remake. Well, I most definitely side with the original release, why, because it is superior in so many ways. The remake had a relatively huge budget thrown at it and it shows. Too much attention was spent on aesthetic and not enough attention on content, style and film craft. It felt as if a producer said "let's make it more gory", sadly it lacked the rawness and energy of the original and it certainly looses out in the key performances. Leatherface certainly felt very two dimensional in the remake to the point where you can imagine the director saying to the actor "Here's your motivation. You're the bad guy, you wanna chop teens up for the hell of it" whereas with Gunnar Hanson's portrayal there was much more (dare I say it) subtlety, depth and indeed characterisation.

But now back to this release... This special edition is a welcome and well packaged release. Of particular note are the retrospective docco on the making of the film and the excellent and often amusing commentary by Hooper and Hanson. The other features are also very impressive including the excellent selection of deleted scenes that make for fascinating viewing.

This, for me, is the best release of this film. Packed with extras as a bonus to an excellent, landmark horror film I can't recommend this enough to any serious horror film fan.

Your collection is woefully inadequate and incomplete without it

However, I believe this an extremely rare exception to the rule. The film is an excellent homage to the original, taking the best parts of it, doubling the tension, slotting them back in and then adding a whole lot more. A certain newspaper said that, 'Scary movies are back'. They couldn't be more right. This film does not stop at anything in trying to scare you witless.

The film is brilliantly directed by German-born Marcus Nispel, once highly commended for his music video and commercial direction. This was his first feature film, and what a debut it was. He has tried his best to keep the rawness of the original film, but include more in depth camera detail, and it definitely works very well in this film.

Starring Jessica Biel as Erin, Jonathan Tucker as Morgan and Eric Balfour as Kemper, this movie stars relatively unknown stars in the U.K, with the exception of Biel. This adds to overall quality of the film. Because we have not seend these people before it is easy to imagine that the whole film is a real video filmed by someone there at the time, a horrifying thought.

In conclusion, this film is just as good as the original, if not better and is definitely worth the purchase. If you are of a nervous disposition, make sure you dont watch it alone!!