It had, at the time, no stars to boast of. Director, Tobe Hooper, had done nothing of note. And yet upon its release in 1974 the Texas Chainsaw Massacre shocked audiences worldwide and ended up being banned by draconian authorities in the UK for 23 years.
It didn't take long for the movie to be released on DVD when the ban was finally lifted several years back, but as good as that original DVD was, it pales by comparison to this brand new version.
Loosely based around American serial killer Ed Gein the film tells the story of a group of kids who head out into Hicksville, USA, encounter some backwoods family and ending up as dinner might now seem like staple fare for any teen-based horror flick, but the Texas Chainsaw Massacre is no flick. This is a genuinely scary movie.
There's a serious lack of blood'n'guts on offer, but a genuine sense of eeriness and terror that pervades every frame. On top of that, in the lead character, the chainsaw wielding Leatherface (played by Gunnar Hansen) they unleashed the kind of horror icon that would inspire latter characters like Friday 13th's Jason Voorhees, Halloween's Michael Myers and good old Freddie Krueger himself.
But what makes this set so special is the wealth of extra material included. Not only is there a 16-page booklet and original theatrical poster replica, but you get a brand new documentary on the making of the film, interviews with cast and crew, commentary's from Hooper, Hansen and director of photography Daniel Pearl as well as an abundance of deleted scenes, outtakes, trailers and a whole lot more.
Ads claim it's the daddy of all horror movies. You know, they just might be right.
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