I’ve long been a fan of the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” for all its gritty and bloody brilliance. Director Tobe Hooper took the story of Texas’ own Ed Gein and embellished upon it to create this visceral nightmare of a film. It has never been for the faint-hearted as some of the scenes are, quite simply, as gruesome as they come. The delight that Leatherface displays after a kill is disturbing to watch. And the insanity of the dinner scene is one of the most unsettling ever committed to film. Part of the brilliance of Hooper’s masterpiece (yes, I said masterpiece) is in its ‘you are there’ look. The camera work is often claustrophobic, each shot set up to make you really feel the terror that the victims experience as they meet their demise. What makes it worse is that the killings are never ‘over the top.’ They are realistic in manner, and realistically shown in form. The original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is the movie that most horror directors seem to want to emulate, but rarely succeed.

The film has had many sequels and a crappy remake, but it is the original that seems to stand the test of time. There have been several DVD releases, the last one coming from Pioneer. I thought that one would be THE definitive release as it gave fans one of the best transfers of the film to date and special features to beat the band. However, last month Dark Sky Films released a 2-disc set of the movie that boasts an even better transfer. Admittedly I doubted their claim had any validity… until I received a copy of the set to review.

"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" as it is presented in this new DVD set surpasses all versions that have ever been released. The studio took the original 16mm negatives and used them to create a new anamorphic High Definition transfer. You still get a little grain, in keeping with the film's documentary look, but the image is the sharpest I've ever seen. Watching the film in this new transfer, I could swear I was catching little details in the set dressing that I had missed all of these years. And as far as the scenes of carnage… well…

You also have the choice of listening to the movie in an all-new 5.1 or 2.0 remixes, both of which make for a different viewing experience. I'll admit I'm a little bit of a purist and for many reasons actually prefer the Mono sound (which you also can choose), but only because I feel it adds to the realism. The new mixes have a movie-like quality that I think actually takes you out of the film, but I still cannot find fault with them technically.

But the beauty of this package is in the details. There are more extras than I ever imagined would be available for an independent film this old. We start out with two commentaries, the first by actors Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Allen Danziger, and art director Robert A. Burns. This commentary was originally available on the old Laserdisc release, but the information found here is as relevant as it was then. The follow-up commentary is from director Tobe Hooper, director of photography Daniel Pearl, and star Gunnar Hansen. This commentary was on the Pioneer DVD from a couple of years back, but it is also a superlative commentary and it’s nice to have both of them available on one set.

The second disc of the set starts off with a lengthy documentary called "The Shocking Truth." It is one of the better film documentaries I've seen, and as I understand it, was only available in England for several years. It goes into great detail about every facet of the making of the film. There are interviews with almost everyone involved with the shoot, both from the cast and the crew, and the anecdotes are often quite amusing. There are also outtakes from the documentary in this set, which is very cool. Mostly they are just more stories. But hey, we can never get enough can we?

There is also a second documentary called "Flesh Wounds" that really doesn’t fare as well. There are some really good interviews with Daniel Pearl, Ed Neal, Gunnar Hansen and W.E. Barnes (the guy who created Grandpa's makeup). Well, they are mostly good interviews. The producers of this doc used some odd editing tricks and sound effects that get a little annoying, but what are ya gonna do? It also includes a tour of the house, but before you get too excited… the house doesn't look anything like it used to, and it kind of adds insult to injury to know that the guy giving the tour charges a whopping $250 dollars to take 2 people on the tour. Oddly enough, there is an additional featurette where actor Gunnar Hansen takes viewers on a tour of the house, but it is a thousand times more interesting!

I was shocked to find out of the existence of a blooper reel, and was thrilled to see it was included on this disc (it was also on the Pioneer Disc, but again - one stop shopping is always preferred). The film itself is so ultra-realistic that when you see an actor in the film flub a line and crack up it seems almost disconcertingly surreal. There are also several deleted scenes, for most of which the quality is really bad, but is still worth a look. Finally there are a couple of still galleries, including some shots showing Barnes making up "Grandpa."

Admittedly, I had two reactions to this presentation. First, I was impressed with the fact that the film could look this good. I watched it with a little bit of awe at what this new process had accomplished. But then the traditional side of me started to miss the old look of the film, kind of like the sound. You know, that ‘muddied and scratched’ appearance that was always a part of what made it seem so real. This version was almost too clean, if you know what I mean. But overall I certainly can’t knock this restoration process. They did a fantastic job. I also definitely need to give kudos to the studio for creating an awesome looking metal case to house the discs in!

There is no way in the world that “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” will appeal to everyone, but for those who have spent many a late night enjoying the ‘granddaddy’ of the modern slasher flick, this is by far the best version of it you could ever hope to own on DVD.

Directed by: Tobe Hooper
Starring: Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, Gunnar Hansen
Extras: Commentary by Actors Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Allen Danziger, and Art Director Robert A. Burns, Audio Commentary by Director Tobe Hooper, Director of Photography Daniel Pearl, and star Gunnar Hansen, Theatrical Trailers, TV Spots, Radio Spots, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre - The Shocking Truth" Documentary, "Flesh Wounds" Documentary, A Tour of the TCM House with Gunnar Hansen, Deleted Scenes and Outtakes, Blooper Reel, Outtakes from "The Shocking Truth", Still Gallery
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, 2.0 Stereo Surround, Mono
Studio: Dark Sky
Release Date: 9/26/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R
Website

We'll give Texas Chainsaw Massacre: 2-Disc Ultimate Edition an A.