By MICHAEL GINGOLD
You’ve likely never seen the Tobe Hooper classic quite like this.
Dark Sky Films has announced that it will release Alexandre O. Philippe’s CHAIN REACTIONS, an exploration of 1974’s THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE and its legacy, in a special limited-edition Blu-ray Mediabook December 2 as part of its Dark Sky Selects line. The acclaimed documentary looks at the landmark shocker from a number of different perspectives; the synopsis: “Fifty years after Tobe Hooper’s THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE shocked the world and forever changed the face of global cinema and popular culture, CHAIN REACTIONS charts the film’s profound impact and lasting influence on five great artists–Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King, and Karyn Kusama–through early memories, sensory experiences, and childhood trauma. By crafting a dynamic dialogue between contemporary footage and never-before-seen outtakes and delving into personal impressions triggered by distinct audiovisual formats (16mm, 35mm, VHS, digital), CHAIN REACTIONS goes to the heart of how a scruffy, no-budget independent film wormed its way into our collective nightmares and permanently altered the zeitgeist.”
Eight of those variant versions are part of the bonus features included in the disc set:
Disc 1: CHAIN REACTIONS film
- CHAIN REACTIONS Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Alexandre O. Philippe
- CHAIN REACTIONS Trailer–TRT 2.3 min.
- Over 2.5 hours (161 mins.) of rare outtakes from THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE
Disc 2: THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE
- 16mm Over Scan–TRT 85 min.
- 16mm “BBQ Edition” Print–TRT 84 min.
- 35mm Grindhouse Print–TRT 80 min.
- 1984 K-Tel Australian VHS–TRT 85 min.
- K-Tel Australian Trailer–TRT 2 min.
Disc 3: THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE
- 1981 Wizard Video VHS–TRT 84 min.
- 1987 Bootleg Czechoslovakian VHS–TRT 69 min.
- 1978 Super 8mm Print–TRT 22 min.
- 1980s Slovakian Betamax–TRT 83 min.
The set, which also comes with a 24-page booklet containing exclusive photos and essays, can be pre-ordered here. And for one week only, in collaboration with Rucking Fotten, Dark Sky is offering the disc package along with a limited-edition T-shirt.
