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Ultra HD : Highly Recommended
Ranking:
Sale Price: $150 Last Price: $ Buy now! 3rd Party 150 In Stock
Release Date: April 10th, 2023 Movie Release Year: 1974

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Limited Edition [UK Import]

Overview -

Pull out the barbecue and gas up the saw, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre cuts up a brand new Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of Tobe Hooper’s iconic shocker. With a fresh new transfer, Dolby Vision HDR, Atmos audio, and hours of excellent bonus features, fans aiming to add this horror classic to their shelves have another excellent option (quite possibly the best one out there) to consider. Highly Recommended

Five friends travelling through rural Texas stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. The group soon find themselves picked off, one-by-one, by a masked madman with a chainsaw.

OVERALL:
Highly Recommended
Rating Breakdown
STORY
VIDEO
AUDIO
SPECIAL FEATURES
Tech Specs & Release Details
Technical Specs:
Limited Edition w/ 190-Page Book
Video Resolution/Codec:
Dolby Vision / HDR10
Length:
83
Aspect Ratio(s):
1.85:1
Audio Formats:
English: LPCM Mono
Release Date:
April 10th, 2023

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

Ranking:

As we’ve covered The Texas Chain Saw Massacre a few different times now, I’ll let my colleague M. Enois Duarte’s reviews stand for this film.

Second Sight 4K UHD

Turbine/Dark Sky 4K UHD

But for a quick two cents of my own, I dearly love this movie. This was one of the first of very few horror films that actually deeply disturbed me when I saw it. Up to that point, I’d just seen simple run-of-the-mill slasher sequels. Hell, ashamed to admit it but my first introduction to Leatherface was Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation! I hadn’t seen a horror movie with some guts to it. Conveniently enough the same long week off work I’d watch this film, I’d also take a crack at The Last House on the Left and I Spit on Your Grave. Numerous remakes, sequels, ripoffs, and silly Netflix legacy requels can’t surpass or even come close to matching what Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel cooked up for this gnarly gritty feature. And I say that with a lot of love for Hooper’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and even some heart for the 2003 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and 2006’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.

Read our past reviews of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre:

2008 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - Blu-ray Review

2016 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review [Turbine No HDR]

2022 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review [Turbine Limited Edition SteelBook]

2023 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review [Dark Sky SteelBook]

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Second Sight sharpens their release of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray with an impressive three-disc limited edition boxset release. The 4K version is pressed on a BD-100 disc with a Region B-locked BD-50 disc for the 1080p version and bonus features, and another Region B-locked BD-25 disc for additional bonus features. The discs are held in a three-disc gatefold digipak. The set includes six art cards as well as a 190-page hardcover book featuring several fascinating essays and original artwork. All of the goodies are held in a hard stock cardboard slipcase. 

Video Review

Ranking:

Just when you thought you were done buying The Texas Chain Saw Massacre on disc, Second Sight enters the arena with their own new restoration transfer and HDR grading. Now to set expectations a bit, the film was shot on 16mm - and I’ve heard it was shot on either reversal or negative stock - but either way it’s a visually limited format. This isn’t going to compare to your 35mm or modern digital transfers and nor should it. The film was shot by a bunch of amateurs and it has a distinctly gritty and rugged look with heavy grain, some soft focus shots, and some scenes that were either over-exposed or under-exposed. That’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and it shouldn’t look any different. To that end, Second Sight’s new transfer is damned impressive and when you thought it couldn’t get any better, they give you a new presentation to paw over. 

On its own merits, this is an excellent presentation with strong clear details and a naturally cinematic grain structure that’s appropriately noisy for a 16mm feature. It’s also cleaner than past releases with fewer instances of speckling or stains in the image. Leatherface’s facial features, Franklin’s scrapes on his arms, and a variety of fleshy arts and crafts make a striking presence. Those 70s hairstyles and clothing are fully appreciable. Soft spots are still apparent as ever; when they pick up Edwin Neal’s Hitchhiker he’s still soft and barely in focus - as he's always been. It’s moments like that where the reverse shot of everyone reacting to him can make the shift in clarity a little jarring but still impressive.

Second Sight 4K UHD

Turbine/Dark Sky 4K UHD

With Dolby Vision (and HDR10), colors, black levels, and contrast see some welcome results as well. Colors offer up bright primaries, blues and reds see a lot of action throughout the film. Black levels are nice and inky, underlit scenes can still be a tad dodgy but otherwise appropriate without slipping too close to crush nor do they appear too soft brown or gray. Whites are nice and crisp, any blowouts or hot whites like the windows in the van have always looked that way. 

Now for the nitty gritty - is Second Sight’s 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray better than the one Turbine or Dark Sky Films released? Ostensively yes, but it comes down to splitting a lot of hairs and there are pluses and minuses to both transfers. Scoring well for Second Sight’s transfer is the new restoration, details are sharper and film grain is better resolved and runs at a much higher bitrate. The image is also a bit more stable without the slight wobble evident in some scenes on the Turbine/Dark Sky releases. On the middle side, the Second Sight disc favors more yellow to the image which isn’t bad, but it’s a notable difference, especially for how whites can appear on screen. The Turbine/Dark Sky discs had a stronger natural white presence, the clearest example are details and definition in the clouds or the cowhides hanging inside the Sawyer’s house when Kurt meets Leatherface. The Turbine/Dark Sky skin tones are a little less red-ish than the Second Sight transfer in many instances, but that's not that they were over-hot, to begin with. And again the Turbine/Dark Sky transfer isn’t quite as sharp and film grain can be a bit thicker and not as well defined.

Second Sight 4K UHD

Turbine/Dark Sky 4K UHD

As I said, it’s splitting a lot of hairs since both are very good and offer up amazing presentations for this horror classic. Presented with the prospect of Granpaw dropping a hammer on my head, I would definitely say the Second Sight transfer is overall better, but I have a lot of love for the Turbine/Dark Sky discs too. So if it comes down to needing to watch The Texas Chain Saw Massacre again and having to choose between the two… I think I’ll avoid the headache and just run my Laserdisc.

Audio Review

Ranking:

Second Sight 4K UHD

Turbine/Dark Sky 4K UHD

In addition to a new HDR-graded transfer, Second Sight also commissioned their own Dolby Atmos track. Compared to the Turbine/Dark Sky Atmos track, this new mix has much more prominent low-end and rumble in the subs. The opening John Larroquette narration is notably stronger and louder, and the deep bass in his voice resonates with more power. Dialog throughout this mix sounds stronger and more upfront with itself mitigating the need to keep your volume set too high. That's not to say that levels are pushed too high and vocals blasted out, everything sounds just fine. Sound effect placement is strong giving the mix a nice feel for dimension and space and setting. The tight confines of the van, the Sawyer house, each offer up some measure of distinct surround presence. Height channels don’t get much of a distinct workout leaving their usage for atmosphere and setting as most of the mix keeps to the midranges and mostly sticks to the front/center with dives into the sides and rears. 

Second Sight 4K UHD

Turbine/Dark Sky 4K UHD

Also included with this set is an LPCM Mono track - that I much prefer. Atmos is fine and flashy, but this isn’t a movie that needs it to work. As I said in our coverage of the Dark Sky 4K release, I’m more of a fan of the original mono mix and that’ll be how I enjoy this disc - or any other - in the future. It has great dialog clarity, the sound effects are well-balanced, and the minimal score is eerie and unsettling for an effective soundscape. If you love or need Atmos you’ve got it. If you want the authentic original audio experience, this track is the way to go.

Special Features

Ranking:

Second Sight 4K UHD

Turbine/Dark Sky 4K UHD

Leading the effort as a contender for the best release of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre to date is this extensive and exhaustive collection of bonus features. While other releases have their own exclusives and archival materials, we’re getting one hell of a collection. The one extra I would have loved to see here is the Friedkin/Hooper conversation - it’s a hell of a piece so if you picked up that Dark Sky set, you’re going to want to hold onto that one regardless. 

Leading the pack of bonus features are five excellent commentary tracks. Four of these have been carried over from previous releases but the new one for me was a very fun Amanda Reyes and Bill Ackerman track. For added flavor, they recorded this track from the actual Sawyer family house, which if you haven’t seen the Horrors Hallowed Grounds segment is now a restaurant. It’s an informative track, well researched, and I liked the pair offers up their own interpretations of visuals and some of the characters. They’re active and fast-talking so there’s never a dull down space.

After that, the big essential viewing is The Legacy of the Texas Chain Saw Massacre feature-length documentary. Loaded with interviews from various horror personalities, it’s a fitting love letter to the film and Tobe Hooper’s work. On the NEW front, there’s a brief but interesting look at the history of masks in horror with Alexandra Heller-Nicholas. The extra good news for those without a region-free player - ALL of the bonus features are on the actual 4K disc - so don’t worry about missing anything on the included Blu-rays - and doing a brief check I didn’t notice any easter eggs hiding anywhere. And then there’s the 190-page book. I’ve only just started into the essays but they’re interesting reads so far.

Book Contents

  • Esay by Lindsay Hallam
  • Esay by Miranda Corcoran
  • Esay by Cerise Howard
  • Esay by Martyn Conterio
  • Esay by Kimberly Lindbergs
  • Esay by Caden Mark Gardner
  • Esay by Tim Coleman
  • Esay by Neil Mitchell
  • Esay by Lee Gamnin
  • Esay by Annie Rose Malamet
  • Esay by Jerome Reuter
  • Esay by Heather Drain
  • Esay by Robert Skvarla
  • Esay by Heather Buckly
  • Esay by Maitland McDonagh

4K UHD Disc:

  • Audio Commentary featuring Amanda Reyes and Bill Ackerman
  • Audio Commentary featuring Tobe Hooper
  • Audio Commentary featuring Daniel Pearl, Larry Carroll, and Ted Nicoulau
  • Audio Commentary featuring Tobe Hooper, Gunnar Hansen, and Daniel Pearl
  • Audio Commentary featuring Marilyn Burns, Robert Burns, Allen Danziger, and Paul A. Partain 
  • The Legacy of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (HD 1:22:45)
  • Behind the Mask: Alexandra Heller-Nicholas on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (HD 8:40)
  • The Shocking Truth Documentary (SD 1:12:49)
  • The Shocking Truth - Outtakes (SD 7:41)
  • Cutting Chain Saew with Editor J. Larry Carroll (HD 10:47)
  • Granpaw’s Tales with Actor John Dugan (HD 15:48)
  • Horrors Hallowed Grounds (SD 20:08)
  • Flesh Wounds: Seven Stories of the Saw (HD 1:11:42)
  • Off the Hook with Actor Teri McMinn (HD 17:02)
  • The Business of Chain Saw with Production Manager Ron Bozman (SD 16:25)
  • House Tour with Gunnar Hansen (SD 8:03)
  • Tobe Hooper Interview (SD 13:46)
  • Kim Henkel Interview (SD 8:25)
  • Deleted Scenes & Outtakes (SD 25:23)
  • Trailers, TV and Radio Spots
  • Stills Gallery

Blu-Ray Disc One:

  • Audio Commentary featuring Amanda Reyes and Bill Ackerman
  • Audio Commentary featuring Tobe Hooper
  • Audio Commentary featuring Daniel Pearl, Larry Carroll, and Ted Nicoulau
  • Audio Commentary featuring Tobe Hooper, Gunnar Hansen, and Daniel Pearl
  • Audio Commentary featuring Marilyn Burns, Robert Burns, Allen Danziger, and Paul A. Partain
  • The Legacy of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (HD 1:22:45)
  • Behind the Mask: Alexandra Heller-Nicholas on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (HD 8:40)
  • The Shocking Truth Documentary (SD 1:12:49)
  • Trailers, TV and Radio Spots

Blu-ray Disc Two:

  • The Shocking Truth - Outtakes (SD 7:41)
  • Cutting Chain Saew with Editor J. Larry Carroll (HD 10:47)
  • Granpaw’s Tales with Actor John Dugan (HD 15:48)
  • Horrors Hallowed Grounds (SD 20:08)
  • Flesh Wounds: Seven Stories of the Saw (HD 1:11:42)
  • Off the Hook with Actor Teri McMinn (HD 17:02)
  • The Business of Chain Saw with Production Manager Ron Bozman (SD 16:25)
  • House Tour with Gunnar Hansen (SD 8:03)
  • Tobe Hooper Interview (SD 13:46)
  • Kim Henkel Interview (SD 8:25)
  • Deleted Scenes & Outtakes (SD 25:23)
  • Stills Gallery

Second Sight 4K UHD

Turbine/Dark Sky 4K UHD

And here we are, another day, another gaping hole in my wallet, another 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. I love the film so I don’t mind grabbing new editions as they come along, but in all sincerity I do hope this is it for a while! The film is still a masterpiece of terror and I’ve never tired of it. Tobe Hooper cracked something in the genre that has rarely been replicated by any other horror film or entry in the exhaustingly long franchise of sequels, reboots, prequels, and requels. 

Now Second Sight has entered the cage with their own release and by all metrics it is the overall superior option in terms of the new restoration with Dolby Vision HDR and the new Atmos audio track as well as the extensive collection of bonus features. However, I will state that those Turbine/Dark Sky discs are still excellent packages in their own right. For those who waited to see what things looked like when the dust settled, this Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray from Second Sight is the best bang for your dollar - or Pound or Euro as the case may be. Highly Recommended

Also Available:
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray [UK Import Single Disc]