The Texas Chain Saw Massacre appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Given its low-budget 16mm roots, the image of Massacre came with inevitable issues but the transfer seemed to reproduce it well.
Sharpness suffered from the source material but usually worked fine. I’d be hard-pressed to cite shots that displayed terrific delineation, and the film could seem rather soft at times. That was an issue with the original photography, though, and I felt that definition mostly seemed positive.
I witnessed no signs of shimmering or jaggies, and the image lacked edge haloes or related issues. With plenty of natural grain, the movie didn’t appear to come with digital noise reduction, and print flaws never became a problem. A speck or two might’ve materialized, but overall, the movie seemed clean.
Colors lacked great vivacity but appeared fine. The movie went with a somewhat sandy feel during the day and then blue at night. The image brought across the hues in a fairly appropriate manner; like everything else, these tones didn’t excel, but they looked reasonably solid.
Blacks showed positive density. Occasionally they looked a bit too dark, but those instances weren’t frequent. Shadows could also be a little thick, but once again, that came from the original photography – and appeared to be intentional to suit the stylistic choices. With a fair number of low-light nighttime shots, the action occasionally became tough to discern, but these shots were usually rendered well. Even with its inherent problems, this was a satisfying presentation.
In addition to an LPCM monaural track that replicated the movie’s original audio, the Blu-ray came with three – count ‘em, three! – remixes. For the purposes of this review, I focused on the DTS-HD MA 7.1 version.
Despite the multichannel scope, the soundfield remained fairly restrained much of the time. The mix kicked to life on occasion, as it rendered vehicles movement in a pretty active manner and also brought life to a few action sequences. Music used the various channels in an engaging way as well. This didn’t make the track a consistently broad experience but it expanded horizons in a reasonable manner.
Audio quality seemed dated but decent. Speech could be a bit thin, but the lines were intelligible enough and lacked many issues like edginess. Effects came across in a similar manner; those elements showed acceptable clarity and didn’t suffer from too many obvious concerns.
Of all the components, music worked best. The creepy score managed to provide positive range and definition, with a good sense of dynamics. Given the movie’s age, this was a pretty satisfying soundtrack.
How does this Blu-ray compare with the DVD from 2003? Audio seemed smoother and more accurate, while visuals appeared more precise, cleaner and more natural. I didn’t think much of the 2003 DVD, so this Blu-ray offered a significant improvement.
With this “40th Anniversary Edition” of Massacre, we locate a whopping four audio commentaries. Originally recorded for a 1990s laserdisc, the first comes from writer/producer/director Tobe Hooper, actor Gunnar Hansen, and director of photography Daniel Pearl. All three sit together for this running, screen-specific look at sets and locations, cast and performances, story/character areas, photography, effects, and related issues.
The participants display good chemistry and interact well in this fairly lively and informative track. We learn a lot about the production such as Hooper’s original goal to get it a “PG” rating, elements related to the shoot, implementing the characters, and the challenges of a low budget. Hansen provides the track’s best elements, such as when he tells us about how the intensity of the shoot led him to go a bit nuts. It’s not a great commentary, but it’s generally quite solid.
Commentary Two features actors Marilyn Burns, Allen Danziger and Paul Patrain and production designer Robert Burns. Previously found on a 2006 DVD, all four sit along with moderator David Gregory to give us a running, screen-specific take on sets and locations, effects, props and production design, cast and performances, characters, and other elements. (Actor Edwin Neal also appears briefly at the very end via speakerphone.)
For the most part, this becomes a good chat. It gets into a nice variety of topics – including thoughts about the 2003 remake – and does so in a reasonably compelling manner. Nothing here stands out as great, but the track manages to cover the movie in an enjoyable enough way.
The remaining commentaries are both new to the 2014 Blu-ray. For track number three, we get a solo chat from writer/producer/director Tobe Hooper. Also accompanied by moderator Gregory, Hooper touches on topics similar to those in the track he shared with Hansen and Pearl. This means some redundant information, but Hooper manages to get into a fair amount of fresh material. Despite some repetition and slow spots, the commentary gives us enough new information to make it worthwhile.
Finally, the fourth commentary includes director of photography Daniel Pearl, editor J. Larry Carroll and sound recordist Ted Nicolaou. Accompanied by Gregory once again, this track looks at sets and locations, editing, camerawork and audio, cast and crew, and various aspects of the shoot.
After three prior commentaries, repetition becomes inevitable, so expect a moderate amount of information you already heard. When the participants give us new data, I can’t claim to find this material to be especially compelling. The track offers a decent look at the film but seems a bit sluggish and doesn’t turn into a great listen.
Based on its reputation and my usual preferences within the horror genre, I expected to like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Unfortunately, I didn’t find much about it that interested me, mostly because it could be cheap and amateurish, and not in a good way. The Blu-ray offered dated but well-reproduced picture and audio as well as a good collection of audio commentaries. I can‘t say I’m wild about the film, but the Blu-ray brings it home in a positive manner.
To rate this film, visit the DVD review of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE
