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Revisiting The Texas Chain Saw Massacre On The Big Screen

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This year, Tobe Hooper’s seminal The Texas Chain Saw Massacre celebrated its 40th anniversary with a brand new 4k transfer.  The restoration was mainly for blu-ray and DVD release, but the film has also been getting a limited release theatrical run.  Beginning this past summer, the 40th anniversary restoration print of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has been slowly but surely trickling its way through theaters, and it came to my neck of the woods for a single midnight showing last Saturday night.

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The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is one of those movies that gained its huge cult following in the years after its release, so many of the film’s fans have never seen it on the big screen.  Until Saturday, I was included in that group.  So, in order to cross that one off the list, there I was, midnight on a Saturday night, sitting in a theater full of rowdy horror fans, waiting for the familiar buzz of the saw.

The film itself was shot on 16mm slow film stock, so The Texas Chain Saw Massacre looks like a low-fi indie movie.  That’s actually a big part of its charm; it has the feel of a grindhouse documentary, and that only makes it seem more real.  In retrospect, it’s not as effective as it should be, as the modern horror climate is saturated with found footage duds and faux-documentaries.  But, in the context of when it was made, it’s a knockout – the gritty look helped initial 1974 audiences believe that The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was a “true story.”  Because of the limitations of the original film, there is only so much that the restoration can (or even should) improve.  The picture is cleaned up, and some of the darker scenes can be seen more clearly, but the movie is what it is.  It still looks great.

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The real noticeable difference between the original film and the new restoration is in the sound.  The new 7.1 mix brings out little details that were imperceptible on earlier versions of the film – the song that is playing on the radio in the van, the squeal of the pigs in the background of the slaughterhouse.  These little particulars are cool, but they are also there in the blu-ray.  The real fun of seeing this version of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre in a theater is the saw itself.  When Leatherface cranks up the hardware, the noise is earth-rattling.  By the time the film reaches its conclusion, and Leatherface is swinging the chainsaw around in the iconic final shot, the sound of the gasoline engine on the power tool is deafening, leading to an eruption of full-on applause from the audience.  It’s awesome.

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Classic horror movies are best enjoyed with an audience, and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is no exception.  The audience in my particular showing was respectful, but it was a group that was already intimately familiar with the movie; no one was worrying about missing an important plot point because the person next to them was laughing or screaming.  Everyone was just having fun.  The theatrical revival of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre may be running the end of its course, but it is still happening; you’ll just have to keep an ear to the ground in your city to find out when it’s there.  If you want to see the movie, watch the blu-ray.  If you want to experience the film, go to a theater.

 

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Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

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Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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