SXSW Review – ‘THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE’ 40th Anniversary Restoration

Review by Todd Sokolove

Introducing the the after-screening Q&A of the pivotal horror classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, SXSW founder Louis Black said it best…

“I just watched The Texas Chainsaw Massacre sitting next to Tobe Hooper!  How cool is that?!”

Though I can’t claim I was next to the celebrated director during the screening, it was certainly incredible to be in the same auditorium with the man, let alone hear what he had to say about the movie 40 years after its initial release.

Restored by NOLO Digital in Chicago over a five month period, SXSW held the first-ever screening of this 4K scan print commissioned by Dark Sky Films.

According to Hooper, the film’s original 16mm master negative sat (in film cans) under an open window at New Line Cinema for years.  Less than ideal archival treatment to the movie has resulted in various restoration projects over the years, but today’s technology has finally made it possible to actually make the film look better than it ever did before.

That much, I can tell you is true.  The new digital print beautifully captures some of the film’s literally darker moments, but the gritty, grainy independent feel is also emphasized.

Yet, superior picture aside, it’s the revised soundtrack that chilled this SXSW audience down to our bones.

Hooper supervised the mix, which he also initially had a hand in designing four decades ago.  The film’s score is a masterful example of found-item sound design, brought to chilling new effect in surround.

A small re-release of this new print is scheduled for this year (exact date yet to be released), and a new Blu-ray version expected by year’s end.

I highly recommend (no matter how many times you’ve seen it) seeing it on the big screen and prepare to have your senses assaulted.