Other Titles • Texas Chainsaw Massacre: A Family Portrait
Synopses for Texas Chainsaw Massacre: A Family Portrait (1988)
1.
Director Tobe Hooper and screenwriter Kim Henkel are nowhere to be found in Brad Shellady's 1988 documentary on the notorious 1974 cult film of Texas cannibalism, perverted patriarchy, and other family values. Shellady's investigation is founded almost exclusively on interviews with actors who make up the cannibal family: Gunnar Hansen (Leatherface), Edwin Neal (the hitchhiker), Jim Siedow (the cook), John Dugan (Grandfather), interspersed with film clips and a few outtakes. The result is a bare-bones production largely dedicated to production stories, with little attempt to explore the primal forces the churn through the picture or examine the cult that sprung out of the film, and no interest in addressing the black-humored 1986 sequel starring Dennis Hopper. Fans of the film will appreciate the behind-the-scenes anecdotes, but most viewers will have a hard time working through the interviews, which seem to drone on and on. Without input from the creators, this is little more than a fan's salute to a film he loves.
The DVD is advertised as "digitally remastered and remixed," which is likely true, but the dull shot-on-video interviews and grainy film clips don't look appreciably better in the digital format and sound is soft and mushy. Also included are original trailers and actor bios. --Sean Axmaker
2.
A Documentary
In 1974 Tobe Hooper (Poltergeist) unleashed a film that was an intense study of homicidal madness and psychological horror. It has since become a cult phenomenon and the most successful independent horror film ever made. This is the first ever comprehensive documentary of the making of this landmark film. It includes in depth interviews with Gunnar (Leatherface) Hanson, Edwin (The Hitchhiker) Neal, John (Grandpa) Dugan and Jim (The Cook) Seidow. Including footage from the film and never before seen production photos. So sit back and experience the making of a nightmare.
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