CHAIN REACTIONS Trailer Examines The TEXAS CHAIN SAW Legacy
The folks at Dark Sky Films have released a brand new trailer for Chain Reactions, an upcoming documentary all about director Tobe Hooper’s all-time horror classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe (Memory: The Origins of Alien) and debuting in theaters next month, this promises a real deep dive into the legacy that Hooper’s 1974 slasher has left behind more than 50 years later. Check out for yourself below.
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Hooper’s original Texas Chain Saw Massacre celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, which is when this doc was making its rounds on the festival circuit. So the timing feels pretty fantastic. The trailer focuses largely on the filmmakers and horror creatives who were inspired by the film, ranging from comedian Patton Oswalt to the king himself, Stephen King. The synopsis for the documentary reads as follows:
“Fifty years after Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre shocked the world and forever changed the face of global cinema and popular culture, Chain Reactions charts the film’s profound impact and lasting influence on five great artists – Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller- Nicholas, Stephen King, and Karyn Kusama – through early memories, sensory experiences, and childhood trauma. By crafting a dynamic dialogue between contemporary footage and never-before-seen outtakes and delving into personal impressions triggered by distinct audiovisual formats (16mm, 35mm, VHS, digital), Chain Reactions goes to the heart of how a scruffy, no-budget independent film wormed its way into our collective nightmares and permanently altered the zeitgeist.”
The doc won the Venice Classics Award for Best Documentary on Cinema. It also played at the Overlook Film Festival, the Telluride Film Festival, Sitges, the BFI London Film Festival, the San Francisco International Film Festival, Fantastic Fest, Beyondfest and the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. Fans will finally have the chance to see it for themselves as it’s getting a theatrical release in September.
It is, all around, a big moment for fans of Leatherface. Aside from the documentary, the rights for the franchise are currently up for grabs, with Jordan Peele and other filmmakers vying for a chance to make the next Texas Chainsaw movie. Arrow Video also recently released both 2003’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning on 4K Ultra HD recently. More than five decades removed, Leatherface and the Sawyer family have lots left to offer, it seems.
Chain Reactions arrives in select theaters on September 19 before expanding nationwide on September 26. For more, check out the FANGORIA #29 subscriber cover.
