By Jack Ransom - October 17, 2024
Chain Reactions showcases The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’s impact on 5 artists - Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King and Karyn Kusama - through interviews and outtakes, exploring how it shaped their art, psyche and childhood trauma.
Really, what can be said about The Texas Chain Saw Massacre that hasn’t been said already? One of (if not) the most iconic horror film of the past 50 years (alongside the likes of Halloween, The Exorcist & The Shining to name but a few), introducing the world to Leatherface and most likely scaring anyone out of visiting Texas or eating any of the meat there.
Director Alexandre O. Philippe is well versed within the documentary sphere: he crafted the incredibly geeky and in depth 78/52 - of which analysed the iconic shower scene in Hitchcock’s Psycho and both Memory: The Origin of Alien & Lynch/Oz. This latest effort may not bring a host of new information to the table regarding the actual making of/production of the film, however its personal angle and its interviewees unbridled love and respect for the Hooper and is his notorious slasher shines through.
The film is divided into five chapters (one for each star) and essentially allows them to reminisce and go on tangents surrounding the film and how it impacted their lives and the industry as a whole. There is a real personal quality to the feature and though it may not elevate or redefine the genre from a presentation perspective, it does allow for some fascinating, oftentimes chuckle worthy and gleefully geeky tales.
Chain Reactions covers all bases. From, Patton Oswalt comparing a myriad of shots Hooper utilises inspired by the original Nosferatu and a particularly unexpected comparison between Leatherface and Clark Gable in Gone with the Wind. Takashi Miike missing City Lights and instead found himself taking a trip to Texas. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas' comparisons between her homelife growing up in Australia to Hooper’s presentation of heat and isolation. Stephen King discusses the times he met Hooper and the joy of and quest for total artistic freedom to scare the crap out of your audience and lastly Karyn Kusama’s relationship with the particular date the film is set.
Sure, certain points do overlap (I think three of the speakers mention how the sun/daylight is prominently used throughout the film), some perceptions do feel like they are stretching and reaching for something that simply isn’t there and from a format perspective the film can feel repetitive. However, for horror fans like myself Chain Reactions is a gleefully geeky and grisly trip down memory lane for those being interviewed and provides easy, educational, charming and occasionally funny information in celebration of one of the most terrifying and impactful films of all time.
Chain Reactions is coming soon
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