"You could have dinner with us . . . my brother makes good head cheese! You like head cheese?"
In cine-massacre history, there are few films that compare to the in-the-gut feeling Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre leaves you with. Every imperfection in this low-budget Slasher works in the movie’s favor and adds to the overall grisly experience. The movie is not as violent or as frightening as its legacy of sequels, remakes, one prequel, comic books and video games suggests. It remains one hell of a good time for fans of the horror genre.
Shot for under $125,000 on and around a farmhouse in Texas (Round Rock to be specific) in 100 degree heat and marketed as a true story, Hooper’s film was originally released the year of Chinatown, The Godfather, Part II, and Young Frankenstein and had quite an impact. In fact, it transformed the box office. Audiences flocked to it. The Ramones even wrote a song about it.
But not everyone loved it.
Los Angeles film critic Linda Gross famously condemned it. Other critics – like the late Roger Ebert – split it down the middle, deriding it for its violence but praising it for its tension. For a moment at least, it seemed the horror community finally had their Citizen Kane. Writer-producer-director Hooper issued no apologies. Rumored to be inspired by the murders of Ed Gein, Hooper writes about a different slice of this American life by showcasing the heinous actions of the Sawyer clan, disposed of their livelihood by the slaughterhouse shutdowns occurring throughout the nation.
And now, fifty years after Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre shocked the world, Chain Reactions, a cleverly named documentary written and directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, about the movie and its legacy, arrives courtesy of Lightbulb Film Distribution to celebrate the madness and the mayhem of Hooper’s classic film. This documentary is more than just a “making of” or “legacy of” slice of slasher-ific pie — it’s reflective, asking why a low‑budget, “scruffy” film like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre wormed its way into the cultural subconscious and continues to resonate.
The interviews feature everyone from Stephen King to to Japanese genre director Takashi Miike. The film also features some behind the scenes clips and extensive interviews with Patton Oswalt, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and Karyn Kusama. These archival elements - namely outtakes and interesting visuals on film formats (16mm/35mm vs VHS vs digital) - offer fans a unique opportunity to discuss the psychology of the film, its memory, the trauma caused in its wake, various media formats, and its unique cultural influence.
Unpretentious and a whole lot of fun, Chain Reactions is a thoughtful, well‑crafted exploration of how one small but fierce film changed horror — and how that change continues to echo and influence today’s filmmakers. If you’re into that kind of deep dive, this is definitely one to watch.
Chain Reactions will be available on blu-ray and digital on October 21st from Dark Sky Entertainment. It’s time to go back to the slaughterhouse!
MPAA Rating: unrated
Runtime: 103 mins
Director: Alexandre O. Philippe
Writer: Alexandre O. Philippe
Cast: Patton Oswalt; Takashi Miike; Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
Genre: Documentary | Mystery
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote: "Texas Chainsaw Massacre, for me, was always presented to me as a test."
Distributor: Dark Sky Films
Official Site:
Release Date: October 21, 2025
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: October 21, 2025
Synopsis: The Texas Chain Ssw Massacre's impact on 5 artists - Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King, Karyn Kusama - through interviews, outtakes, exploring how it shaped their art, psyche from childhood trauma.
