Documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe’s works have covered such subjects as fan disenchantment with George Lucas (The People vs. George Lucas), zombie culture (Doc of the Dead), Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (78/52), the original Alien (Memory: The Origins of Alien), The Exorcist (Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist), David Lynch’s obsession with The Wizard of Oz (Lynch/Oz), and the life of William Shatner (You Can Call Me Bill), so it makes sense that Philippe was the filmmaker the rights holders behind one of the greatest horror films ever made, the 1974 classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (watch it HERE) reached out to when they were hoping to celebrate the film’s 50th anniversary with the creation of a special new documentary. The result of their collaboration is Chain Reactions, which is currently making the festival rounds – and in anticipation of its recent screening at the Seattle International Film Festival, a trailer for the documentary dropped online. You can check it out in the embed above.
Chain Reactions features interviews with five people who share their thoughts on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: legendary author Stephen King, extremely prolific Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike, comedian / actor Patton Oswalt, Jennifer’s Body and The Invitation director Karyn Kusama, and Australian film critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas. You can get a sample of each interview in the trailer.
Dark Sky Films holds the distribution rights, but a release date has not yet been announced.
Directed by Tobe Hooper from a script he wrote with Kim Henkel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has the following synopsis: When Sally hears that her grandfather’s grave may have been vandalized, she and her paraplegic brother, Franklin, set out with their friends to investigate. After a detour to their family’s old farmhouse, they discover a group of crazed, murderous outcasts living next door. As the group is attacked one by one by the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface, who wears a mask of human skin, the survivors must do everything they can to escape. The film stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Jim Siedow, Edwin Neal, William Vail, Teri McMinn, Allen Danziger, John Dugan, and Gunnar Hansen.
Do you think Chain Reactions is an interesting way to celebrate 50 years of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre? Watch the trailer for the documentary, then share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
