The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 1974)

[David M.]

It was a very, very nice scan and restoration job, yes.

[Movie-Brat]

I've every confidence that the older restoration was done to the highest standards of the time, but I'd say an almost 10 year difference in scanning/restoration technology plays a bigger part than even the fact this new restoration is twice the resolution. Enjoy these comparisons:

New, Old
New, Old
New, Old

The old transfer looks positively video in comparison. Now if only Second Sight can see to it to not totally screw up the encoding like they did with Re-Animator.

Color me impressed. It looks great, downright beautiful to look at but doesn't lose any sort of gritty look in the process. I don't know how to explain it exactly but the new transfer just looks appropriate.

[Adam X]

The old transfer looks positively video in comparison. Now if only Second Sight can see to it to not totally screw up the encoding

They won't. We made sure of it

In fact I think you will be very pleasantly surprised when you compare the encoding to the US release. (That could be seen a contentious thing for me to write, but it's scientifically verifiable).

Damn, I wish I'd known you were working on this release before I bought the Dark Sky Films edition.

I may just have to return it once it arrives in the mail.

[EddieLarkin]

The word is that the U.S. disc features a few errors:

1. On the soundtrack, at the end of the film when Sally jumps into the back of the truck and starts to shout at the driver to go, some of her scream afterwards is missing. This is apparently the case on all tracks, including the mono, suggesting it may be a downmix. Compare 1:21:20-1:21:27 on the older Blu-ray and 1:21:18-1:21:25 on the new.

2. The opening montage with the camera flashes is missing one of its fades at 00:01:46, which is now a freeze and a cut instead

3. There's also apparently some missing sound effects before Pam falls into the bone room, again and all tracks, though I don't know what exactly.

Regarding the mono track at least, it'd be nice if the Second Sight disc could correct these or just port over the lossy mono track from the earlier Blu-ray.

I've reviewed the opening on the older Blu-ray and it is definitely nothing but fades, so presumably this is a mistake, though fixing it might not be appropriate since this was supervised by Hooper (and fixing it digitally may cause other unwanted effects?). A user on HTF posits that they will have gone back to the A/B rolls for this remaster, and since all fades and dissolves would have needed to be redone digitally, this is obviously one they've missed.

[Anthony Thorne]

It wouldn't be a brand-spanking-new TEXAS release without some requisite fuck-ups to sour things for folks who care. I still cherish my Dark Sky DVD special edition with the missing sound effects. Glad to see Dark Sky are continuing the tradition on a new format in this new decade.

[Movie-Brat]

The word is that the U.S. disc features a few errors:

*snip*

Oh crap. I guess I should hang onto my Dark Sky DVD, should I?

[domino harvey]

If those minor things no one would notice bother you, sure

[Movie-Brat]

Thinking about it; eh, I doubt they'll bother me anyway. It's still the same movie and if it's still effective, it's not a failure.

[tenia]

If those minor things no one would notice bother you, sure

Well, I guess this goes with the missing 6 seconds of ZFE on the 1st pressing of Arrow's BD.
While this is extremely minor, shouldnt sound and image integrity and completeness be the 1st criteria to evaluate a video release ?

[Anthony Thorne]

'No-one will notice' them, except for fans familiar with the movie who have read the threads, who will keep an eye out for the glitches on first pass, and who will spot them on every viewing thereafter. Seems a shame really. Are Second Sight going to be using this glitchy, fucked-up transfer as well or is there still time to correct things before a defective version of the film is permanently set in stone?

[_shadow_]

"First, do no harm" should be the first principle in restoration and presentation, and it's certainly a valid criticism of this release if it doesn't comply with that.

[Anthony Thorne]

Given past form Dark Sky are well on schedule to release a completely glitch-free edition in 4K format around 2018 or so, right after the current stuffed version has been sitting on our shelves annoying us for half a decade or so. I really shouldn't be so hard on them - it's only the second time they've released a premium remaster of this iconic film with various key, familiar sound effects stripped right out of the movie. I'm sure in the future after the third or fourth time this happens they'll scratch their chins a bit and have a big group discussion about possibly taking more care when they release the movie a fifth and sixth time.

The events of this day have lead to the discovery of one of the most bizarre crimes in the annals of American history - THE TEXAS CHAINSAW FUCKED-UP DISC MASSACRE!

[Koukol]

I'm beginning to think these companies don't want us to be satisfied.

[EddieLarkin]

We have had several enquiries regarding our release of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. We can confirm that the new restoration included the replacing of a fade to black with a hard cut to black in the opening camera flash sequence. This was in fact a change made during the restoration process in conjunction with Tobe Hooper. While we of course respect this decision we have decided, with approval, to include the fade in our release to adhere to the original vision.
With regard to the audio some very minor adjustments were made to some sound effects on the new mixes. Again this was done in conjunction with Tobe Hooper. This does not affect the dialogue track. We will also include the original mono track with no adjustments.

Excellent news! They're implying though that the removal of the fade in the restoration was done with Hooper's knowledge and approval, which sounds like lip service to me (not that that's a problem or anything).

[Drucker]

Second Sight blu ray of 40th anniversary restoration one looks a bit better than US release.

[yoloswegmaster]

New 4K UHD coming from Dark Sky Films:

[Roscoe]

Is that the same as the MPI release that is already up for sale on Amazon, as announced at Blu-ray.com?

[Orlac]

The book that comes with the new Second Sight release has some really interesting essays, espeically one linking the film to Czech sci-fi classic The End of August at the Hotel Ozone

And call me slow, but this is the first time I've noticed Leatherface's second and third masks are supposed to be female.

[colinr0380]

Well yes, he is playing "mother" to the other guys, and cooking their meals for them whilst they are out working at the gas station or on the road somewhere so he probably needs to look the part!

[Orlac]

Well yes, he is playing "mother" to the other guys, and cooking their meals for them whilst they are out working at the gas station or on the road somewhere so he probably needs to look the part!

Jim Siedow's character is either the third brother or the dad, depending on who you ask, I believe the 2nd film confirms he is a brother.

[colinr0380]

Yes, I think the father was the one in the room upstairs? Or was that the grandfather? I'll have to revisit it to check. But it is the family dynamic that the recent Don't Hug Me, I'm Scared episode about family picked up on, which is that someone needs to be pressed into service to put a meal on the table, and do all the other things that a mother does in her role! (Although that itself reminds me of Harry Secombe kidnapping Mona Washbourne in The Bed Sitting Room and begging her to do the "things that my wife used to do for me", which in the most bizarrely abstract S&M scene ever turns out to be throwing pots and pans at him all whilst he begs her to stop!)