Post by tomishereagain on Nov 7, 2018 15:00:37 GMT -6
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is an American horror franchise consisting of eight horror films, comics, and a video game adaptation of the original film. The franchise focuses on serial killer Leatherface and his psychotic family, who terrorize unsuspecting visitors to their territories in the desolate Texas countryside, typically killing and cannibalizing them. The original film was released in 1974, directed by Tobe Hooper and written by Hooper and Kim Henkel. Hooper and Henkel were involved in only three of the later films.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1: Meet Leatherface (1974)
Upon its October 1974 release, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was banned outright in several countries, and numerous theaters later stopped showing the film in response to complaints about its violence. While it initially drew a mixed reception from critics, it was highly profitable, grossing over $30 million at the domestic box office, equivalent with roughly over $150.8 million as of 2018, selling over 16.5 million tickets in 1974. It has since received a positive reappraisal and gained a reputation as one of the best and most influential horror films in cinema history. It is credited with originating several elements common in the slasher genre, including the use of power tools as murder weapons, the characterization of the killer as a large, hulking, faceless figure, and the killing of victims.
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The concept for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre arose in the early 1970s while Tobe Hooper was working as an assistant film director at the University of Texas at Austin and as a documentary cameraman. He had already developed a story involving the elements of isolation, the woods, and darkness. He credited the graphic coverage of violence by San Antonio news outlets as one inspiration for the film and based elements of the plot on murderer Ed Gein in 1950s Wisconsin.
The primary filming location was an early 1900s farmhouse located on Quick Hill Road near Round Rock, Texas, where the La Frontera development is now located.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was inducted into the Horror Hall of Fame in 1990, with director Hooper accepting the award, and it is part of the permanent collection of New York City's Museum of Modern Art.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2: Lefty Stretch (1986)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (marketed as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2) is a 1986 American horror comedy film directed by Tobe Hooper. It serves as a sequel to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, also directed and co-written by Hooper. It was written by L. M. Kit Carson and produced by Carson, Yoram Globus, Menahem Golan and Hooper. Starring Dennis Hopper, Caroline Williams, Bill Johnson, Bill Moseley and Jim Siedow, the plot follows a radio host victimized and captured by Leatherface and his cannibalistic family while a former Texas Marshall hunts them down. It is also the only film where Leatherface dies.
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Several scenes were deleted by director Tobe Hooper due to pacing issues as mentioned on the 2000 Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Shocking Truth documentary. One lengthy scene that was cut from the film involves the Sawyer Clan heading out at night to collect prime meat for their chili by slaughtering movie patrons and a group of rowdy, rioting fans. The deleted slaughtering scene featured several elaborate Tom Savini special effects. Another deleted scene also includes the American film critic Joe Bob Briggs. An alternative plot line involving Lefty Enright as Stretch's father was also scrapped. However, these scenes are present on the 2007 Gruesome Edition DVD special features section.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3: Leatherface (1990)
Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III is a 1990 American horror film directed by Jeff Burr.
Initially, this film was given an X-rating by the Motion Picture Association of America, which limited the studio's release possibilities. After the studio made cuts, it was re-rated R, and New Line released it on January 12, 1990. It was refused classification in the UK upon its initial release.
The film was both a critical and commercial failure, grossing less than $6 million in the US box office.
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The film gained a certain amount of notoriety prior to release due to a battle between New Line Cinema and the MPAA, which initially rated the film an X because of its graphic violence. It was the final film to receive this rating before the MPAA replaced X with NC-17.
In 2003, New Line Home Entertainment released the film in both R and unrated versions on DVD. The DVD's special features include an audio commentary with Jeff Burr, Gregory Nicotero, R.A. Mihailoff, David J. Schow, William Butler, and Mark Odesky, a featurette entitled "The Saw is Family: The Making of Leatherface"; as well as a compilation of unrestored, raw and deleted scenes, along with an explanation from Jeff Burr as to why these scenes did not make the final cut; the original ending of the film was also included on the DVD. It will be released on Blu-Ray in 2018, as part of the Warner Brothers Archive Collection label.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 4: The Next Generation (1994)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (originally The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre) is a 1994 American horror film written and directed by Kim Henkel, and starring Renée Zellweger, Matthew McConaughey, and Robert Jacks as Leatherface. The plot follows four teenagers who encounter Leatherface and his murderous family in backwoods Texas on the night of their prom. It is the fourth installment in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre series, and also features uncredited cameo appearances from Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, and John Dugan, all stars of the original film.
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The film has been noted for its implementation of a secret society subplot driving Leatherface's family to terrorize civilians in order to provoke them to a level of transcendence; in a retrospective interview, Kim Henkel confirmed that the basis of the subplot was influenced by theories surrounding the Illuminati.
Leatherface, once efficient, methodical and near-silent, now struggles to competently capture or kill his victims, all the while screaming like a petulant child. The family, no longer backwater cannibals, dines on pizza instead of the fresh meat of their victims. The dinner sequence, originally one of the most effective and horrifying scenes ever committed to film, goes so far off the rails it climaxes with Jenny turning the tables on her captors and scolding Leatherface into sitting down and shutting up. The ineffectiveness of it all of this is intentional, and we know this because a man in a limo pulls up and openly acknowledges it.
On June 4, 2018, Scream Factory announced a collector's edition Blu-ray release of the film slated for September 25, 2018.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 5: Remake (2003)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a 2003 American slasher film directed by Marcus Nispel, written by Scott Kosar, and starring Jessica Biel, Jonathan Tucker, Erica Leerhsen, R. Lee Ermey, Mike Vogel, and Eric Balfour. Its plot follows a group of young adults traveling through rural Texas who encounter Leatherface and his murderous family. It is a remake of Tobe Hooper's 1974 film of the same name, and the fifth installment in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise. Several crew members of the original film were involved with the project: Hooper and writer Kim Henkel served as co-producers; Daniel Pearl returned as cinematographer; and John Larroquette reprised his voice narration for the opening intertitles.
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The remake includes references to the previous film, including John Larroquette, who returns in his role as the film's narrator.
The BBC's Jamie Russell gave the film some praise, referring to it as "a gory, stylish, and occasionally scary push-button factory of shocks and shrieks remarkably better than anyone had the right to expect. Yet, it begs the question: if the filmmakers could churn out something this decent, why didn't they shoot an original script, or even a sequel to Hooper's 1974 classic instead of a remake?"
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 6: The Beginning (2006)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning is a 2006 American horror film and a prequel to the 2003 film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The sixth installment in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise was directed by Jonathan Liebesman and co-produced by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper (co-creators of the original 1974 film). The film went into release in North America on October 6, 2006. The film's story takes place four years before the timeline of the 2003 film. It stars Jordana Brewster, Diora Baird, Taylor Handley, Matt Bomer and R. Lee Ermey.
Originally, the film had the subtitle The Origin.
Originally, the film had the subtitle The Origin.
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New Line had to pay $3.1 million more than expected in order to keep the rights to the franchise after Dimension Films made a large offer to buy it from the original right-holders. The film grossed $51.8 million on a budget of $16 million.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning was released on DVD by New Line Home Video on January 16, 2007. This release included both theatrical and unrated versions of the film, as well as a double feature with the first film. EIV would release the film in the UK on February 19 that same year as both a two-disk uncut edition, a single-disk theatrical version, and as a part of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre collection. New Line would re-release the film in 2008 and 2009 before releasing the film on Blue-Ray on October 15, 2013. The film had previously been released for the first time on Blue-Ray by Ais on July 6, 2010.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 7: Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013)
Texas Chainsaw (promoted as Texas Chainsaw 3D) is a 2013 American horror film directed by John Luessenhop, with a screenplay by Adam Marcus, Debra Sullivan and Kirsten Elms and a story by Stephen Susco, Marcus and Sullivan. It is the seventh installment in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise and was presented in 3D. The film serves as a direct sequel to the 1974 film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (ignoring the events of the subsequent installments). The film stars Alexandra Daddario, Dan Yeager, Trey Songz, Tania Raymonde, Scott Eastwood, Thom Barry, Paul Rae and Bill Moseley, with Gunnar Hansen and Marilyn Burns, who had appeared in the original 1974 film. The story centers on Heather, who discovers that she was adopted after learning of an inheritance from a long-lost grandmother. She subsequently takes a road trip with her friends to collect the inheritance, unaware that it includes her cousin, Leatherface, as well.
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In January 2013, it was revealed that due to the film's financial success, Millennium Films began planning a sequel film to be called Texas Chainsaw 4 which was expected to begin filming later in 2013 in the state of Louisiana. Millennium Films Chairman Avi Lerner stated that the project was brought to him by Christa Campbell and Lati Grobman and that Millennium had signed on to produce, with Lionsgate distributing the finished product. Executive producer Mark Burg clarified that the sequel was prematurely announced and had not been authorised, "The rights are controlled by Carl [Mazzocone] and Main Line Pictures, no matter what Millennium says. Millennium simply sold the foreign rights and they will not tell us when a sequel is ready to be made. The script was developed by Carl, myself and writer/director John Luessenhop. Maybe they're looking for something to sell at Berlin, but they have no right to announce this sequel." Ultimately, a prequel titled Leatherface was released by Lionsgate and Millennium Films in October 2017, from a pitch by writer Seth M. Sherwood focusing on the origin of the eponymous killer. Because of the time it took to release it, the studios lost the rights to make future Texas Chainsaw Massacre films.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 8: Leatherface (2017)
Leatherface is a 2017 American horror film directed by Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, written by Seth M. Sherwood, and starring Stephen Dorff, Vanessa Grasse, Sam Strike, and Lili Taylor. It is the eighth film in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (TCM) franchise, and works as a prequel to 1974's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, explaining the origin of the series' lead character.
Principal photography commenced in Bulgaria in May and June 2015, with locations and sets chosen for their resemblance to the Texas terrain and as homage to the series' previous films. After being temporarily shelved by Lionsgate Films in 2016, the film was made exclusive via DirecTV on September 21, 2017, before receiving a wider release on video on demand and limited theaters, simultaneously, in North America on October 20, 2017. It received generally mixed reviews from film critics, and garnered $956,147 worldwide. Lionsgate and Millennium Films lost the rights to produce future Texas Chainsaw Massacre films because of its delay in release.
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Serving as a direct prequel to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Leatherface was written by Sherwood to also act as a prelude to the series as a whole. He intentionally distanced the film from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, and its prequel The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, while respecting the fictional events of the original film and its various sequels. Certain character names, such as Drayton, Nubbins, and the Sawyer surname, were pulled from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. The creation of the deranged lawman Hal Hartman was inspired by Lefty Enright, a Texas Ranger that appeared in the second film. Hal Hartman is the father of Burt Hartman, a vigilante character that first appeared in Texas Chainsaw 3D. The character Verna Sawyer (Lili Taylor) was played by Marilyn Burns in Texas Chainsaw 3D.
Sherwood confirmed that the Texas Chainsaw film canon made by Lionsgate Pictures and Millennium Films consists of, chronologically, Leatherface, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Texas Chainsaw 3D. He intended Leatherface to be accessible to viewers who had never seen the previous films, so that they could watch the series in the order of the timeline without being confused.
Following the release of Leatherface, the producers had the rights to make five more Texas Chainsaw Massacre films. In April 2015, producer Christa Campbell stated that the fate of the potential films would largely depend on the financial reception and perceived fan reactions regarding the 2017 prequel. Campbell clarified in December 2017 that Lionsgate and Millennium Films had lost the franchise rights due to the time it took to release it.
On August 24, 2018, Legendary Pictures had bought the rights to the franchise, with a new film and a television series in development.
All American Massacre is an unreleased film directed by William 'Tony' Hooper, son of Tobe Hooper, the director of the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The film was to serve as a prequel to the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre film series. The film began as a 15-minute short, shot on high resolution digital video, but was eventually turned into a 60-minute featurette. A trailer for the film is shown on the official website. The film was to feature Chop Top who had been captured and placed in a psychiatric prison. Various memories of his family were to feature in the film, as he was interviewed by a tabloid television journalist. The score for the film was composed by Buckethead.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Shocking Truth Documentary (2000)