Rypro 525

from Variety

MPI/Dark Sky Films will be releasing a restored version Tobe Hooper’s 1974 “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” in celebration of the film’s 40th anniversary.

The restoration will be unveiled at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas on Monday at 9:30pm at the Topfer Theatre. The new version of the film will be released in theaters this summer with a new 4K transfer from the original 16 millimeter prints.

Hooper shot the original film in 1973 with a crew of Austin film students and recent graduates in Round Rock, Texas. The move debuted in drive-ins and eventually grossed $30 million, was invited to the 1975 Cannes Film Festival Director’s Fortnight and was acquired as part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.

The restoration was overseen by Todd Wieneke of Dark Sky Films and took place at NOLO Digital Film in Chicago and needed five months of 40-hour workweeks to complete the color grading and the restoration. All 120,960 frames were transferred to a 4K scan.

Hooper, who helped score the film and did the sound design, was also involved with the audio restoration.

“I haven’t seen ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ on the big screen for many, many years,” he said. “This 40th anniversary restoration is absolutely the best the film has ever looked. The color and clarity is spectacular, displaying visual details in the film that were never before perceptible.”

Details regarding the film’s theatrical re-release this summer will be announced in the coming months.


The most recent dvd/blu doesn't look all that bad, granted a 4K restoration will probably look better

islandclaws

Got a line on this a while back, and I'm really glad to see it's finally been announced. Hopefully they carry over all the previous bonus stuff they can because I know there's some new stuff planned. Either way, I can't wait to see how good this looks assuming they didn't completely fuck it up somehow.

asianxcore

Mike86

Oddly enough I don't own the original on Blu-ray. I have The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003 Remake), and Texas Chainsaw 3D but never picked up the original. I'll probably get this when it's out.

hanshotfirst1138

Interesting, but it begs the question: how much of the raggedy, grainy look will they keep?

Giles

I can't wait to see how glossed up a original shot 16mm film will look after a 4K scan. seems a tad excessive - ya think? The movie was supposed to look like battered up shitty lookin' print.

Lt Ripley

Hope it has a bunch of teal!

Kidding.

Adam Tyner

I can't remember if The Evil Dead got a 4K scan or not, but that's one gorgeous lookin' Blu-ray disc, and in a very faithful, authentic way.

Mike86

Yeah just because something is getting a better master it doesn't necessarily mean that a film that's supposed to have a specific look will have that look altered. I know that it happened with The Terminator but I think there's other factors than just the mastering process at play in that case.

joltman

Has a 16mm film gotten a 4K scan before?

Why So Blu?

I'm interested.

Torchur317

Nice! I don't own this on blu ray so it's worth upgrading!

inri222

I also hope they remaster the audio in 7.1 DTS Surround so my home theater can get a workout.

Why So Blu?

Rypro 525

they did
for the people that do SXSW, this restoration is premiering on monday

hanshotfirst1138

Just as long as it includes the original mono, whatever.

Solid Snake

I've the original BD. it's a fair image remaster. Could be better, I remember the image being a bit jagged at times. Needed some vibrancy to it but it was good at the time. I'd be game for a much more stable image... And keep the original sound too. Also... Port over all the features cuz the features alone make it worth owning.

Guru Askew

[Blu-ray.com forum]There should actually be 120,967 frames if my infallible memory of seeing this theatrically 41 years ago is correct. I'll stick with my Betamax copy. Fuck you Hollywood![/Blu-ray.com forum]

Why So Blu?

Jesusfuckingchrist. 7 fucking frames fucking mouthbreathers!


/rant

PhantomStranger

No, I don't believe so. There are so many more deserving 35mm films that need a new 4K scan over this low-budget 16mm film.

TheDuke

Like WHAT

Solid Snake

Say what you will about its narrative now. But the film is a goddamn important piece of film history. I'd argue that it has every right to be given professional care for. I might not jive with lazy fatass in wheelchair or the dialogue or etc but its existence is a fucking big deal for the genre and film, in general,

Mike86

Yeah it's really one of the first slasher films. Whether or not that's a good thing or not I suppose is debatable but as a fan of horror and slasher films it's an important piece of the genre's history. I'll be honest this was actually never one of my favorites but there's no denying it is a classic.

asianxcore

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2014/03/0...per/?hpt=hp_t3

PhantomStranger

I'm not denigrating Texas Chainsaw Massacre or its influence, it is one of the seminal movies in horror history. But there isn't 4K worth of resolution to be squeezed out of its camera negative, while many deserving 35mm films languish with bad 2K scans.

I understand that 4K is sexy from a marketing perspective but it's largely wasted on a movie of this nature.