Texas Chainsaw Steelbook Blu Ray Review (Lionsgate / Bloody Disgusting)

Texas Chainsaw (aKa Texas Chainsaw 3D and Texas Chainsaw Massacre 5) is a 2013 slasher directed by John Luessenhop (Takers and Lockdown). It was written by Adam Marcus (Jason Goes to Hell, Conspiracy, Secret Santa, and NerdGirls), Debra Sullivan (Conspiracy, Momentum, Secret Santa, and NerdGirls), and Kirsten Elms (Exeter and Banshee). It was produced by Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise), Mark Burg (Saw franchise, Dead Silence, Anger Management, Repo, Airheads, John Q, The Sandlot, and Bull Durham), and Avi Lerner (The Expendables, Hellboy franchise, The Hitman’s Bodyguard franchise, Fallen franchise, The Mechanic franchise, Rambo: Last Blood, and Day of the Dead franchise). It’s a direct sequel to 1974’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and it ignores all the previous sequels plus remake. The budget was $20,000,000 and it grossed $47,340,586 worldwide at the box office. After the original massacre in 1974, the infamous Sawyer family which includes Drayton (played by: Bill Moseley from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, House of a 1000 Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects, 3 From Hell, Army of Darkness, Repo, Silent Night Deadly Night 3, and Night of the Living Dead), Boss (played by: Gunnar Hansen from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers, Brutal Massacre, Mosquito, Murder Set Pieces, and Chainsaw Sally), and Grandpa (played by: John Dugan from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Hospital, Rock Paper Scissors, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, and Cruel Summer III) are trapped in their home after being blamed for all the heinous crimes. A vigilante mob of blood thirsty locals lead by Burt Hartman (played by: Paul Rae from True Grit, Brockmire, W., and Bone Eater) surround them and try to kill the entire cannibal clan. Decades later, Heather Miller (played by: Alexandra Daddario from True Detective, Baywatch, American Horror Story, Justice League franchise, Songbird, Night Hunter, San Andreas, The House, and Burying the Ex) finds out that she was adopted after she inherits a Texas estate from her real grandmother Verna (played by: Marilyn Burns from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Helter Skelter, Eaten Alive, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, and Butcher Boys). She takes her friends which includes Ryan (played by: Trey Songz from Blood Brother and Baggage Claim), Nikki (played by: Tania Raymonde from Goliath, Lost, Deep Blue Sea 3, Walden, Still Waiting, and Chillerama), and Kenny (played by: Keram Malicki-Sánchez from Cherry Falls, Punisher: War Zone, and American History X) on a road trip to check out her new property and inheritances. Unfortunately, that’s not the only thing that she is responsible for now. Jed “Leatherface” Sawyer (played by: Dan Yeager from Sharknado 4, A Wakefield Project, and Metal Heads) is waiting for them. Will she end up in the next Texas Chainsaw Massacre???? Texas Chainsaw is another major studio resurrection for the iconic horror franchise. Lionsgate who had all kinds of success with the horror genre gives Leatherface a new facelift here. Texas Chainsaw is the first and only 3D feature from the cannibal killer, it was made when this technology was very popular. Unfortunately, it’s been dead for a long time now. The script tries a little too hard at times to mix humor and horror but some of it works in this. It has a few twists to it. It also features the worst line of dialogue in the entire series with “Do your thing Cuz”. It’s beyond cringe and it kinda kills the vibe at the moment. What’s wild is that it’s the main thing I always remember about this sequel. I really loved the beginning with all the demented Sawyer family and the amazing cameos. That alone would have been a fascinating film with so much potential, it’s a shame that it didn’t last longer here. The biggest problem that I have with it after all these years is a simple question, where was all this family at during the original classic movie? It’s kinda silly when you think about it. None of them were mentioned or acknowledged during the first one besides Drayton and Grandpa. Alexandra Daddario as Heather Miller is stunning in this. I’ve always been a big fan of hers and this is one of her best roles. She is an excellent final girl, she’s feisty and she never gives up. She is one of the most beautiful women in the business, she still looks great after 11 years. Tania Raymonde as Nikki is a nice counterpart to her. She’s very different and she’s a little shady. Dan Yeager as Leatherface is very impressive in Texas Chainsaw. I personally think he’s one of the best when it comes to the legendary horror icon. He’s one of the bigger and more menacing variations of the brutal cannibal. I’m shocked that he didn’t do much after this film, he’s perfect for this type of stuff. Paul Rae as Burt Hartman was a nice surprise in Texas Chainsaw. He was such a nasty villain so it basically made the Leatherface character more of an antihero which is something new when it comes to this slasher universe. The rest of the supporting cast includes Bill Moseley, Gunnar Hansen, Marilyn Burns, John Dugan, Trey Songz, Keram Malicki-Sánchez, Scott Eastwood (Suicide Squad), Richard Riehle (Hatchet), Thom Barry (The Fast and the Furious franchise), Shaun Sipos (Final Destination 2), James MacDonald (Broken Arrow), Dodie Brown (Pulse franchise), and David Born (Twisters). You will notice lots of familiar names and characters from this in the Leatherface prequel. Texas Chainsaw is gruesome, it doesn’t hold back when it comes to the violence, kills, and gore. It has a solid body count with some vicious murders. High quality special fx from KNB which features legends Robert Kurtzman, Greg Nicotero, and Howard Berger. I think it’s crazy that Lionsgate didn’t capitalize on Texas Chainsaw Massacre more when they had the rights. They literally took too long to do another one so they gave up the popular property after only doing two out of the 6 planned projects. Texas Chainsaw would have been so much better without trying to be so funny but it’s still entertaining and a blast to watch. It has great replay value to it. RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Lionsgate! This 1080p (2.40:1) transfer is one of the better looking entries from the iconic Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise. Texas Chainsaw has excellent special fx, production design, locations, and cinematography. Visually, this sequel has always been impressive. It has a few different audio options which includes English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, English: Dolby Digital 2.0, and Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 on the disc. Texas Chainsaw is one of the higher quality audio efforts when it comes to the series. Lots of wild scenes that really test your home set up. All of the dialogue is crisp, the killing is elevated, and the music has a huge boost to it. It has English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles. It has an “Audio Commentary” with director John Luessenhop and Leatherface himself Dan Yeager. It has an additional “Audio Commentary” with producers Tobe Hooper and Carl Mazzocone. It has a 3rd “Audio Commentary” with Texas Chainsaw Massacre legends Bill Moseley, Gunnar Hansen, Marilyn Burns, and John Dugan. There’s a nice variety between all these tracks. They are all very different from each other. They are loaded with stories, information, and the scenes getting analyzed. It’s a cool option for future revisits to have an alternate perspective when it comes to the slasher sequel. It has the almost 7 minute “Texas Chainsaw Legacy”. It has interviews with the cast and crew. It celebrates the 40 year history of the original. They chat about Leatherface being one of the most known monsters in cinema. They show their appreciation for the classic including people that were actually involved with it share their thoughts. It has the little over 9 minute “Resurrecting the Saw”. It has interviews with some of the same crew and cast members from the previous extra. They talk about the development of this newer entry and bringing back Texas Chainsaw Massacre to the screen after getting the rights for it. They chat about rebooting the legendary horror franchise and iconic villain for this movie. They bring up that they originally wanted to do 6 films for their TCM universe. They mention the original story and concept was too dark so they changed it up.It has the almost 15 minute “The Old Homestead”. This focuses on them putting together and rebuilding the iconic farmhouse from the original feature for it’s an opening scene. It has some of the original actors reminiscing about the first one. If you are into production design, then you will really dig this one. It has the little over 12 minute “Casting Terror”. This is all about the main cast and their characters from Texas Chainsaw. They chat about working with each other. They bring up the main locations and dealing with the hot weather while filming. It has a decent amount of behind the scenes footage. It has the almost 15 minute “Leatherface 2013”. This displays actor Dan Yeager and his version of Jed Sawyer in this sequel. He takes you into the process of becoming Leatherface. He talks about his motivations and his backstory. It goes over the chainsaw, mask, and his overall look. They go over why they picked the actor for this known role. It has the little over 11 minute “Lights, Camera, Massacre”. This highlights the 3D, pop out moments, and the gore from the production. They say it’s more than a gimmick which I agree with. They did their research on it and they are passionate about taking Texas Chainsaw into that direction. This is very interesting especially if you are into the entertaining format. It has the almost 8 minute “It’s in the Meat”. This is dedicated to the amazing special fx, kills, and blood splattered scenes featured in Texas Chainsaw. The fx artists geek out on working on this feature and they knew exactly what they wanted to do with this. They go over the fact that the original was more psychological rather than gory. This one is definitely different when it comes to that. It has the little over 33 minute “On Set Short Subjects: Five Minute Massacres”. It has 6 different behind the scenes footage sections here. It shows off some of production design and set pieces. It gives you an inside look into several interesting moments from the film. I loved the one that displays the opening with Chainsaw alumi and OG Leatherface Gunnar Hansen. This extra is very personal and it’s one you will enjoy if you feel like you are on the actual production. It has the little over 3 minute “Alternate Opening” which adds a little more humor to it. It has the “Theatrical Trailer” for the film. Texas Chainsaw is loaded with so much bonus material, it has hours of entertainment here. It has awesome limited edition steelbook packaging with a digital code included. It’s a Walmart exclusive right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!