Tags: texas chain saw massacre

There is really nothing I like more on a chilly, rainy evening than sitting down with some of my best pals. Of course, as these pals usually consist of murderers and madmen, I like to keep them safely trapped on screen. They wield knives and axes and machetes and chainsaws from the safety of the little box that sits atop my chest of drawers. I sit on the bed directly across from them shivering-just a little-in my oh-so-jaded boots. There aren't a lot of films that can actually make me shiver in these old boots, but when I find one, I hold on for dear life. I make sure the experience of watching is sacred, and I don't mess around with those little brats who laugh through some Fulci-style ocular terror. (read more...)

Sometimes, we get contacted to do an article to coincide with the release of a theatrical film or DVD. Most of the time, we don't do it because we either don't have any ideas or there are no good ideas for that particular movie. The PR folks for Universal's recent remake of The Hitcher (coming out on DVD May 1st -- check the cover art at the bottom of the page) had something different, however -- a good idea. They said, "Hey, guys, we have somebody getting yanked apart by two semi trucks in our movie. What about listing off some other brutal and/or sadistic deaths?" I was intrigued, which is often enough to get me to put fingers to keyboard, so here we go.

The list presented below isn't definitive. These aren't necessarily the ten most brutal or sadistic deaths in a horror movie, just the ones we thought were notable. Your mileage may vary. Each entry is accompanied by a screencap that can be accessed by clicking the thumbnail icon below the film title.(read more...)

With the prequel Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning coming out on October 6th, 2006, I thought it was just about time to take a look at the original 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre and its 2003 remake (The Beginning is connected to the remake).

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake (henceforth referred to as TCM03) should come with a warning label on it. "Do not consume within 2 months of ingesting 1974 version." The problem is that if you look at TCM03 up against the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre (TCM74), the newer film will appear to be complete crap. The social commentary is gone, the story is juiced up with sex and drugs, and it misses the almost nihilistic "s**t happens, then you die" philosophy of Tobe Hooper's seminal classic.(read more...)

Dead Dog Entertainment is a company I've had my eyes on for a few months ever since I caught an ad for their Night of the Living Dead comic series in Rue Morgue magazine. Fangoria.com recently checked in with Dead Dog to see what projects they have up their sleeve, and they discovered a helluva lot of projects, all of which I have organized and summed up for your reading pleasure:

The Horror Show
This will be an anthology book of short stories based on films such as The Howling, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and a story based on The Book of the Dead created by Tom Sullivan, the man behind the special effects of the Evil Dead series.
Release date: February(read more...)

We are living in a wonderful day and age where companies are producing some of the coolest collectibles the world has ever seen. Companies such as McFarlane Toys and NECA have already proven that they are able to create film merchandise that is able to please fanboys like me all over the world, but if they just haven't done enough for you just yet, then hang on a second, because I think they just did.(read more...)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Okay, the title implied more than the movie was able to deliver but it is still a classic of modern terror. Tobe Hooper made the film with barely more than one camera and a crew of people whose enthusiasm was greater than their acting ability. Allegedly based on the true life exploits of Ed Gein, the movie took great liberties. The family in TCM are unemployed slaughterhouse workers and in real life Ed lived alone. While he never actually admitted to eating human flesh when police finally gained access to his Plainfield Wisconsin home they found human hearts cooking in a stewpot on the stove and a refrigerator full of "venison" which was later proved to be human in origin. Also, Ed never used a chainsaw.(read more...)