Chain Reaction written and directed by Alexandre O. Phillipe is a documentary about The Texas ChainSaw Massacre’s impact on 5 completely different artists Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King and Karyn Kusama. It’s cleverly edited with the respective interviews intertwined with clips of the film, and some outtakes that even the biggest Chain Saw fans (like myself) have never seen before. Each one of them tell their experience of seeing the film for the first time, some by choice and some by accident, and how the movie had left a lasting impression on them.
Pleasantly surprised by comedian Patton Oswalt’s fandom of the film and just like myself we both saw the film on VHS. Stephen King makes a point that on how the film is nearly a short film because of it’s run time. I personally have been flying that flag for decades. When a movie wastes no time and it gets to the point like TCM does, it’s hard not to respect a film like that. Regardless if you are fan of the horror genre. King also says something that is very true about what you see vs what you don’t see in movies and how the power of suggestion is stronger. The unseen and the unknown can play a psychological game on your mind and leave you wondering was that there or not?!
Writer and Director Karyn Kusama says something that stuck with me and puts my feelings of the film into perspective. “It’s hard movie to watch and it’s a hard movie to rewatch yet i keep on returning. It’s as big American film as any American classic. How lucky we are as cinephiles to have Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”
4 out of 5 Revving Chainsaws