Greetings again from the darkness. OK, so this tribute to the 50th anniversary of THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE may seem a year late, but it was actually an award winner at the 2024 Venice Film Festival. This documentary has now gained distribution and will finally show for an audience that remains so loyal and respectful of that original film from director Tobe Hooper (who passed away in 2017). Documentarian Alexandre O Phillippe has a nice track record of exploring popular films, including his superb 78/52 (2017), which surgically analyzed the iconic shower scene in Hitchcock’s masterpiece, PSYCHO.
Fittingly, this documentary opens on a clip of Hooper’s original film from 1974. It then takes a unique approach by dividing this into five chapters, each with insight and observations from one particular person of interest.
Chapter One features comedian-actor Patton Oswalt describing his first viewing of the film. With his rare brand of humor, Oswalt provides a surprisingly in-depth perspective on the film, while making some spot-on comparisons to the original NOSFERATU, and the Bulgarian classic, MAN BITES DOG. He even opens our eyes to some similarities to the staircase scene in GONE WITH THE WIND … the first time I’ve ever heard “Chain Saw” and GWTW mentioned in the same sentence. Especially worth noting is Oswalt emphasizing the importance of the fantastic Art Direction from the late Robert Burns’.
Chapter Two puts Japanese filmmaker Takashi Mike in the spotlight. Best known for his films, ICHI THE KILLER (2001) and 13 ASSASSINS (2010), he explains how his younger self was a huge fan of Bruce Lee, which developed his interest in cinema. He then recalls a fascinating tale of showing up to a sold-out screening of Chaplin’s CITY LIGHTS, and how fate took him around the block to his first-ever viewing of “Chain Saw”. This opened his eyes to how movies could be dangerous … and then he details the technical aspects of shooting on 16mm and blowing it up for the big screen to achieve the ‘grainy’ look.
Chapter Three brings us Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, a renowned film critic from Australia. She provides a bit of a history lesson, recalling the “Chain Saw” was banned for years in Australia, and when she finally saw it, the source was a well worn and yellowed version which she compared to the heat of the Outback. In her discussion, she mentions Peter Weir’s fantastic classic PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK (1975). Both can be labeled a bit avant-garde as films that make you FEEL something.
Chapter Four could have been the most entertaining section, but unfortunately, the great horror writer Stephen King spent entirely too much time talking about other films. Rather than focus on THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, Mr. King rattles off other great film titles like THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, THE SHINING, THE HAUNTING, THE INNOCENTS, and POLTERGEIST. Fortunately, he does bring Edgar Allan Poe into the conversation.
Chapter Five, the final section, finds filmmaker Karyn Kusama (GIRLFIGHT, 2000; DESTROYER, 2018) focusing on the primal nature of Tobe Hooper’s film, while also educating us on the landscape of myth. Ms. Kusama makes an excellent observation about the opening crawl in “Chain Saw” … it really does plant the seed of “a true story” in our mind.
In 1974, director Tobe Hooper released what would shockingly become an American Masterpiece, THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE. All these years later, the film still frightens viewers and continues to influence new generations of filmmakers. With an unusual approach, documentarian Alexandre O Phillippe pays tribute to the filmmaker and his work by giving artists a platform to explain what the film means to them. Good stuff … except for that meat hook (gets me every time)!
This documentary opened in New York and Los Angeles on September 19, 2025 and expands nationwide on September 26, 2025
Posted by David Ferguson 
Greetings again from the darkness. Here is my PSA (Public Service Announcement): This is not a “Football” movie. If you are expecting FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS or ANY GIVEN SUNDAY, you will be disappointed. This is a Psychological Horror film (think BLACK SWAN) featuring a couple of football players, and it’s produced by Jordan Peele, he of NOPE and GET OUT fame. Writer-director Justin Tipping (KICKS, 2016) and co-writers (co-creators of “Limetown”) Zack Aker and Skip Bronkie serve up few X’s and O’s, and plenty of commentary on fame and the quest for greatness.
Greetings again from the darkness. I’m not normally the target market for romantic philosophy-of-life movies, so it seems apropos that one I connect with is likely to be labeled maudlin or sappy by others. Being a big fan of director Kogonada’s underrated COLUMBUS (2017), I was interested to see him team up again with his AFTER YANG (2021) star Colin Farrell, in a blacklist script from writer Seth Reiss (THE MENU, 2022).
Greetings again from the darkness. Successful businesspeople always intrigue me – especially visionary founders and true entrepreneurs – those who actually bring something new to the market. Henry Ford, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk all fit the description … although to clarify, I do not assume their business acumen translates into moral integrity or empathetic humanity. Writer-director Rachel Lee Goldenberg and writer Bill Parker (previous collaborators on UNPREGNANT, 2020) and writer Kim Caramele take on the somewhat tricky project of profiling Whitney Wolfe.
Greetings again from the darkness. Marlon Brando was a true Hollywood legend. Renowned for his performances in such movies as A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951), ON THE WATERFRONT (1954), and of course, THE GODFATHER (1972). He was nominated for eight Oscars, winning three. Despite his on-screen fame, Brando was an enigma in life. Sexual escapades, a commitment to causes, a neighbor and friend to Jack Nicholson, and his own French Polynesian island contributed to the mystique. It’s that private island which writer-director Bill Fishman (nearly a 40-year career of music videos) focuses on here.
Greetings again from the darkness. I recently watched NAKED AMBITION, a documentary on Bunny Yeager – a woman who excelled as a pinup in front of the camera as well as a photographer behind it. This film from writer-director Thomas Mignone (best known for his music videos) made for the perfect follow-up. While Bunny Yeager refused to join in to the shift towards more extreme content in the 1970’s and 1980’s, Mignone’s subject, Vanessa del Rio, not only carved out a career, she also became quite famous for her erotic and explicit films of the era.
Greetings again from the darkness. There is no obvious explanation for my connection to and appreciation of Tim Blake Nelson on the big screen … well … other than his talent. He certainly doesn’t possess the traditional attributes of a movie star, yet that’s exactly what he is. Not only is he one of the most dependable character actors around (see O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU and MINORITY REPORT), but he’s also terrific in lead roles (see OLD HENRY and ASLEEP IN MY PALM). With this latest film, director Vincent Grashaw and screenwriter Will Janowitz (who also has a role in the film) benefit from the actor’s audacious and fearless performance.
Greetings again from the darkness. Most of us scoot through life never being labeled as “the prettiest” anything. That’s fine. We accept it. Still, we apply the label periodically and it was Bunny Yeager who was known as “the world’s prettiest photographer”. Not many would argue with the designation as Ms. Yeager was an incredibly talented photographer, while also being described as a bombshell … a pinup model and actress herself.
Greetings again from the darkness. Having one’s name or work associated Hitler typically (but somehow not always these days) marks one as a pariah or persona non grata. For artists, the rules can be a bit blurred, and filmmaker Andres Veiel takes on the story of Leni Riefenstahl, in hopes of removing some of the blur.
Greetings again from the darkness. Ben Masters’ follow-up to his outstanding documentary, DEEP IN THE HEART: A TEXAS WILDLIFE STORY (2022) is even more stunning, more remarkable, and more important. Narrated by environmentalist, model, and actress Quannah Chasinghorse, the breathtaking photography is complemented by a history lesson and cautionary warnings about where things are headed.
Movie Reviews from the Dark 