Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 11, 2013

Toby Hooper's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2" (1986) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video. The supplemental features on the release include an original trailer for the film; the American director's early films "Eggshells" (1969-1971) and "The Heisters" (1965); deleted scenes; six-part making of documentary film; two audio commentaries, one with the director, and one with Bill Moseley, Caroline Williams and special-effects legend Tom Savini; video interview with horror expert Stephen Thrower; video interview with stunt performer Bob Elmore; and more. This Limited Edition release also arrives with a 100-page exclusive perfect bound book featuring new writing on the film by John Kenneth Muir, an overview of the Chainsaw franchise by Joel Harley and an investigation of Tobe Hooper's three-picture Cannon deal by Calum Waddell, illustrated with archive stills and posters. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Lefty

Radio host Vanita 'Stretch' Brock (Caroline Williams, Stepfather II, Days of Thunder) accidentally records the execution of two drunk, and possibly stoned, troublemakers somewhere deep in the heart of Texas. Lieutenant 'Lefty' Enright (Dennis Hopper, Easy Rider, The Last Days of Frankie the Fly), who has been looking for Leatherface, the notorious killer of his brother, arrives on the scene and after a quick look at what’s left of the troublemakers begins his own private investigation.

Later on, Stretch meets Lefty in his hotel room and offers to help him track down the killer, but he refuses. Then he changes his mind and Stretch plays the recording during her show. The move immediately inspires Leatherface (Bill Johnson, Fall to Grace) and Chop-Top (Bill Moseley, Pink Cadillac, Army of Darkness) to meet Stretch and trash her studio.

This is where the film switches gears and becomes very graphic. The action moves to the home of the cannibal family, a vast interconnected system of caverns under an abandoned amusement park somewhere in the desert, where people are skinned and turned into sausages. Having miraculously survived the attack on the radio station, Stretch secretly follows Leatherface and Chop-Top to the caverns. Meanwhile, out of nowhere Lefty emerges armed with a large chainsaw. What happens next has to be seen to be believed.

Tobe Hooper’s sequel to his classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre replaces the tense atmosphere of the original film with very dark humor which pushes it straight into kitsch territory. Especially during the second half, the desire to shock and make the audience laugh is completely off the charts.

Some will argue that this is undoubtedly what makes this sequel special. It is wild, graphic, brash and even offensive. But once the eyes get used to the red paint, the latex, and the piercing screams, the mayhem quickly becomes boring.

This is the kind of film Rob Zombie would have loved to direct and score. It is a freak show in which almost anything goes. Zombie would have given the film the type of edge it desperately needs. He would have likely kept some of the dark humor, but he would have found a way to make its characters look believable. Hooper’s characters are like stoned puppets. For awhile it is fun to watch them go berserk, but they never look even remotely authentic.

The massive sets and some of the special effects are impressive. It is easy to tell that a lot of money was spent on them. The footage from the caverns, in particular, is excellent. The finale also has a couple of shots that must have required multiple takes to get them right.

The acting is a mixed bag, but this isn’t surprising. All of the main characters are frequently placed in ridiculous situations where what they say and do can be quite awkward. The scene where Hopper drops the giant chainsaw in favor of two smaller ones looks nothing short of surreal.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 was lensed by cinematographer Richard Kooris, who has worked on only one other film since 1986 - Michael Philip’s black comedy Drop Dead Sexy (2005), with Jason Lee, Crispin Glover, and Melissa Keller.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video.

Please note that the screencaptures included with this review appear in the following order:

1. Srceencaptures #1-19: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
2. Screencaptures #21-28: Eggshells
3. Screencaptures:#29-32: The Heisters

The following text appears inside the book provided with this Blu-ray release:

"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 was transferred from a 35mm interpositive. The film was transferred in High Definition at IVC in Burbank, California. Restoration work was carried out using the DRS System at Ascent Media in Burbank. Color correction was supervised by Director of Photography Richard Kooris. Additional restoration work was undertaken by Arrow Video for this release at Deluxe Digital Cinema - EMEA, London. This was done to improve dirt, sparkle, debris, scratches and stability issues.

Film Restoration Supervisor: James White.
Film Restoration by Deluxe Production: Clayton Baker, Tom Barrett, Mark Bonnici, Graham Jones."

The basic characteristics of the high-definition transfer are virtually identical to those of the transfer MGM used for the U.S. release of Mr. Hooper's film. Better encoding is probably the only notable advantage the UK release has. Detail and image depth are very good, especially where natural light is in abundance. Most close-ups, in particular, look very good (see screencapture #2). Contrast levels are stable throughout the entire film. Color reproduction is also very good - there is a good range of lush but never appearing artificially boosted browns, greens, blues, grays, and blacks. There are no traces of problematic sharpening and degraining corrections. During the footage from the caverns some extremely light noise is present, but detail and image depth are not compromised. Sharpness levels also remain stable. Overall image stability is also very good. A few tiny flecks remain (see screencapture #14), but there are absolutely no large cuts, damage marks, debris, warps, or stains to report in this review. All in all, this is a solid organic presentation that should please fans of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Arrow Video have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

Depth and clarity are very good. There is also a good range of nuanced dynamics. During select sequences where the music has a prominent role, it is especially easy to appreciate the improved intensity the lossless track offers. The dialog is crisp, stable, clean, and easy to follow. Also, there are absolutely no pops, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in this review.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Blu-ray 1

• Trailer - original Cannon trailer for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Image Gallery - a collection of production stills.

• It Runs in the Family - six-part making of documentary film focusing on the production history of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. The documentary contains various interviews with screenwriter L.M. Kit Carson, director of photography Richard Kooris, production designer Cary White, actors Bill Johnson (Leatherface) and Caroline Williams (Stretch), and makeup artist Tom Savini, amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (88 min).
  
  1. The Texas Screenplay Massacre
  2. The Art of Mayhem
  3. A Cast of Characters
  4. Prime Meat
  5. Father of the Saw
  6. Requiem for a Sequel

• Director's Audio Commentary - this audio commentary with director and co-writer Tobe Hooper, moderated by filmmaker David Gregory, was recorded in July 2006. It initially appeared on MGM's Gruesome Edition DVD release of the film.

• Actors' Audio Commentary - this incredibly funny audio commentary with Bill Moseley, Caroline Williams and special-effects legend Tom Savini, moderated by Michael Felsher, also appeared on MGM's Gruesome Edition DVD release of the film.

• Still Feelin' The Buzz - in this video interview, horror expert Stephen Thrower, author of Nightmare USA and Beyond Terror, discusses some of the challenges director Tobe Hooper faced when he decided to shoot a sequel to his legendary 1974 film. In English, not subtitled. (29 min).

• Cutting Moments with Bob Elmore - in this video interview, stunt performer Bob Elmore (Leatherface) recalls his contribution to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Alternate Opening Sequence - the original opening credits for the film played over an eerie nighttime landscape, highlighted by shots of the moon shrouded in clouds. Additionally, this unused introduction for the film features a completely different opening theme. Some portions of this theme can be heard in the background of other scenes in the final theatrical version of the film. (2 min).

• Deleted Scenes - a collection of deleted scenes. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

Blu-ray 2

Toby Hooper's Early Films:

• The Heisters (1965) - this early short film directed by Tobe Hooper has been restored in HD. Music only. (11 min, 1080p). Region-Free.
  
  The following text appears inside the book provided with this Blu-ray release:
  
  "The Heisters was shot in 1965. Watchmaker Films' restoration comes from Tobe Hooper's personal print. The film was scanned in 2K resolution and the color adjusted under supervision by Tobe Hooper. This restoration was part of the work done on Eggshells by Louis Black. The optical tracks were transferred at Chase Audio, Los Angeles."

• Eggshells (1969-1971) - this early film directed by Tobe Hooper has been restored in HD. In English (LPCM 1.0), with optional English SDH subtitles. Region-Free. (90 min, 1080p).
  
  The following text appears inside the book provided with this Blu-ray release:
  
  "Eggshells (a.k.a An American Freak Illumination) was shot in 1969-1971 in and around Austin, Texas. The filmmakers shot with a 16mm Eclair NRP camera primarily shot on Kodak 7252 ECO reversal film stock. The finished film was blown-up to 35mm at WDS in Pittsburgh, PA, USA. There were a handful of screenings in 1971 at colleges and universities bu then the film and all the elements disappeared. This restoration by Watchmaker Films is from the only known existing element - a very rare 35mm show print. Once scanned the restoration was completed primarily in Pixel Farm's PFClean. A color grade was applied at FotoKem in Los Angeles supervised by Toby Hooper. The optical tracks were transferred at Chase Audio, Los Angeles. The restoration was initiated by Louis Black who produced the work along with Mark Rance and Tobe Hooper. This work was done with help from Three Legged Cat Productions (r.i.p.) in Los Angeles and at Watchmaker Films, London."

• Audio Commentary - this audio commentary features director Toby Hooper and Louis Black, one of the people who helped find and restore Eggshells.

• Interview - in this new video interview, director Toby Hooper discusses his body of work. The interview was produced by High Rise Productions. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Trailer Reel - a gallery of trailers for Tobe Hooper's best films. (24 min).

• Book - 100-page Limited Edition exclusive perfect bound book featuring new writing on the film by John Kenneth Muir, an overview of the Chainsaw franchise by Joel Harley and an investigation of Tobe Hooper's three-picture Cannon deal by Calum Waddell, illustrated with archive stills and posters.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is yet another terrific release from Arrow Video. The massive amount of supplemental features on it is a good enough reason to strongly recommend it to fans of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. I am not one of them, but I found Tobe Hooper's newly restored early film Eggshells, which is included as a bonus, to be a very interesting time capsule. I should also mention that the second bonus disc, where the short films are, is in fact Region-Free. Well done. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.