The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 4K UHD Review

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the most iconic films of all time, transforming the face of horror as we know it and introducing the world to a new slasher icon. Tobe Hooper’s 1974 classic popularised many tropes of the slasher subgenre commonplace today, including a hulking masked antagonist preying on a much younger group, and using power tools as murder weapons. The popularity of the film spawned an entire franchise including multiple original films, remakes, video games, comic books, and much more – the first of which was released in 1986.

Hooper returned to the directing chair for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 with a cast made up of Dennis Hopper, Caroline Williams, Bill Johnson, Bill Moseley, and Jim Siedow. Set 13 years after the events of the first film, Sally Hardesty has become catatonic following her ordeal, and law enforcement has never caught the perpetrators. After the police conclude that no massacre actually took place, two high schoolers are brutally murdered, and the whole slaying is caught on audio. Lieutenant Boude “Lefty” Enright (Hopper) – the uncle of Sally and Franklin Hardesty – arrives on the scene to help solve the murders after spending more than a decade tracking down the Sawyers. He joins forces with the equally disturbed Chop Top (Moseley) as Leatherface (Johnson) sets his sights on local DJ Vanita Stretch Brock (Williams).

The sequel is notably different from the original film, with lashings of unbelievable gore from special effects legend Tom Savini and a narrative that leans further into horror comedy than the spine-chilling dread of its predecessor. The shock factor is dialled up to 11, with the plot often feeling like an exercise to out-gross the original film rather than add any meaningful progression to the stories of the characters we became transfixed with. More in the vein of a classic Evil Dead film, when Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 focuses on its splatter and deranged elements, it’s easy to have some bloody good fun.

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Purveyors of immortalising genre cinema Arrow have released a two-disc limited edition 4K ultra HD edition of the film that elevates Hooper’s classic to new heights, packed full of carefully curated special features perfect for any horror fan. Packaged in stunning new artwork by Ilan Sheady and Dare Creative, the release includes a booklet with thought-provoking essays from some of the leading film writers and academics in the genre field as well as visual essays to help viewers dive deeper into the backwoods towns of Texas than ever before.

The 4k restoration from the film’s original negative allows it to be watched in clarity like never before, with new audio to complete the immersion. Behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast and crew as well as brand new commentary tracks, deleted scenes, and a look into the film’s marketing give horror lovers an insight into one of the greatest franchises of all time like never before. Whether you love the whole franchise or just the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this release is a must-have for your collection.

★★★★★

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 4K UHD release is out now from Arrow Video, which you can buy here / Dennis Hopper, Caroline Williams, Jim Siedow, Bill Moseley / Dir: Tobe Hooper / Cannon Films / 18