STORYLINE: Fifty years after Tobe Hooper’s THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE shocked the world and forever changed the face of global cinema and popular culture, CHAIN REACTIONS charts the film’s profound impact and lasting influence on five great artists – Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King, and Karyn Kusama – through early memories, sensory experiences, and childhood trauma. By crafting a dynamic dialogue between contemporary footage and never-before-seen outtakes, and delving into personal impressions triggered by distinct audiovisual formats (16mm, 35mm, VHS, digital), CHAIN REACTIONS goes to the heart of how a scruffy, no-budget independent film wormed its way into our collective nightmares and permanently altered the zeitgeist. (IMDb)

   There’s a curiosity to take a peak behind the curtain, and see how the sausage is made.  A documentary like Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmakers apocalypse (1991) or a biopic like Tim Burton’s Ed Wood (1994) show us how films are made.  The new documentary, Chain Reactions, takes a different approach and shows audiences the influence of a particular film.  That film is 1974’s Grindhouse classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

   Film is subjective.  What Chain Reactions illustrates beautifuily,  is how the same film is experienced from person to person.  It’s a fasinating thesis.

   The view points featured are diverse.  It’s view points from around the world.  Each individual has a different back ground, ranging from horror to comedy.  The common thread, of course, is an appreciation for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  Each individual not only expresses her or his experience, with the film but compares the film with other works ib pop culure. These comparisons are as varied as the individuals tellong their experiences the references are tied in to their takes on the film.  It works.   

   Chain Reactions was a fascinating look, at a classic, but brutal piece of cinematic horror history. 

    Until next time I will see you at the movies!