Chain Reactions

The winner of the Best Documentary on Cinema prize at Venice revs up and rips into perhaps the greatest slasher movie ever made: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe has made a career out of his obsession with movies. From The People vs. George Lucas to MIFF hits 78/52 (MIFF 2017) and Lynch/Oz (MIFF 2022), Philippe’s films are love letters to cinema and its capacity to shape the way we see the world. In Chain Reactions, he turns his attention to Tobe Hooper’s game-changing 1974 horror The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, exploring its lasting legacy – on the genre, on the culture and on filmmaking itself. Released to commemorate the film’s 50th anniversary, Philippe’s documentary carves out space for five of its most passionate devotees – comedian Patton Oswalt, director Karyn Kusama, J-horror maestro Takashi Miike, novelist Stephen King, and beloved Melbourne film critic and renowned author Alexandra Heller-Nicholas – to expound on their enduring love for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and how Leatherface and his family of American cannibals changed their lives. Shot in an expressionistic replica of the original’s farmhouse and intercut with iconic scenes and never-before-seen outtakes, Chain Reactions offers a fascinating insight into one of cinema’s most influential genre works. “It’s a love letter to horror, art, influence, and how Tobe Hooper and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre changed cinema forever, whether you can stomach it or not.” – Collider