If you’re a fan of the cultural zeitgeist documentaries, then the name Alexandre O. Philippe should mean something to you. Philippe has directed such projects as The People vs. George Lucas (2010), Doc of the Dead (2014), Lynch/Oz (2022), William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill (2023), and now Chain Reactions, a documentary about the cultural and personal significance of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) on five separate individuals. While some of the names aren’t immediately who you’d think of when it comes to horror (unless you know their works well and know they’re huge fans), the others make total sense and provide a lot of insight into how the film shaped them and their work. Having its east coast premiere during Boston Underground Film Festival 2025, Chain Reactions explores one of the most prolific horror movies of all time and how it inspired some of the most notable names in books, their adaptations, and Japanese horror.
A still from the documentary CHAIN REACTIONS. Photo courtesy of Dark Sky Films.
Genuinely speaking, horror isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when mentioning Patton Oswalt (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story), but having seen Oswalt live before; having heard his interviews; and knowing he was married to Michelle McNamara, author of I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, the book about the Golden State Killer; it should not be a shock that one of the most influential horror movies of all time shaped his personality and career, even though his career isn’t horror-driven. He’s sort of the odd one out from the documentary as mostly everyone else is a horror icon or literary expert. While Oswalt shares insights as to what The Texas Chain Saw Massacre did to him and the impact it left on his life, the following segment of the documentary focuses on legendary director Takashi Miike. While Oswalt focuses on what came before Massacre, Miike (as well as the other filmmakers) focuses on where he was in his life when he first saw the movie and the everlasting impact it had on his work later. Miike talks about what Massacre meant to him and how he wanted to make each of his movies, like Audition (1999) and Ichi the Killer (2001), so that it was held in the same regard as Massacre and not as just another slasher/gore picture.
Chain Reactions stands out as Philippe doesn’t spend time on behind-the-scenes moments and interviews with cast and creatives involved in the project, arguably noted trademarks of documentaries. His focus on five individuals who have all been influenced is a refreshing take and style of documentary. This is not to say that the archival footage and interviews aren’t interesting and don’t work, but for something that’s been discussed ad nauseum, this is a refreshing way of capturing the cultural significance on some of the most influential voices of today’s culture.
A still from the documentary CHAIN REACTIONS. Photo courtesy of Dark Sky Films.
While leaving some things left untold, the other voices and experts who talk about The Texas Chain Saw Massacre are scholar and author Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, director Karyn Kusama (Destroyer; Jennifer’s Body; Girlfight), and author Stephen King, who needs literally no introduction. While Kusama and King give similar insights as Miike, Heller-Nicholas gives insight similar to Oswalt about the films significance culturally and personally vs. its influence on literary and cinematic minds as well as on personal lives. Everyone’s contributions bring together new schools of thought on Tobe Hooper’s classic which forever changed the landscape of the horror genre for creatives and audiences alike. Chain Reactions is a documentary on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre that isn’t trying to uncover more information on the Hooper movie, but rather is sharing insider information on how the movie shaped and formed five brilliant voices of the 21th century.
East Coast Premiere during Boston Underground Film Festival 2025.
In select theaters September 18th, 2025.
Wider release beginning September 29th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official BUFF Chain Reactions webpage.
Final Score: 4 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
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