Chain Reactions
United States, 2024: 103 minutes: Canadian Premieredescription
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.
Exploring how THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE shaped five great artists – Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King, and Karyn Kusama – the documentary focuses on how the film played a critical role in their 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, and 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.
OFFICIAL SELECTION
Venice Film Festival 2024
BFI London Film Festival 2024
FantasticFest 2024
Beyond Fest 2024
Telluride Film Festival 2024
Sitges Film Festival 2024
DIRECTOR'S BIO
Alexandre O. Philippe is a Swiss film director and multi-CUFF alumni whose films include the documentaries LYNCH/OZ (CUFF.Docs 2022), DOC OF THE DEAD, THE PEOPLE VS. GEORGE LUCAS (CUFF 2011), and 78/52 (Winner of the CUFF 2017 Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature). Philippe holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and is currently the Creative Director and co-owner of Denver-based Cinema Vertige. His most recent commissioned work for the City of Denver garnered four Heartland Emmy Awards.
CJSW Curated Playlist
press for Chain Reactions
"Exploration of our inexplicable attraction to horror is the true theme of the brilliantly titled CHAIN REACTIONS."- IndieWire
"As a meditation on the power of the cinematic art form, the documentary succeeds as a valuable cultural examination."- Next Best Picture
details
Horror / Documentary
English | English Subtitles103 minutes
credits
Director
Alexandre O. Philippe
Executive Producers
Badie Ali
Hamza Ali
Pat Cassidy
Ian Henkel
Kim Henkel
Greg Newman
Producer
Kerry Deignan Roy
Screenwriter
Alexandre O. Philippe
Cinematographer
Robert Muratore
Cast
Patton Oswalt
Takashi Miike
Stephen King
Karyn Kusama
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
Music
Jon Hegel
community
awards
Winner, Venezia Classici Award Best Documentary on Cinema, Venice Film Festival 2024