CHAIN REACTIONS

Documentarian and ''King of Cinephilia'' Alexandre O. Philippe returns to HIFF with CHAIN REACTIONS, an exploration of the legacy of Tobe Hooper’s classic THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. He interviews five luminaries–author Stephen King, directors Takashi Miike and Karyn Kusama, comedian and cinephile Patton Oswalt, and genre film critic/academic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas–who give their unique, and at times, disparate takes on the subject. ''To have done films about PSYCHO, ALIEN, THE EXORCIST, and then have the opportunity to do something on THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE was just really, really special,'' Philippe said. ''It’s a film I have a very strong relationship with. It’s an absolute masterpiece, both artistically and also in terms of all the things it has to say.'' (HIFF will also celebrate ''the massacre'' on its 50th anniversary with a screening of the original film in a new 4K restoration.)