RIP Marilyn Burns (Sally Hardesty): May 7th, 1949 - August 5th, 2014

Some sad news hit the horror community last week. I was pretty shocked when I heard the news, and have wanted to wait until I could really take the time to sort my thoughts and speak my piece regarding the matter.

Marilyn Burns is oft overlooked in favor of Jamie Lee Curtis when the term Scream Queen is brought up in conversation amongst horror fans and non-fans alike. She was the original surviving lady, the original scream queen and she helped stoked the fire that would eventually become the raging love of horror that I have today.

Her passing is untimely (she was 65 years old), and it's made even sadder by the fact that we are now celebrating the 40^th anniversary of the film that gave her the greatest role that she would ever play, that of Sally Hardesty in Tobe Hooper's seminal The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. She helped create one of the greatest horror archetype's, that of the strong woman who defies the odds and bests the maniac on their trail. Marilyn endured the summer heat, the dangers of the chainsaw and endless bruises, scrapes and injuries that went along with the filming of TCM. Even the fake blood used was a painful endeavor to remove once the cameras stopped rolling.

While the film ended up hurting her career in terms of mainstream success, she starred and co-starred in several other films throughout the years, including Eaten Alive, Kiss Daddy Goodbye, Texas Chainsaw 3D and The Butcher Boys. She also took on the role of Linda Kasabian, real life member of the Manson family, in the 1976 television mini-series Helter Skelter.

While she focused on stage acting in the later years of her life, horror fans the world over would still flock to appearances she made at various horror conventions in order to snap a picture with the iconic scream queen herself.

While it's very sad that we had to lose Marilyn at such a young age, it is important that we take the time to celebrate her life and the monumental impact that she had on the genre that we all love so much. If it weren't for people like her, the horror landscape would be a very different beast than what we have today.

RIP Marilyn Burns, May 7^th, 1949 – August 5^th, 2014

The Beautifully Restored TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE Gets It's Release Date!

To celebrate the 40 year anniversary of the one of the most iconic horror films of all time, Dark Sky Films and NOLO Engineering spent a grueling 5 months (of 40 hour work weeks) to completely restore Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. 

While most people will wax philosophical about Halloween being the god father of slasher films, I will stand firmly in my beliefs that that title was claimed four years earlier (although if you want to get technical, 1960's Peeping Tom was the first slasher film). It's a magical film that was created under disgustingly painful circumstances that you can literally feel when you're watching it. It was and always will be one of my favorite horror films and the opportunity to see it on the big screen is one that I am honored to get. I mean, this is coming from the guy that sleeps beneath a framed TCM poster. As a native Texan, it's how I show pride for my home state.

SO, before I get emotional and ramble on for another eight paragraphs, today Dark Sky Films announced the theatrical release date for the restored film: June 20th! 

It's safe to say that the film will also see a blu-ray release, most like special edition, as well, but that date has yet to be released. You can read more about the exhaustive efforts to restore this film here and here, I've been covering it pretty heavily. 

So will you be going out to your local theater to partake in the depravity? Heaven knows I will. I almost want to see if it will be playing at a drive-in in the LA area. Now that would make it a perfect experience, no?