Chain Reactions (film)

Chain Reactions is a 2024 American documentary film written and directed by Alexandre O. Philippe. It is about the impact the 1974 horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre had on five artists, who are Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King, and Karyn Kusama. Chain Reactions premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival in August 2024. It was given a limited theatrical release on September 19, 2025, which was followed by an expansion on September 26.

Chain Reactions
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Alexandre O. Philippe
Written by	Alexandre O. Philippe
Produced by	Kerry Deignan Roy
Starring	Patton Oswalt Takashi Miike Alexandra Heller-Nicholas Stephen King Karyn Kusama
Cinematography	Robert Muratore
Edited by	David Lawrence
Music by	Jon Hegel
Production companies	Exhibit A Pictures Exurbia Films Dark Sky Films
Distributed by	Dark Sky Films
Release dates	August 29, 2024 (2024-08-29) (Venice)[1] September 19, 2025 (2025-09-19) (United States)
Running time	102 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	English Japanese

Synopsis

The film explored the impact and legacy of the 1974 film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre through interviews with five artists, Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King, and Karyn Kusama.

Chapter One: Pat Oswald

Chapter Two: Miike Takashi

Chapter Three: Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

Chapter Four: Stephen King

Chapter Five: Karyn Kusama

Release

Chain Reactions premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on August 29, 2024.^[2][1]

It was given a limited theatrical release on September 19, 2025, which was followed by an expansion on September 26th.^[3]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 98% of 41 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Chain Reactions rewards horror fans and cinephiles alike with a thoughtful, unpretentious meditation on the cultural and artistic impact of one of cinema's most influential works."^[4]

Christian Zilko of IndieWire gave the film a B and wrote, "Exploration of our inexplicable attraction to horror is the true theme of the brilliantly titled Chain Reactions. Plenty of well-adjusted people have devoted their lives to capturing sadism, abuse, dismemberment, and sin in its many forms in cinema and literature. Using art as an outlet to purge our evil urges in a harmless manner and allow ourselves to live normal lives in polite society is an unambiguously good thing, but Philippe and his subjects are interested in figuring out why we have those urges in the first place."^[5]

Alan French of Sunshine State Cineplex gave the film a 7 out of 10 and wrote, "A love letter to an all-time classic, Chain Reactions shines as one of Philippe's most entertaining works. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remains an integral piece of American cinema. As it turns fifty, there's no doubt it's earned its place in the sun. When creators like these come to prop up a movie's importance, you listen. Chain Reactions only furthers that legacy."^[6]