Watch Nicolas Winding Refn Introduce 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'

Nicolas Winding Refn, director of films such as Drive and Valhalla Rising, is a big horror fan. In fact, to hear him tell it, a horror film is responsible for his desire to make movies in the first place. At Cannes this year, Refn introduced a screening of the 4k restoration of Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre as part of the the Directors' Fortnight program.Refn's long intro to the movie is an enthusiastic expression of love for the film, and has plenty of humor. After Tobe Hooper is introduced he mentions "my dear friend Nicolas," to which Refn quips "we just met." But Refn's estimation that The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a masterpiece is spot-on, however. There's no other horror film like it. Watch the intro below.

Refn's key quote may be this:

The curse of the film is that it's a masterpiece... When you make a film that goes beyond filmmaking, it's no longer just a movie... Seeing a movie that goes from being a movie to an art form, and we are in the mecca of art forms of cinema. I wanted to really give the Palme d'Or to Tobe Hooper, because he should've gotten it 40 years ago. I want him to know that he has made one of the greatest art achievements, not films, but art achievements in the modern century. So I think that when he comes on stage we can give him an emotional Palme d'Or.

Thanks to Colin Geddes, programmer of the Midnight Madness program at TIFF, for shooting this video.