Let's face it. There aren't, if any, good horror classic remakes. Good horror movies are not supposed to be remade, period. However, there are some remakes that come pretty close to "good" remakes, (such as The Ring) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of them. I watched this movie alone in the dark at midnight, with my DTS surround sound speakers, and it scared the HELL out of me! This movie intends to makes you feel damp, filthy and frightening. It takes itself very seriously, no jokes. The horror is non-stop, not allowing you to take a break. The fright and the gore satisfies most horror fans. Good style, good cinematography, well-directed. Of course, this movie cannot be compared to the original, but this is a pretty damn good horror movie itself.
Add a Review
-
BearBear1232 May 2005
-
claudio_carvalho24 September 2005On August 18th, 1973, in Texas, the youths Erin (Jessica Biel), her boy-friend Kemper (Eric Balfour), their friends Andy (Mike Vogel) and Morgan (Jonathan Tucker) and the hitchhiker Pepper (Erica Leerhsen) are returning from a vacation in Mexico to a concert of the Lynnard Skynnard. Kemper is driving his van, when they see a disturbed young woman dangerously wandering on the road. They decide to help her, and the woman commits suicide inside the vehicle. They decide to look for a telephone to call the Sheriff, and they end in the house of Thomas Hewitt (Andrew Bryniarski), where their lives are threatened by the sick Leatherface and his deranged family.
I was quite reluctant to see this remake. The original "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is a classic, and as I have already written in other reviews, I do not see any reason to release remakes of movies, mainly classics. However, and although unnecessary, this remake is very good. The cast, leaded by the delicious Jessica Biel, have good and convincing performances. The cinematography is great, being very nasty in the property of Leatherface. In the end, I liked this version and I even dare to recommend it. I believe the fans, like me, of the original "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" will not be disappointed. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "O Massacre da Serra Elétrica" ("The Chainsaw Massacre") -
Leofwine_draca9 November 2016The cards were stacked against it from the start – remaking an acknowledged classic of the horror genre is definitely not a good idea, and what with this and DAWN OF THE DEAD remake, horror fans were heard to sigh and shake their heads around the globe. Yet, perhaps surprisingly, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the better remakes out there. In fact it's pretty darned good in places, concentrating on stark, graphic in-your-face horror throughout and building up a huge atmosphere full of disgust, loathing, and imminent death. The best thing about the film is how it conjures up the feeling that, out in the sticks, life is cheap - and tourists or trespassers have no hope whatsoever of coming out the other side. The plot has been changed enough from the original to seem fresh and invigorating, and begins in a splendidly horrible fashion with an in-your-face (and mouth) suicide and lots of grisly, effective shocks.
Leatherface is a deformed murderer this time around, but the sights within his lair will have any genre fan shivering with delight – this is a film where the gore (and there is extreme violence throughout) feels feels dirty and dank, a bit like HELLRAISER. The end of the film is one long chase between Leatherface and his final victim, but with a lightning pace and plenty of action it never outstays its welcome and manages to rise above the mire of boringly predictable slasher fare.
The teenage cast aim for the realistic approach and succeed, whilst Jessica Biel acquits herself well as the sexy damsel in distress. Andrew Bryniarski makes for a huge, hulking and frightening killer, but the best performance comes from an aged R. Lee Ermey as the totally ruthless, corrupt and depraved sheriff. A great and chilling performance from this actor in the twilight of his career. To put it simply, the good points outweigh the bad in this effective shocker, making it a horror flick to be reckoned with which succeeds in re-establishing the grim atmosphere of low budget '70s shockers. Best bit? Watch out for the shocking bottle-to-the-face smashing. -
cwestfa17 October 2006Not bad for a re-make of course it didn't have quite the impact of the original. It did a decent job building tension and there was a darker atmosphere to the location, made it seem more nightmarish.
Obviously the film had some advantages from a bigger budget, and R. Lee Ermey is definitely worth watching. As for the family, you had an almost twisted take on 'the dirty south', or in this case southwest, people being more bizarre caricatures, but with the darker and more atmospheric setting it works.
Interstingly, it seems to lack the social commentary of the original, but that is very common with remakes these days. Though there is extensive use of rather effective foreshadowing in numerous scenes. -
Eikonoklast29 September 2005The horror/sci-fi movie critic Richard Scheib coined the term "Backwoods Brutality" to describe the slew of low-budget movies that emerged in the 1970s which had as their main theme the violent and abrupt destruction of middle-class serenity. The concept has occasionally found expression outside of the horror genre (Straw Dogs, Deliverance), but since Wes Craven's Last House on the Left (1972), it has been a mainstay of the horror genre. Even thirty years later, the basic idea continues to be remade and re-interpreted.
In my view, the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) is the most successful exponent of the genre. As it often is in the American variations of this genre, the TCM takes the so-called blue state/red state dichotomy to a grotesque extreme: the backroads of the Deep South is another country and its inhabitants exhibit uncontained contempt for every unsuspecting wayfarer. Its use of tension, which is meticulously established in the movie's first 45 minutes, and release -- the last 45 minutes -- is almost elegant in its simplicity. Throughout, violence is used in sparing and sudden bursts until the adrenaline-fueled final act, during which it is mercilessly sustained.
With some minor qualifications, this description also fits Marcus Nispel's 2003 remake. Here the enlarged budget and technical expertise have worked both for and against the film. On the one hand, a variety of new elements have been added to the story. Some, like the mysterious little boy or the ending, are so-so, while others, like Leatherface's skin mask or the "extended family," are effective. On the other hand, the professionalism and attention to detail demonstrated by Nispel and Daniel Pearl (whose cinematography here is magnificent) on down to those responsible for filming locations and set detail, is consistently impressive.
So the basic "tension-release" framework has been lifted from the original but instead of improving on it the filmmakers have saddled it with characters, situations, drama, and violence. (We learn from the DVD extras, happily, that some "tender moments" were left on the cutting room floor.) I give it a 7 because ultimately I think it works as a horror movie on its own terms -- in fact, I don't think a better American horror movie has been made since 2000 -- and Nispel/Kosar deserve credit attempting to revise the concept in minor ways for fans of the franchise. On the balance, however, the original's low-budget guerilla-like realism as well as some of its visceral power has been compromised.
Of note, finally, is the performance of Jessica Biel. Having earned her acting chops on the Christian TV show/cheesefest, Seventh Heaven, Biel has as of late found a niche playing physically tough, but likable and intelligent characters. She's quite excellent here; as it was for the original TCM's Marilyn Burns, Biel's performance is exhilarating and intense -- a kind of endurance test. But one easily believes she has the acuity and toughness to survive the ordeal. -
ShaanChaudhry19 October 2003It is very safe to say that the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre(1974) was a cultural phenomenon for horror movies and helped change the shape of the entire genre. The movie provided all the essential elements that are vital in horror movies because when it comes down to it, these elements come from what the people want to see. We want to see the twisted things in our imaginations and nightmares come to life and what I love about TCM is it is something that could really happen to you. Sure the movie is a little cheesy now and I think Franklin was hilarious, but its the direction that counts. To me Leatherface is the greatest killer of all time, I like him better than Freddy. I love him because he is very stripped down, he's not supernatural and reacts to pain like any normal human would. He has all the essentials such as a very creepy image and psychotic behavior. Nobody can hold a candle to Leatherface.
Ok enough of that, let me get on to the review of the REAL Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I will not say anything about the story because I want everyone to see it for themselves while knowing very little about the story. It takes a lot for a movie to impress me when the anticipation level is hitting the sky because I expect so much and usually always get disappointed, this happened with Terminator 3. With the "new" TCM, it stays true to the roots that made the first one a hit, but this one BLEW me away.
Lets start with the cast. Everyone was amazing and fit in perfectly. I had doubts about Jessica Biels at first but now I see her in a brand new light. I could see no ounce of weakness in any of the characters. The moods expressed throughout the movie were flawless and very convincing. The acting plays a huge role because the better the acting, the more real the feel is, thats when you step into the shoes of the people in the movie and live it out with them. This is what makes and breaks movies and I'm proud to say the cast delivered.
The story line has been totally changed. This story is 100 times better than the original, I was very impressed. There are far more twists and turns and because the storyline has such a high thrill value, it keeps you glued to your seat. Our theater was packed and only 2 people that I know of left for bathroom breaks. I have never seen this happen before with a movie. Anyway, the storyline could not have gotten any better. One reviewer said some of the stuff in the movie was predictable, that is total BS, this movie has so many turns that you have no idea whats going to happen next.
Now onto the star of the movie, LEATHERFACE. I thought nobody could top Gunnar Hansen from the first TCM but Leatherface in the new one is the best one I have ever seen. He is bigger, scarier, meaner, and crazier than ever. He is the main focus as far as enemies go and I think its great, this pretty much paid tribute to him and it shows everyone that he is the guy to be reckoned with. The moment he did the first kill I knew this movie was ON and had a feeling it would top any slasher movie ever made.
In closing let me say that when this movie ended, A LOT of people started clapping and cheering. I saw no disappointed faces leaving that theater and this was the first movie ever in which my high anticipation was exceeded, let alone met. I don't care what ANYONE says, the original, while still a classic and will always be in our hearts, can't even come close to this one. Storyline, imagery, jump scenes, kills, twists etc.., this movie has it ALL and leaves a lasting impression strong enough to make you want to go pay $7.50 all over again and again and again until you get sick of it. Michael Bay, a lot of people doubted you when you signed on to this but I always defended you and let me say, I know you have shut all those people up. Job well done! -
PaulLondon25 April 2004TCM is an adequate horror film in its own right but will play better if you have not seen the original. The makers of the 2003 remake have stripped the original of its dusty, dirty intensity and its blacker than black humour and replaced them with a few Hollywood conventions so as not to challenge the audience too much. The problem is that 30 years later the remake is just so much more conventional than the visceral original. The directors do copy some of the original shots but see fit not to try to copy the nasty humour that made the original stand up to repeated viewings. Remember the scene in the original where Sally wakes up, tied to a chair, surrounded by the nightmare freakshow of a family and screams her very soul out whilst the camera zooms into extreme close up of her tear filled eyes as her tormentors laugh and taunt her? One of the great moments of 70's shock cinema. Well, here, its a lukewarm rehash where she comes to on the floor with all the horror of waking up with a bit of a hangover. Other pointless changes include trying to normalise some of the originals quirkier moments; originally they wanted to find out if their granparents bodies had been dug up by graverobbers; in the remake, they are on their way to see Lynyrd Skynard. And what happened to wheelchair bound Franklin? Here the nearest thing to a disability is that one of the characters wears glasses. And whats the deal with water? The house in the remake should have floated away the amount of leaky pipes it has. OK its not a BAD film despite using all the old tricks but it seems to me that if you want to see a great film you may as well watch the original and see some really good film-making
-
ontheis6 November 2020For a slasher horror movie, it has everything - group of friends, iconic killer, interesting kills, creepy atmosphere and jump scares. Plus, there is a great cinematography, acting is good, and it doesn't look cheap. I think it's very underrated, people are expecting Oscar worthy movie for a slasher. It isn't and it isn't trying to be. Along with Wrong turn, Jeepers Creepers, it's a classic slasher horror movie of the early 2000s. I remember watching these and many other horrors in the early 2000s with friends, renting dvd movies all summer and watching together... it was so much fun. Unlike movies today (neither better nor worse), that recognizable vibe of the movies 15-20 years ago is lost, but not forgotten.
-
magx0117 October 2003This movie is meant to be brutal, dirty, disgusting, awe inspiring, and terrifying. It succeeds on being each and evry one. The movie, once it "picks up" is unrelenting, suspensful, and leaves you with an uneasy feeling. There is such a stong sense of hopelesness throughout the second half, such negative emotions are elicited without so much as a second of comic relief. Yes, there is some comedy, but its all in the first third or so of the movie. The movie drags for a bit at the beginning, but once it all begins, its some scary s**t. I am an avid horror movie fan, I watch everything that comes out. Nothing has really scraed me, at least not in years. This movie scared the crap out of me. I actually wanted to turn away at one point. I wanted to run, I had second thoughts, kind of like being on a rollercoaster for the first time. I left the theater with an uneasy feeling. I couldn't stop laughing nervously, I guess I was trying to cope with what I had seen. My girlfriend was absolutely terrified. Two girls behind us were literally crying becuase they were so terrified. All around us people were screaming, jumping, squirming. After the movie, everyone was saying "that was the scariest movie I have ever seen" and "that was nuts." I couldn't agree more. This movie really, actually, truly scared me. It was just so brutal. I felt terrified for the victims; I felt afraid of the villian (Leatherface was awesome). I loved this movie. It obvioulsy has flaws. The beginning was slow, there were like thirty "jump scares," people walked around exploring stuff alone, etc etc. But this movie, if judged based on how much it did what it intended to do, gets a 10 out of 10. Easy. I thought this remake was going to be easy to stomach, I figured it was going to be "hollywoodized." I was dead wrong. This movie was insane, period.
-
cheapdate29 October 2003SPOILERS (not many)
Good news: The 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has a chainsaw massacre, and yes, it is in Texas.
Bad news: It's boring.
Gore belongs in horror movies! But excessive gore? That is harder to pull off. Comically camp horrors such as, say, Braindead, The Evil Dead series, and the three TCM sequels get away with gore because theirs is so excessive as to be absurd. But for a serious horror, gore has to serve its story, not the other way round. Used excessively, played too fast and too loose, gore is exhibitionist, immature, and downright boring.
The story of TCM the Original (1974) is simple and straightforward: some dumb kids pick up a loony hitchhiker, visit his loony home, meet his loony family, and wind up at their loony dinner table--some of them as dinner. The violence of the story is mostly implied, occurring off-screen. There is no gore. Had there been gore, TCMtO would have been little more than a snuff film, its audience a passive witness. But horror thrives on an active, not a passive, imagination. By tickling our worst imaginations, the lack of gore only reinforces the horror of the film.
The problem with TCM the Remake is not that it is gory (and it is--far moreso than the original, if not the sequels), but that its gore does not serve the story, instead only underscoring its weaknesses, namely a meandering, cruelly confusing plot with characters and scenes that are at once too many and too similar. While the original is admittedly episodic, the remake is all over the place, rushing from scene to repetitive scene, bouncing from character to competing character.
Just try to digest this indigestible plot: A group of kids are rude to each other on a road trip; then they are rude to a girl they pick up from the side of the road. Moseying on over to a derelict barbecue joint, they are rude to a little old lady. Then it's off to a derelict mill/junkyard/installation art gallery-cum-sculpture garden to be rude to the banjo kid from Deliverance! They split up, rudely, and one group ends up at the derelict Family House (which, with its plantation architecture, is creepier than the original's), where they are rude to a little old man. After several more scene hops and some judicious dispatching of the cast courtesy our old pal Leatherface (who at 260-odd pounds should cut down on his red meats; I don't know how he keeps up with those kids), a lone survivor escapes into the woods to a derelict trailer, is restored to the derelict Family House, escapes again to a derelict shack, hides in a derelict (or at any rate USDA unapproved) slaughterhouse, and finally ends up back at the derelict barbecue joint. All this, while the white trash Family (here inexplicably surnamed Hewitt) behave very rudely to her indeed.
Meanwhile there are subplots afoot!--baby snatching, incest, genetic disease, police conspiracy. The only thing that's missing is the Illuminati. Oh, yeah, and the cannibalism. YES: IN THIS REMAKE OF TCM, THERE IS NO CANNIBALISM. (It's still implied, what with the meat hooks and the slaughterhouse (a nice touch, that, but unfortunately it just meshes together with the other innumerable hide-and-go-seek scenes), but without the original's critical barbecue pit and dinner table scenes the nastiest bit of the horror is lost.)
Confused yet? Bored, even?
I sure was. For as many changes of scenery as TCMtR has, all of them look the same. I understand how that might be intentional--that's part of the horror, right? that there's no escape?--but how many near-identical shots of Jessica Biel running and hiding and shivering and sucking in her breath in terror are necessary to tell the story?
Some of the plot is left unsatisfactorily unexplained, and even more is just plum illogical. For instance, immediately before pulling a gun from--of all places--her bloodied crotch and blowing her brains out in the van, the girl-from-the-roadside tells the kids they're all gonna die. This is what a plucky survivor does when she at long last has a shot to escape her tormentors? Okay, then why not do it earlier, or why not stop the van and do it outside, so she doesn't endanger the kids' lives? Yeah, I know she's supposed to be suffering a breakdown, but her prediction would not have come true had she, herself, not set up the domino effect that made it happen.
The rest of TCMtR is pure Hollywood contrivance. There is the requisite musical score overkill and the squelchy sound effects (remember the creepy, constant drill of the generator from the original? that was rad). There is the snappish MTV editing and direction (compare to the amateurish documentary look and feel of the original). There is the government anti-drug/anti-sex message, and good grief, it is set to "Sweet Home Alabama"!! There is also Jessica Biel in a cowboy hat. Jessica Biel in a wet tee-shirt. Jessica Biel with her head cradled in R. Lee Ermey's naked crotch. (Sheriff Ermey gets to play the best character, a Real Texan who yells and swears and scares the bejesus out of those of us terrified of the South and her reputation for vigilante 'justice' and lynching parties.)
Altogether TCMtR comes across as a well-above-average made-for-HBO movie--it's not bad, really, and often it's entertaining; ultimately, though, it sucks on account of sacrificing story to gore. After two solid hours of nonstop jump scenes and bloody murder, of heaping on the bodies and the body parts and the body fluids, we simply acclimate to the violence. The audience become passive witnesses, and the movie becomes predictable, unscary, and boring.
Also there's no cannibalism. AND DID I MENTION THERE'S NO CANNIBALISM?! -
barrymurphy2316 October 2006Horrors have a bad reputation for poor sequels and bad remakes, which is why when people heard there was a remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the general thought was that they would be butchering the classic(excuse the pun).
However this is a terrifying, shocking, emotional thrill of a movie. It may not be up to the standards of the 1970s version, but to be fair, nothing is. The acting is quite well done. The film takes advantage of the time its being made in and the budget, with this version having much better production values, its much more gory but not at the cost of story telling.
The realism is superb and the movie is, at times, as sad as it is scary due to the emotional torture of the characters, i'm sure many people will say its not as good as the original but it could have been a lot worse -
ma-cortes6 November 2007An idyllic journey in southern Texas driving a van by a group of young people(Jessica Biel,Eric Balfour,Jonathan Tucker,Mike Vogel,Erica Leerhsen) becomes a nightmare when they pick up a young girl. A disgrace is committed and they are looking for the sheriff(R. Lee Ermey). Later, they wind up in the nightmare clutches of a homicidal family who kill and eat passing travellers; finally are pursued by maniac Leatherface wielding a chainsaw.
This film contains images of graphic violence and may not be suitable for all audiences. Viewer discretion is advised. The movie packs grisly horror, tension, mayhem, horrible gore and lots of blood and guts. The creepy screenplay by Tobe Hooper-also author of original script- and lavish production by the great Joel Silver along with Hooper. The motion picture is well directed by Marcus Nispel.
The film is based on real events about the secluded farmhouse of Plainfield (Wisconsin)handyman Ed Gein,( Leatherface character) who admitted today he disembowelled and butchered the body of old widow, authorities found the decapitated boy hanging in Gein's woodshed, gutted out and strung up by the heels. Investigators have also discovered the head and face of 54 years old woman. Portions of the bodies of ten or more people had also been found among the body parts, human skulls, furniture made of human skill, box full of noses, skin from a human head, a belt made of female nipples, one small skull believed to be that of a six-year-old child. Authorities suspected cannibalism. The Ed Gein grisly killings made horrendously startling to people. The Geins lived a fairly good distance away from Plainfield little town. When we look at Gein's life , we just have this sense of incredible isolation from any human contact, except with his crazy mother. He grew up in a household with an alcoholic and abusive father and a mother who was very domineering. She was a fanatic and did not let Ed or his brother to have much to do with the outside world, because there were sinners out there.The mother denied them any meaningful relationship with the outside world and particularly with women . So Gein grew up with this very powerful ambivalence towards his mother and he developed this resentment and hatred . Gein was looked at as the nerdy kid that his contemporaries would poke fun at, which also tended to confirm for him a lot of his mother's paranoia. Gein's house really was a symbolic representation of what was going on his head. He kept many dentures and human bodies around.Firsly, he started robbing graves. Gein said that he had begun to do this a few years after his mother's death. He almost seemed to take a glee in creating novel artifacts out dead bodies, and various human handiwork .He would make bells made out of nipples and used human shinbones to prop up a coffee table, plus took the tops of skulls and inverted them and used them four soup bowls and upholstered a chair in human skin. Like the film, he cut the faces of corpses and used them as masks and flayed the top of the torso of one of his victims and also created some leggings. After he began to sew together these parts of skin from various corpses, events correctly reflected on this creepy movie. -
Drayth29 October 2003You have to understand, I went into this with high hopes as it was recommended to me by people who I thought had good taste in these types of movies. Then again some of them liked Underworld, and well now I know better...
***MAJOR MAJOR SPOILERS!!! SKIP MY ENTIRE REVIEW IF YOU ARE SET ON SEEING THIS MOVIE!!****** . . . .
The plot has been covered by many on here already so I'm only going to gloss over it to bring you to the points of the film where I could only shake my head in disbelieve over just how bad this flick is. First off we start with a psuedo archived evidence film of some cops going through the house that the movie takes place in, obviously this is after the whole main part of the movie has ocured. Here we are tricked by the narrator into thinking that no one in this movie is going to survive. So far off to a good start.
Next the actual movie kicks in with the 5 kids in the van. Jesica Biel quickly asserts herself of being the tough, but prudeish stereotypical character one can find in the worst horror films of the past, the bad Nightmare on Elm Street movies (as in not the first or third one) or Jason movies. She's tough, she has values that clash with everyone else in the van and she's not going to let anyone get away with anything that might save their lives later on ("Lets dump the body." "No she has a family who misses her.")
They pick up a tattered hitch hiker who is obviously been through some sort of ordeal. Once in the van and on the road she begins to shout that they are going the wrong way and that they should turn around because 'SHE'S NOT GOING BACK THERE!' then she eats a bullet from a gun she had hiding somewhere I don't even want to try and guess at. After what I felt was a poorly done yet trendy POV shot through her open skull what does our terrified group of teenagers do? Head back to the last gas-station, eatery or whatever last stop they had hit before picking her up?? NO! Of course not, no one even suggests that, no they keep going in the same direction the girl warned them about (yet I believe it's the same direction she was walking in when they picked her up, wtf??)
Then there's the wierd encounter at the shop where the sheriff tells them to meet him at some random location in 30 minutes after they had reported her suicide. Time to go find a better piece of civilization? Nope. Sure they pad the audience by arguing amongst themselves about why a cop would do such a thing, but like the brainless dorks that are needed to make this movie work they continue on to the meeting place anyways.
They get to the meeting spot and the sheriff is not there, and although it's super creepy, they stick around anyways.
Eventually they get to the house with the psycho-family and the killing starts. People begin dropping pretty fast and there's some good tense moments near the beginning of all of this, but it's nothing new or fresh. You can guess who's going to get killed next. "No only she can come in and use the phone..." (10 minutes later) "Honey?? Where did you go??"... (search, search, dead). It's in the lackluster camera work and stereo-typical music. Nothing feels new or terribly creative about this film. I do have to say the cinematography is nice, in that 'they had alot of money to through into the computer filtering process' way. It worked on some levels but it failed in presenting the bleak, hot, scorched earth like surroundings I was hoping to see. Something that would have helped this movie out. I felt the surroundings where not nearly as erie as they could have been.
Fast forward to the end of the movie and let me get to some of my favorite parts.
* Did anwyone else immediatly realise Morgan was kidding the second he stuck his arm in the car?
* The dude from Heavy Metal Jacket actualy says at one point "Get up you Maggot!" LOL!! It's just like Mail Call!
* Beil puts a long over due 'WTF IS HE STILL DOING ALIVE??' character mercifully to rest by... wait scratch the mercy part.... BY STABBING HIM IN THE STOMACH WITH A HUGE KNIFE!!?!!?!! WHAT?!? For god sakes, the guy was missing a leg, how about cutting his make shift dressings and let him bleed to death? Slit his neck?? CUT A MAJOR ARTERY IN HIS LEG??? ANYTHING BUT INFLICTING ONE OF THE SLOWEST MOST PAINFUL WOUNDS TO HIS ALREADY MISERABLE SITUATION!?!??? I don't think she likes men.
* This one I still can't believe happened. Leatherface DROPS HIS RUNNING CHAINSAW TO THE GROUND while wrestling another character, Beil who's standing right next to them both and completely free to manuever..... well she beats on Leatherface's back and tells him to "STOP!", meanwhile the chainsaw is within easy reach. She could have AT LEAST kicked it away from him and saved... wait, it's another guy character, that explains it.
* This waif of a girl chops off Leatherface's arm with a butcher knife in about 5 - 10 seconds. Right through the bone, and his arm which is about a foot thick.
* She saves the baby... of course! The second the baby entered the movie, I saw the expected Hollywood (and safe for test audiances) ending beginning to brew. . . .
See the original, or House of a 1000 Corpses for some decent horror in this genre. Not this high budget, no creativity, poorly written movie. -
tindfoting12 March 2022Say what you wull about Michael Bay. But wheb he wants a horror, it's going to be big, noisy and nasty. R. Lee Ermey is the films MOTM, bringing so much nastiness as the sheriff. It's easily my fav TCM, since the original had so much screaming I actually got a headache. This.... is perfectly executed, with a menacing score, a house you remember, a "last girl" in Jessica Biel who is likable AND can act. And Face himself is scary. And I havent mentioned his dysfunctional family, who all looks and acts like loonies. One of the few remakes that delivers. And the trailer is so good.
-
Superunknovvn13 February 2004Unlike many horror fans I never cared much for the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", so I wasn't exactly excited about it being remade with "Seventh Heaven"-star Jessica Biel. Anyway, a friend called one night and we decided to go and watch a horror flick at the theatrs - and they happened to show the remake of "TCM". Little did we know what we were in for.
This movie is a torture and I mean that in a positive way. This is horror in its purest form. No jokes, no sex and almost no story at all. Just a killing spree. Whereas the deaths in the "Final Destination"-movies were so over the top that they were funny, TCM's only intention is to freak you out. I would never have thought that a straight forward slasher-flick can be so effective. The Friday The 13th and Halloween franchises, as much as I love them, were always more funny than scary. The sound of Leatherface's chainsaw as he hunts his victims down relentlessly (and somewhat clumsily), however, is really nerve-racking. As a reviewer at bloody-disgusting.com said so appropriately, in the final 30 minutes this movie is like someone tickling you to death. You just wish it would stop already, because you don't think you can take any more. (I read something else at bloody-disgusting, which I find pretty hard to believe: Michael Bay, producer of this ultra-violent, flick sits on the Committee of Directors Against Violence... You're doing a good job, Michael!)
Anyway, of course this movie has its bad sides, too. SPOILERS: I reckon, if someone cuts your leg off and puts you on a meat hook you either can't stop screaming or you faint immediately before you DIE! Why wouldn't this guy scream or faint or die? Also, the movie had too much plot at the end. What was the stolen baby good for? And why was this one member of the family, the kid, so helpful? Didn't make sense to me. END OF SPOILERS.
In the end Marcus Nispel managed to make a movie superior to the original, much like Gore Verbinski's "The Ring", but not quite as good. New Line, I salute you for giving us so many kick-ass horror movies, full of violence and gore, lately. -
Realy brilliant with awesome acting and beautiful script. After watching the Texas chainsaw massacre 2 and 3 and the next generation this is what i need to keep me going.
SPOILERS The girl was really smart and her acts was not idiotic like the previous movies. And my god, this is what a leather face should realy look like.
100% recommended. -
grantss30 August 2021Reasonable attempt to redo the 1974 original. Starts well enough, building the tension, but degenerates into standard slasher-horror fare. Ultimately doesn't have the rawness and edginess of the original.
Worth watching just for Jessica Biel. -
timaenot5 February 2012I am a hardened spectator; that means, I have only seen a couple films in my whole life which I considered scary. I like horror films but usually get disappointed with them, as 99% of them do not frighten me in any way. This one did. It is an extremely consistent and successful effort to create a sense of horror which is, in the end, the ultimate means of the genre. It is not even about the plot; it is about the director's possibility to create an atmosphere of hopelessness which penetrates the film from the beginning on. The tension is built in a masterful manner, cinematic means like light, soundtrack and camera shots highlight the events in the most fitting way, the pace is just right, all elements contribute to a consistently thrilling and gruesome outcome. This film seems very modern in its effects and camera style but somehow retro in its imagery which is a successful tribute to the original version of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". A seldom example of a good remake.
-
panagiotis19936 May 2023Live Reaction / Review for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003): So this is a remake, I hope it's good but its probably impossible to be better than the original. This group of young people seems interesting enough. That girl shot herself, what's going on? I don't remember a little boy in the original. If they were talking with the sheriff on the phone then the other guy dressed as a sheriff, who is he? Damn he destroyed Kemper, that's sad, he seemed like a nice guy. First half of the movie is decent but not great, my rating is 6.5 so far. Let's see if it gets better or worse. Damn, he cut off this guy's leg, intense. The scene with the nails breaking was disturbing. He put salt on his wound? Disturbing. That ''sheriff'' is an absolute psycho. Bruh.. he is wearing Kemper's face, wtf. The movie has suspense, thrills, decent performances, disturbing scenes and overall it's a good movie but not great. Its a solid 7/10 for me.
-
thaluud22 October 2003The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre was a great film. On a miniscule budget, Tobe Hooper managed to create a classic horror movie, who's title is known worldwide. This remake is nothing like the original. If anything, it's LESS gory, and not scary at all. The thing that makes the original scary is the sheer insanity of all the killing, and all the other things that happen to the main character (the dinner scene, for example...watching it still makes me want to cover my eyes). All the "horror" of the new version is from the old "surprise!...something jumps out of hiding and makes a loud sound" trick. By the end of the movie (which is about 30 min. longer than the original), I'd seen the "surprise!" trick so many times that I didn't even blink at it anymore.
***MINOR SPOILER ALERT*** * * * One last complaint about this remake (and it's a BIG one). Leatherface takes off his mask. In fact, other members of his family try to make the victims pity him by explaining that he was disfigured by a childhood disease. The point of the mask, according to Tobe Hooper was that Leatherface didn't have a personality or background of any sort. It's scarier that way. ***END SPOILER***
Final Verdict: Every time somebody buys a ticket for this movie, God kills a baby dolphin. It's that bad. -
lafalot1022 December 2003(SPOILER WARNING) It has been 30 years since the nation was shocked by the extreme carnage of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Now, 30 years later and numerous horrible attempts to re-create it, we are presented with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2003. It takes so much effort to create a remake that has the same shock value or scare tactics as the originals. This is an example that had that success. Although it was different, it had its moments that everyone actually thought as if it were the original. It is a hip and scary film with a new twist to the teen horror genre. And as for recent horror films such as, Cabin Fever, Freddy vs. Jason, Wrong Turn, and Cold Creek Manor; they add virtually nothing new to the genre. This has the effect that had the theater screaming and talking about for weeks after. Five estranged, hormone driven teens are on a road trip to Dallas, Texas for a Lynard Skinnard concert. On the way they made a quick stop at the neighboring Mexico to buy a load of marijuana. On their way, they pick up a stunned and extremely traumatized hitchhiker. Disturbing comments and a graphic suicide lead to the gritty violent content and gore that we are faced with. Scenes of graphic torture involve a guy getting his knee sawed off and being hung on a meat hook through the back. Adding to the torturing, it leads to rock salt being placed on the wound and where the knee once was. The acting is surprisingly fresh and you become involved with the characters and find them greatly unfortunate instead of the way the victims usually die. Most of time the characters are so dumb that you just want them to die. In this movie, it is a different story. In the final clips of the film, it shows `actual footage' of the real mass murderer most commonly known as `Leatherface.' It gives a Blair Witch-ian style to it. Disturbing and immensely scary, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who is sensitive to gore and/or who scares easily. I found myself glued to the screen, not being able to take my eyes away for one moment. This is definitely one of the top horror movies I have ever seen and it brings a brand new meaning to the words scary and disturbingly violent. The killings are so realistic and the gore as well. I would recommend this movie for any horror fan and anybody that enjoys a good scare. 10/10
-
classicsoncall24 April 2005OK, so you thought this was a horror flick. Here for your consideration are the top ten reasons why "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is a highly underrated educational film:
1. Don't pick up hitchhikers for any reason, especially if they're going to kill themselves in your back seat.
2. When you come across a strange house and you see body parts hanging from the ceiling, it's time to go.
3. When you're ready to shoot a schizoid redneck sheriff, be sure the gun is loaded.
4. Don't accept tea from strangers.
5. When the man with the big chainsaw comes after you, JUST RUN AWAY!
6. If you're covered in blood and screaming hysterically, chances are you won't succeed as a hitchhiker.
7. Bathtubs can hold a lot of blood.
8. A plain old meat cleaver makes a perfectly good weapon and an acceptable choice for self defense.
9. It's OK to cheer for the maniac who runs over the local redneck sheriff.
10. If you have any fingernails left by the end of this film, find a good manicurist. -
Shintaro_Rocks22 November 2003*POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
For all you kiddies out there, here is the movie that will make you pee in your little britches. Teens should love this movie: after all it has a big breasted Jessica Biel to ogle over; it has a slick and polished music video look that the TRL lovers will go for; it has young love and lust, including a fledgling marriage and a never-to-be used engagement ring, shown in a tragic scene that's sure to make the teenage girlies whine in unison; and of course it has enough digitized chainsaw sound effects to make the teens jump in their seats and cover their eyes.
The sad thing about this remake, is that it has spawned a generation full of people who think this is what a horror movie should be. And yet another sad fact, is that some teenagers believe this movie contains real footage, and there's still a leatherface running around out there in Texas somewhere. I bet high school hallways are ripe with ditzy comments on leatherface's whereabouts. And yet sadder still, most teens probably believe this remake is better than the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
After all of this I probably come off sounding like an old curmudgeon, but if you've ever been on the TCM remake message board, you'd get the same impression as I.
Don't get me wrong; the teenagers will eat this movie up. It was after all, made for the teen market. But any TRUE fan of the original TCM will be very disappointed in this unintelligent, hollywoodized remake.
So if you're a teen, out looking for a decent horror movie to see, I suggest you see this remake, you have license to see it. But if you're a mature movie viewer, especially a horror fan, and you go see this movie and end up liking this god-awful remake; you should be ashamed of yourself. -
SnoopyStyle26 May 2015It's 1973 Texas. Erin (Jessica Biel), her boyfriend Kemper (Eric Balfour), friends Morgan (Jonathan Tucker) and Andy (Mike Vogel) are returning from Mexico along with Pepper (Erica Leerhsen) on their way to a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert. They pick up a distress girl (Lauren German) walking on the side of the road. She shoots herself. The group goes looking for help from the sheriff. Instead, they find strange inbred locals, duplicitous Sheriff Hoyt (R. Lee Ermey) and Leatherface.
This is a flashy gory remake of the 1974 horror classic. The critical panning that it took was justified for people who never liked the nihilism of this horror sub-genre anyways. Is it too much blood? For some, there can never be enough. There's no doubt that this is a good slick production. Jessica Biel is not usually a good actress. In this, she doesn't need to be. She just has to have that hot beautiful body. The young people get killed in grotesque fashion. There is that creepy rundown house. I don't mind people hating it on principles. To me, the movie does what it's intended to do.