The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
***Beware Of Major Spoilers Throughout The Entire Review*** - To start off, I will say that this is one of my favorite movies of all time. I enjoyed the ability that this movie had to throw at you scares, tension, and intensity, that I saw it three times! Yes, I saw The Texas Chainsaw Massacre three times, and I'm not ashamed at all. Not at all.
Based loosely on true events (the crimes of Ed Gein), "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" begins with five young teens traveling across rural Texas to a Lynnrd Skynnrd concert. In this group of teenagers we have the good girl, Erin (Jessica Biel). The slutty hitchhiker whose character you can't help but like, Pepper (Erica Leerhsen). The cool guy, Andy (Mike Vogel). The jokester guy, Morgan (Jonathan Tucker). And the take charge guy who is the leader of the gang, Kemper (Eric Balfour). The group of five teens are having a good time, when they almost hit a disturbed girl (Lauren German) walking down the road. The get out to offer her a ride, and see that she is in a state of shock. They take her into their van and she begins mumbling about a "bad man" and telling them that they are all going to die. Then, the hitchiker begins to go crazy, puts a gun to her mouth, and pulls the trigger. Sick and puzzled, the teens drive to the nearest hillbilly town, and plan to meet a sheriff at a local mill. After arriving at the mill, there is no sign of a sheriff, and guided by a neglected child of the psychopathic family, Jedidiah (David Dorfman), they wander into the clutches of Leatherface at his rundown farmhouse.
Director Marcus Nispel focuses more on keeping this film glossy and updated with more shadows and darkness, unlike the original "Chainsaw", which had a bright and scratchy, documentary style look to it. To tell you the truth, I disliked the original "Chainsaw" because of it's terrible acting and I found it a bit boring, but I will give it some credit because it's such a classic cult film. There are several neat shots in the new "Chainsaw", especially the one where the camera pans through the person's head and out the back window of the van after that person has shot themself in the head. I also loved the black and white police evidence footage that opened and closed the film, which I think brought it a feeling of realism. Producer Michael Bay (Pearl Harbor), didn't seem to me to have any experience in the horror genre, but pulls it off well. The filmmakers must have been aiming for a more realism in this horror film, unlike many we see today, and I will say they were dead right.
The acting here is wonderful, with good performances by Leerhsen, Tucker, Vogel, and Balfour, whom are given little character background to work with, but they manage it perfectly. Biel was great as the last survivor, which you will know before even seeing the movie. On rule in horror movies is that the hottest girl in the movie will always live. R. Lee Ermey is pretty crazy as he pulls of his character of the insane, motor mouthed sheriff with a lot of intensity. He also has a couple of funny lines that will most likely make you laugh. I also enjoyed the narration during the police footage that ended and opened the movie, done by John Larroquette, narrator of the original "Chainsaw". The acting and narration in this movie is very good.
The new and improved Leatherface (Andrew Bryniarski) is very scary, if not as scary as the original Leatherface was. Man, if you actually had this guy chasing you with a chainsaw, you'd be peeing your pants. His mask made of the human flesh is grotesque and disgusting, but has some modifications from the original mask. Through the last half hour of the movie, you'll be rooting for Jessica Biel as she gets chased all over by Leatherface, as Marilyn Burns did in the original film.
Surprisingly, this movie had a lot more gore than the first film. Most of the deaths in this movie were done with the power tool you would have expected, the chainsaw. Andy's death was probably the most upsetting, and you will see why after watching this movie. Kemper's death was quick and jolting. Morgan's death was pretty vicious. But, Pepper's death was my favorite one, because of it's intensity and drama. The feathers that floated all over from Pepper's jacket that got tore open by the saw added some intensity, and made it all the more dramatic. Right after her death, you'll be a bit disturbed after you see what, or should I say 'who' Leatherface is wearing for a mask. That moment sort of set the ending of that sequence with a bit of a jolt. I won't tell you what he is wearing, because it will ruin it for you. See it for yourself, and it should freak you out a bit.
To end this review, I want to say that this is a very good horror movie, one of the best I've seen. It has it all- intensity, gore, drama, scares, spills, and thrills! What more could you want to make a great movie??? This movie will be enjoyed by fans of the series, and fans of horror movies alike! I give The Texas Chainsaw Massacre a 10/10! And also remember, this movie sends out a strong message: never pick up hitchhikers!
***Beware Of Major Spoilers Throughout The Entire Review*** - To start off, I will say that this is one of my favorite movies of all time. I enjoyed the ability that this movie had to throw at you scares, tension, and intensity, that I saw it three times! Yes, I saw The Texas Chainsaw Massacre three times, and I'm not ashamed at all. Not at all.
Based loosely on true events (the crimes of Ed Gein), "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" begins with five young teens traveling across rural Texas to a Lynnrd Skynnrd concert. In this group of teenagers we have the good girl, Erin (Jessica Biel). The slutty hitchhiker whose character you can't help but like, Pepper (Erica Leerhsen). The cool guy, Andy (Mike Vogel). The jokester guy, Morgan (Jonathan Tucker). And the take charge guy who is the leader of the gang, Kemper (Eric Balfour). The group of five teens are having a good time, when they almost hit a disturbed girl (Lauren German) walking down the road. The get out to offer her a ride, and see that she is in a state of shock. They take her into their van and she begins mumbling about a "bad man" and telling them that they are all going to die. Then, the hitchiker begins to go crazy, puts a gun to her mouth, and pulls the trigger. Sick and puzzled, the teens drive to the nearest hillbilly town, and plan to meet a sheriff at a local mill. After arriving at the mill, there is no sign of a sheriff, and guided by a neglected child of the psychopathic family, Jedidiah (David Dorfman), they wander into the clutches of Leatherface at his rundown farmhouse.
Director Marcus Nispel focuses more on keeping this film glossy and updated with more shadows and darkness, unlike the original "Chainsaw", which had a bright and scratchy, documentary style look to it. To tell you the truth, I disliked the original "Chainsaw" because of it's terrible acting and I found it a bit boring, but I will give it some credit because it's such a classic cult film. There are several neat shots in the new "Chainsaw", especially the one where the camera pans through the person's head and out the back window of the van after that person has shot themself in the head. I also loved the black and white police evidence footage that opened and closed the film, which I think brought it a feeling of realism. Producer Michael Bay (Pearl Harbor), didn't seem to me to have any experience in the horror genre, but pulls it off well. The filmmakers must have been aiming for a more realism in this horror film, unlike many we see today, and I will say they were dead right.
The acting here is wonderful, with good performances by Leerhsen, Tucker, Vogel, and Balfour, whom are given little character background to work with, but they manage it perfectly. Biel was great as the last survivor, which you will know before even seeing the movie. On rule in horror movies is that the hottest girl in the movie will always live. R. Lee Ermey is pretty crazy as he pulls of his character of the insane, motor mouthed sheriff with a lot of intensity. He also has a couple of funny lines that will most likely make you laugh. I also enjoyed the narration during the police footage that ended and opened the movie, done by John Larroquette, narrator of the original "Chainsaw". The acting and narration in this movie is very good.
The new and improved Leatherface (Andrew Bryniarski) is very scary, if not as scary as the original Leatherface was. Man, if you actually had this guy chasing you with a chainsaw, you'd be peeing your pants. His mask made of the human flesh is grotesque and disgusting, but has some modifications from the original mask. Through the last half hour of the movie, you'll be rooting for Jessica Biel as she gets chased all over by Leatherface, as Marilyn Burns did in the original film.
Surprisingly, this movie had a lot more gore than the first film. Most of the deaths in this movie were done with the power tool you would have expected, the chainsaw. Andy's death was probably the most upsetting, and you will see why after watching this movie. Kemper's death was quick and jolting. Morgan's death was pretty vicious. But, Pepper's death was my favorite one, because of it's intensity and drama. The feathers that floated all over from Pepper's jacket that got tore open by the saw added some intensity, and made it all the more dramatic. Right after her death, you'll be a bit disturbed after you see what, or should I say 'who' Leatherface is wearing for a mask. That moment sort of set the ending of that sequence with a bit of a jolt. I won't tell you what he is wearing, because it will ruin it for you. See it for yourself, and it should freak you out a bit.
To end this review, I want to say that this is a very good horror movie, one of the best I've seen. It has it all- intensity, gore, drama, scares, spills, and thrills! What more could you want to make a great movie??? This movie will be enjoyed by fans of the series, and fans of horror movies alike! I give The Texas Chainsaw Massacre a 10/10! And also remember, this movie sends out a strong message: never pick up hitchhikers!