Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

Brainsbell The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

morrigan9999 While it may not stack up to the original (how many sequels and/or remakes can?) this movie is an excellent mix of modernized shock horror, perversion and sickening humor to both revile your moral fibers and yet grab hold of your full attention throughout the entire film.This movie is not for those who are looking for (for lack of better words) "clean horror". By that I mean horror movies that stick to the methodical "bad guy kills dumb teenagers" in a scripted and fully anticipated manner that has been rehashed a thousand and one times. If movies like I Spit on Your Grave, The Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes, etc. makes you want to run for the office of the Chairman of the FCC then this movie probably won't be your bag. Now by no means am I saying that this movie goes to the depths of depravity that those classics dove into. Simply implying that this movie (more often than not) crosses that fine line that separates "wholesome horror" from, well, "unwholesome horror". For those that are into Rob Zombie movies, think along those lines in terms of "holy ****, I can't be believe they did that!...cool beans!" reactions..If you think about it, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise is really best suited for pushing the boundaries. Unlike other horror mongers such Jason and Friday the 13th, Michael and Halloween, Freddy and Nightmare on Elm Street , the TCM franchise really doesn't revolve around one character. Leatherface is the "closer" but he's really not the main "antagonist". The crazy Hewitt family with it's infinite number of mix and match characters, each with it's own warped proclivities are. In this movie, one of the main charaters (Charlie Hewitt portrayed by veteran actor R. Lee Ermey) definitely steals the show as the depraved patriarch of the clan.Ultimately, to each it's own. But if you go into this movie with a clear mind and being willing to simply accept whatever the movie throws at you, I think you'll be overall surprised. Is it great? No, not in the grand scale of the horror movie universe, but for a "remake", this one is a pretty darn good watch. Bring some popcorn, watch with a friend, leave your high horse at the door.

Eric Stevenson This movie is infamous for receiving a rare zero star rating from Roger Ebert. He called the movie vile and ugly and how everything was disturbing about it. I'm going to admit that it's bad, but it's not one of the worst movies ever. This is from someone who liked the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". The worst part is this movie is probably how they cut out the best sequence from the original film where the killers are around the girl at the dinner table. This film lacks the atmosphere that made the original good.I admit that the first thirty minutes aren't really that bad. It's not until after that where we get a really ugly looking film. Everything is filmed in the dark and the acting is quite bad. It offers nothing new to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise which doesn't have much dignity to begin with. I do kind of like Leatherface in this movie but everything is still rather cliché with the girl being chased and the killer and everything. Most of this movie is in fact very unpleasant and just pointless to watch. *1/2

breakdownthatfilm-blogspot-com How often are remakes regarded as decent properties? When audiences hear that one of their favorite properties is being rebooted or remade, most roll their eyes and complain. Majority of the time, this is an understandable opinion. Many studios do not understand why remaking a fan's beloved movie over again is practically complete sabotage. Much of the reason is that producers want to introduce a new generation of viewers to the series. However, many would argue to just watch the original. Yet for some cases, remaking a franchise is probably the best way to go. When a franchise begins to sink so low in its capability to entertain the fewest of audiences, then it's time for an overhaul. After three releases with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 2 (1986), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre III: Leatherface (1990) and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994) and all failing harder than the last, it seemed that it was time to take a break. That is until literally in 2003 almost three decades later, it was decided to run the chain saw once more.Surprisingly as tough as it is to get people to come back and see a remake, when a studio fails as hard as The Texas Chain Massacre: The Next Generation (1994), you really can only go up from there. Scott Kosar wrote the script for this remake. Kosar would later write the script for The Machinist (2004), another body horror film. Since it is a remake, the story has similar plot points to the 1974 original but there are a number of changes and added scenes too. Five teenagers in 1973 are reported to be killed. The last being seen near the Hewitt house. Originally headed to Mexico, Erin (Jessica Biel), Morgan (Jonathan Tucker), Pepper (Erica Leerhsen), Andy (Mike Vogel) and Kemper (Eric Balfour) are traveling through the Texas flat lands. However after coming across an emotionally and mentally scarred female pedestrian, the group end up getting involved with a terrifying local family. Directing this in his debut for movies was Marcus Nispel. Mostly known for doing music videos, Nispel does have an eye for horror films too.What's enjoyable to see about Kosar's remake script is that he easily changes around the reason as to why these teenagers come in contact with Leatherface (Andrew Bryniarski) and his family. On top of that, there's a bit of backstory given about the new Leatherface named Thomas Hewitt. It's not deep in its explanation but it does give insight as to why Leatherface is what he is when seen on screen. This doesn't get rid of the glaring continuity errors though. For example, audiences are introduced to the premise with cops going through evidence. One piece of evidence is a video of cops going through the Hewitt house. How did the cops recover that? Was it sent back to them? Also the fact that this remake is not as bizarrely terrifying as the original predecessor that inspired it is somewhat disappointing too. This remake comes off more direct in its approach when it comes to being grotesque. There's not a whole lot of unknown here especially for those who have been through the first movie and its subsequent sequels.The one thing to be happy with though is that the tone is much more grounded that of any sequel that came after Tobe Hooper's first. There are no outlandishly over the top actors in this story. The family itself is crazy enough; there's no need to surpass them with family members that are beyond their range. Speaking of which, the acting is fine. All actors including Leatherface and his family are effective on screen. Of the cast Jessica Biel had the best role. Coming in second was Andrew Bryniarski for playing Leartherface as such a hulking monster. Even R. Lee Erney who plays an individual named Sheriff Hoyt has some intense scenes. Although the psychological aspect isn't as terrifying, the horror is still fairly gruesome. The gore itself isn't too disturbing yet it is tough to sit through. The set decoration by Randy Huke had a nice touch. So much of the Hewitt house looks like it could've been condemned years ago. The exterior looks rather similar to that of an insane asylum.Complimenting the visuals was Daniel Pearl as cinematographer. This is a highly respectable addition because Pearl was the original director of photography to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). Everything from the lighting, the exterior shots and the interior shots of the Hewitt house are all shown to the point where it's enough for the viewer to enjoy. One of the best scenes shown in this remake takes place in a slaughterhouse. It truly is a well-shot sequence. Composing the film score to this production was at the time newcomer Steve Jablonsky. This was Jablonsky's first major theatrical outing in the scoring industry and it is nothing like his later works in the Transformers (2007) series; something he's best known for now. Unlike what listeners would hear from those scores, the tracks are much more natural with less reliance on synthesizers. There is a reoccurring main theme, which is important because prior to this, not one of the past films had a released musical score.While it may still lack explanations for certain plot points and is not as psychologically scary as the its first parent film, it is by far better than any sequel that came after it. The actors are cast well, the horror is still there, the musical score is a commendable element and the set design plus camera-work help drive home the grounded tone.

Pumpkin_Man It's been years since I've watched this remake, and I think it's grown on me since the last time I've watched it. In my opinion, I think it's better than the 1974 classic because the storyline is better, the characters are better developed and we sympathize with them more when they're killed off. Some remakes copy the original word for word like the Psycho remake and it was terrible. Some remakes like to update and make new characters, new dialogue and new ways to kill people like this and Dawn of the Dead. Rob Zombie's Halloween told a backstory, while remaking some scenes from the original 1978 classic. I think this one works really well because it was different. I'm glad they left out the annoying brother, Franklin and not having a Sally Hardesty character to scream her head off the last 15 minutes of the movie. This one felt more realistic and scary. At times, R. Lee Ermey's character, Sheriff Hoyt takes away from Leatherface, who is the main attraction while watching a TCM movie. Jessica Biel was very good as Erin, the main lead. Her acting was very convincing like she was actually being tortured, physically and emotionally. On August 18th, 1973, Erin and her friends are on their way to a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert after returning from Mexico to buy marijuana. They stop and pick a hitchhiker who looks like she's been thru Hell. She rambles about a bad man and shoots herself in the mouth. While looking for the Sheriff to take her body away, they run into Leatherface and his creepy cannibalistic family. If you love horror and remakes, you'll love THE Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE!!!