The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

10/19/03 - Review

In the summer of 1973, five friends pack into a beat up old van as they head through the State of Texas towards Dallas to see a Leonard Skynyrd concert.  Everything changes though once they pick up a frantic girl walking alongside the road.  After she mumbles some things about dead people and flips out when they try to take her into town, she pulls a pistol out of her crotch and kills herself.  Now the five are arguing over what to do with the girl’s body, meanwhile they are stuck in this rural town of Travis County, Texas.  They seek out help from the local residents but they are a little strange and not telling all that they know. 

The five, led by Erin (Jessica Biel) and her level-headed boyfriend, Kemper, come upon a house in the middle of nowhere owned by Thomas Hewitt.  That house will be the last thing these kids will ever see.  Soon the five are running for their life from a man with a chainsaw, aka Leatherface, who’s only purpose in life, is to take the skin and body parts from people’s dead bodies and wear them as his own.  He was born with a strange skin disorder in which his face was all deformed.  This Jason Voorhees looking man with a chainsaw hunts them down one by one until they are all dead.  Erin soon finds herself all alone and trying to do whatever she can to survive from this small community of cannibals and the chainsaw wielding Leatherface.  The film is inspired by the 1950’s serial killer Ed Gein. 

Upon going to this movie, I was lead to believe that this was supposedly a true story about a series of events that occurred in the early 1970’s.  I never saw the original 1974 movie so I have nothing to compare it to.  I know now that this movie is not a true story but instead it is loosely based on serial killer Ed Gein from Wisconsin.  In any case, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a bloodbath scare fest.  If you saw the trailer and you thought it looked good, wait until you see the full movie. 

The movie wastes no time jumping into the main event.  The Leatherface character chasing people around with a chainsaw is one of the most terrifying experiences I have seen on the big screen.  I still rank the original Alien and Michael Myers ahead of him though.  The fact that this sick and twisted man kills people so he can wear their skin is disturbing none the least but that is why it is scary.  I think I jumped one time but most of the audience jumped every single time.  I have heard that the original was one of its kind and a true masterpiece.  This one is no different and it certainly gets its roots from that movie and repays it nicely. 

The movie is very graphic but what else would you expect from a man that kills people with a chainsaw?  The movie was produced by Michael Bay so you can definitely see his hand in the final product.  His visual style has rubbed off on the director so expect to see some nasty shots.  The rest of the movie has a certain feel to it that makes movies like Jason, Freddy, or the latter Halloween movies miniscule in comparison.  The claustrophobic effect from the dark house in the field is enough to have people biting their fingernails. 

At the beginning and ending of the movie, there is a black and white narrative to speak that shows state police doing a walkthrough of the house as they try to show what happened during these horrific events.  It almost looked like it occurred in real life and it gave the viewer something to think about when they left the theater.  There is a nice surprise in there as well. 

The cast consists of a bunch of fresh faces that are good at screaming and running.  Jessica Biel is the main attraction because she does a great job as the heroine even after seeing all of her friends brutally murdered.  Unlike most horror movies, she sucks it up and does everything she can to survive from being turned into evening wear.  This movie is the complete opposite from her work on the WB’s Seven Heaven.  It is much better for her as well.  The Hewitt family is the other main attraction.  Besides Leatherface who will chop you up into pieces, R. Lee Ermey plays the sadistic Sheriff who isn’t who he seems.  He does such a good job of playing his character that one simple line can turn into a very humorous moment.  It’s too bad that he was in cahoots with Leatherface but he wouldn’t have been as memorable if he wasn’t.  Think along the lines of Full Metal Jacket meets the horror genre. 

The movie is a heart pounding thrill ride that will attempt to scare you straight, and it will most likely succeed.  It is very graphic and disturbing so the young ones might want to stay away from this one for the time being.  Solid performances by Biel and Ermey make this more than just your typical slasher flick.  Oh and then there is the chainsaw wielding Leatherface who will have you clinging to the edge of your seats, or your date.  

4/05/04 - DVD Review

Now that the DVD has come out, I can finally relive the terrifying and disturbing experience that I felt in the movie theatre back in October.  This movie is absolutely great the second time and I feel that it has the potential to be up there among the greatest horror movies, though it can’t really compare to Halloween because that movie gets me every time.  In any case, this horror movie is exceptionally good and I think it will stand up over time. 

As far as the DVD goes, well it looks and sounds great.  The DTS 6.1 ES surround track sounds very crisp and very bright.  The chainsaw sounds absolutely freakish.  Deep bass is heard throughout the movie.  The DVD also features a Dolby Digital 5.1 EX surround track but who listens to DD when you have DTS?  Nobody. 

The video is very good as well with a 1:85:1 framed widescreen that will fill most 16 X 9 TV’s.  The colors are purposely faded to enhance the creepy feel of the movie.  The dark shots look great with hardly any grain. 

New Line Cinema came out with two versions for the DVD release.  One was a movie only edition and the other was the “Platinum Series,” which is the one that I bought.  With two discs, TCM lives up to the “Platinum Series” name.  Disc one contains the movie with three commentary tracks, and the second disc contains all the goodies.  First off, there are a shit load of trailers and teasers, including ones for other movies.  There are also seven deleted scenes which feature an alternate ending and opening.  The alternate opening/ending were kind of lame so one would quickly realize why it was cut.    Also included is a music video and crime scene photos in a classified folder.  Very cool indeed. 

Disc two also features two documentaries.  One talks about the life of Ed Gein, a serial killer from the 50’s who inspired the original movie.  It is devilishly creepy because the guy is so messed up.  The other documentary runs over one hour and is titled Chainsaw Redux: Making A Massacre.  This documentary is actually fun and interesting to watch because they talk so much about the movie and the people involved in it.  It runs long but who really cares because it is so informative. 

The two disc “Platinum Series” of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a must for horror fan’s.  The extras are good for what are there and they are actually worth the increased price.  The video and sound are both excellent and really add to the impact of the film.  It’s another great edition to my DVD library.  

What I though then

What I think now

DVD Grade

Video

Sound

Extras

What do you think?