Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
reviewed by Brian "the Naked Gun" Felts &
Benn "Where's the Humanity?" Farrell
The movie starts off as five kids on their way to a rock concert, Lynard Skynard, they pick up a hitchhiker,
who quickly blows her brains out with a gun. They go to find help and end up running into a bunch of killers.
The best scene in the movie I think is when the main character Erin (Biel) watches her friend,
Pepper (Erica Leershan-Blair Witch 2), gets chain sawed, Leatherface turns around and looks at Erin wearing
the face of her boyfriend.
I like the way they shot the film. It was shot like it was an old film that was a documentary ala
Blair Witch. I really liked how this movie allowed Leatherface to be a menacing, stalking figure.
That, I thought, really increased the fear in this movie.
I liked Jessica Biel (Blade: Trinity) in the movie, she was entertaining if not spectacular. I did like the fact that
she wore a white t-shirt and it was wet a lot, it was cool. R. Lee Emery (Murder In the First), who was the psycho sheriff,
was by far the best actor. The psycho family and the sacrificial teenager - victims were adequate but not
noteworthy.
The movie was never close to reality, but what horror movie is. However, it is much better than
any of the movies I have seen in the last 3 years. If you like scary movies but don't need to
see the blood and guts, then watch this.
Brian - the Naked Gun
I can't honestly say I agree with this picture being scary. I think there are many intense sequences, but I don't think it
was all that fearful.
I DID see the original version of this classic horror icon, and I found the remake to be a rarity. In THIS case, I found
the remade version to be far better. The original version of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" was SO low budget, it was
very distracting. It still made me uneasy, but the production value was p**s poor.
TCM 2003 is made with a high quality and a decent cast who took the story seriously, and didn't throw their roles away
simply because they were in a horror flick. I really appreciated that.
I also appreciated the fact in this new version, we are given much more background as to the mental instability of the
Thomas Hewitt aka Leatherface character. This is the first time Leatherface was presented with any kind of backstory
and/or inner motivation. THAT made his character more uneasy for me this time around.
I think the director is an absolutely genius for making Jessica Biel run around in a tied white shirt and tight jeans, soaking
wet on more than one occasion. This chick is mezmorizingly hot in this movie. I could have watched her run around
the Texas hickville setting for two hours straight. As I watched this movie, I couldn't shut up about how in great shape
Biel is and how great she reads on film. I was in awe. So guys, if your not into horror movies, but into hot chicks in
movies, THIS one is worth checking out. Trust me.
Outside of Biel's screen time, R. Lee Emery was a failsafe hoot. As soon as he steps out of his car, he IS his character
from first breath to last. His performance was extremely intense and complete, showing once again what a billy-bada** he
really is.
Overall, I liked "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" for many reasons. I also found it a bit undersold in other scenes. I thought
it got off to a slow start, and I feel the "true story" factor of this version was very cloudy in the end. If you like terror
movies, this is definitely one for you. It is very intense.
Benn - Where's the Humanity?
Jessica Biel and a cast of others star in a respectable remake of a horror classic of the same name.
While I don't remember the other one, I thought this one provided enough scares that made it an enjoyable
but a little too predictable.