The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

A group of friends passing through are stalked and hunted down by a deformed killer with a chainsaw in order to sustain his poor family who can only afford to eat what they kill.

Director:

Marcus Nispel

Writers:

Kim Henkel, Tobe Hooper,

Stars:

Jessica Biel, Jonathan Tucker, Erica Leerhsen

7 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jessica Biel	...	Erin
Jonathan Tucker	...	Morgan
Erica Leerhsen	...	Pepper
Mike Vogel	...	Andy
Eric Balfour	...	Kemper
Andrew Bryniarski	...	Thomas Hewitt (Leatherface)
R. Lee Ermey	...	Sheriff Hoyt
David Dorfman	...	Jedidiah
Lauren German	...	Teenage Girl
Terrence Evans	...	Old Monty
Marietta Marich	...	Luda May
Heather Kafka	...	Henrietta
Kathy Lamkin	...	Tea Lady in Trailer
Brad Leland	...	Big Rig Bob
Mamie Meek	...	Clerk

Storyline

Driving through the backwoods of Texas, five youths pick up a traumatized hitchhiker, who shoots herself in their van. Shaken by the suicide, the group seeks help from the locals, but their situation becomes even more surreal when they knock on the door of a remote homestead. It's quickly apparent the residents are a family of inbred psychopaths, and the unlucky youths suddenly find themselves running for their lives. In hot pursuit is a disfigured, chainsaw-wielding cannibal known as Leatherface.

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Plot Keywords:

suicide | leatherface | chainsaw | group of friends | telephone | 

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Taglines:

Inspired by a True Story

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Genres:

Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong horror violence/gore, language and drug content

Details

Official Sites:

New Line Cinema [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 October 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

La masacre de Texas

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,200,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$370,662 (Spain) (21 May 2004)

Gross:

$562,521 (Spain) (28 May 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Focus Features, Radar Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A deleted subplot detailed Erin being pregnant, which was why, when they went to Mexico, she didn't "drink the water" or "smoke the weed", as they talked about in the final cut.

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Goofs

In the scene when Jedidia is helping Erin and Morgan escape the basement, you can see Erin climb the last four steps that lead outside. Then the camera cuts to Jedidia biting leather face on the hand. Then the camera cuts back again and we see Erin climbing back up those same four steps again.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: The film which you are about to see is an account of the tragedy which befell a group of 5 youths. It is all the more tragic in that they were young. But had they lived very, very long lives, they could not have expected, nor would they have wished to see as much of the mad and macabre as they were to see that day. For them, an idyllic summer afternoon became a nightmare. For 30 years, the files collected dust in the cold-cases divison of the Travis County Police Department. Over ...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in Severed Parts (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Suffocate"
Performed by Motograter

User Reviews

Although Unnecessary, a Good Remake

On 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")