The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Marcus Nispel

Writers (WGA):

Kim Henkel (1974 screenplay) and
Tobe Hooper (1974 screenplay) ...

Release Date:

17 October 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Inspired by a True Story

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Leatherface | Chainsaw | Suicide | Psychopath | Shot Through The Mouth

Awards:

4 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

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

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Taiwan:R-18 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Mexico:C | Portugal:M/18 | Italy:VM18 (tv rating) | Australia:MA | Brazil:18 | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | Germany:18 (nf) | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:R(A) | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #39964) | Argentina:16 | Chile:14 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

In the original script, the character Jedidiah was going to wear a Felix the Cat T-shirt throughout the movie. This was later scraped because the copyright holders of Felix the Cat wouldn't allow it. However, the novelization of the movie features the character wearing the shirt. Also, Jedidiah was going to be killed by Leatherface by slicing his chainsaw through his back because he let Erin and Morgan go. This was later scrapped because the filmmakers thought it was too intense.

Goofs:

Factual errors: While Leatherface sits and sews his skin mask, he is not really sewing. The hand wheel on the right of the machine does not turn. A sewing machine's hand wheel has to move if the needle moves, as they are synchronized.

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...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Dead Teenager Movie (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

Sweet Home Alabama

Solid Horror Film

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a rare remake that is actually better then the original. A tale of five 20-somethings whose free spirited road trip becomes a terrifying descent into madness. When they find themselves isolated in a rural Texas community, they fall into the clutches of a monstrous clan of Texas cannibals and find themselves being whittled away by the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface. The plot is a bit different then the original as they added more characters and the story has been fixed a little as well. I think the new changes are good as the film is scarier and better. The new characters added are just family members of Leatherface which is kind of creepy. Another thing that they changed is that they use the chainsaw a lot more which makes sense given the title. This makes the film more gory which is not surprising since most horror flicks today are. The movie could have been better if the acting wasn't poor. Jessica Biel did a decent job but I don't think she was good enough to take on the lead role. Eric Balfour did a bad job but luckily he isn't in it very much. Jonathan Tucker actually did the best out of everyone and gave a pretty effective performance. Mike Vogel and Erica Leerhsen gave below average performances but this is till a horror flick so you can't really expect too much. R. Lee Ermey plays the sheriff and he gives a very good performance. The Leatherface in this film looks scary but he isn't as good as the one in the original. Marcus Nispel did a decent job of directing but obviously Tobe Hooper, who directed the original, did a better job. Michael Bay also didn't ruin the film even though a lot of people were afraid he was going to. Besides what the trailer might have you believe, this isn't based on true events nor is it really inspired by a true story. Very, very little of what happens in this film actually happen in real life. The running time is 98 minutes which is perfect since it never really gets boring. Compared to other 2003 horror films, this one is better then Cabin Fever, House of 1000 Corpses but its below 28 Days Later and its about the same as Wrong Turn. I enjoyed the original, not a lot but it was still good. I do find a little overrated though. I'm not saying this remake is 100 times better but if I had to choose one, I would go with this one. In the end, this is still a nice little horror flick worth checking out. Rating 7.2/10