The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

After picking up a traumatized young hitchhiker, five friends find themselves stalked and hunted by a deformed chainsaw-wielding loon and his family of equally psychopathic killers.

Director:

Marcus Nispel

Writers:

Kim Henkel, Tobe Hooper

Stars:

Jessica Biel, Jonathan Tucker, Andrew Bryniarski

4 wins & 17 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:

scantily clad female | leatherface character | cleavage | upskirt | panties | 

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Taglines:

If it's terror what you want, it's terror what you'll have.

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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

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 October 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Filming Locations:

Cele Store - 18726 Cameron Road, Manor, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$29,100,000, 19 October 2003

Gross USA:

$80,571,655

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$107,362,708

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

On his final day of shooting, Eric Balfour stripped down, threw his wardrobe back to the crew, and walked off the set only wearing a baseball cap.

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Goofs

When the Sheriff is holding the drivers licenses of the three characters who are laying on the ground, what appears to be their date of birth is shown to be the same on all three, 3-11-92. Also, even though they are supposedly from three different states, the printing and information on the licenses are identical. They show the same address, "37218 N. A..." (you cannot see any more of the street name), and you see what appears to be "District Of..." on the bottom line where the state would be. This would mean they all live together and are from Washington, District of Columbia.

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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 Ed Gein: The Ghoul of Plainfield (2004)

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Soundtracks

A Part of Me
Written by Rick Garcia and Rene Reyes
Performed by Rick Garcia and Rene Reyes
Courtesy of Fastkat Music

User Reviews

was expecting worse

Not bad for a re-make of course it didn't have quite the impact of the original. It did a decent job building tension and there was a darker atmosphere to the location, made it seem more nightmarish.

Obviously the film had some advantages from a bigger budget, and R. Lee Ermey is definitely worth watching. As for the family, you had an almost twisted take on 'the dirty south', or in this case southwest, people being more bizarre caricatures, but with the darker and more atmospheric setting it works.

Interstingly, it seems to lack the social commentary of the original, but that is very common with remakes these days. Though there is extensive use of rather effective foreshadowing in numerous scenes.