The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Bugger me! The remake not only surpasses the original in every way, but it also makes my personal top 20. This is exactly how it's supposed to be! Likable characters you can empathize with to the max, a dirty and gritty look, an incredible build-up of atmosphere and tension, a brilliantly acted deranged family, from the sheriff to the disgusting old crone (I've had a phobia of very ugly old people since I was a kid), and most importantly, Leatherface, who takes absolutely no shit from anyone, the man chases his victims until his last breath, a constant chainsaw to boot, and for perhaps the first time in my life I found myself cringing and feeling very uneasy during a horror movie. I absolutely bought into the actors role as I found myself running away from the terrifying Leatherface. I got exactly what the original lacked. Great! 100%! (05/27/2015)

At the moment when the camera goes through a bullet hole and it's neither cool nor impressive, but just unnecessarily disgusting, I should have realized that the whole movie would be like that. Minor whispering turns into total disaster with relentlessly annoying characters, only one powerful scene, and another stolen from The Blair Witch Project. (04/25/2006)

Of the three massacres, I liked this nearly 20-year-old version the most. It’s still far from perfect cinema, but the film contains many scenes that stick in your memory for a long time. I don’t know Marcus Nispel much, but as far as directing goes, there’s not much to fault. I was pleased to see Jessica Biel in the lead role (at least someone I know :D). I understand that the original has achieved cult status, but honestly, Leatherface here was better. His entrance was flawless again ("Boy, come on. Show them!"). The level of brutality compared to the original 1974 film is several notches higher. The film mostly shocks with its repulsiveness (all those interiors can really depress the viewer). Additionally, there’s a nice twist. A solid horror film with an unsettling musical score. For me, it’s 7/10. (03/12/2022)

Purely superficial, self-indulgent entertainment. As a maker of music videos, director Marcus Nispel is capable of spectacularly filming things of zero narrative value. The camerawork and its colour filters are reminiscent of David Fincher and, together with the dark music, contribute to the film’s dense and bleak atmosphere. But the non-existent plot build-up, the ineffective scares and the absence of mystery are more reminiscent of the cheap assembly-line productions by 1970s Italian trash directors (Joe D'Amato, for example). On top of that, the film is extremely disgusting. Seven also disgusted me in its own way, but it also impressed me with its wonderfully over-the-top and polished screenplay and deep ideas. I simply found The Texas Chainsaw Massacre repulsive. Count me among its victims. (01/16/2004)

So: A chilling atmosphere, constant tension, ever-present fear... None of that is in the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre. One star was earned by the music, the other by the bright exceptions (about two scenes that really had something to them). An unnecessary remake. What struck me, however, is that the film is set in 1973, but you can't really tell. Odd. (05/09/2010)