Directed by:
Marcus NispelScreenplay:
Scott KosarCinematography:
Daniel PearlComposer:
Steve JablonskyCast:
Jessica Biel, Jonathan Tucker, Erica Leerhsen, Mike Vogel, Eric Balfour, Andrew Bryniarski, R. Lee Ermey, David Dorfman, Lauren German, John Larroquette (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
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 Leather face. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (9)
As a stand-alone contribution to the genre, it’s barely average; as the remake of the horror legend that kick started the genre and remains flawless, it’s awful. In the original, every decision of the characters and stylistic choice had an unshakable position in the overall system and the atmosphere; in this one, the characters behave very stupidly and the violence and most of the editing feel overly stylised, killing all the naturalism and the potential of the harsh Texan setting. Only the male audience will be in danger, because after seeing the scantily clad and sweaty Jessica Biel they may feel their pants very tight. That, plus some interesting ideas and the traditionally good Ermey are the only things worthy of attention.
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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is simply just a remake, and for me, a remake in the worst sense of the word. It’s a film that just tries to "update" an older film for the present day. However, when you look at the original film, you understand that it's much better, that it has a better atmosphere, and that it's much more terrifying. Leatherface also looks more terrifying, partly because we never see his true face.
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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.
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The bleakness of the backwoods setting, where you’d only stop if your car broke down could, be felt much more intensely in the original, but Nispel's film has a certain amount of atmosphere. The casting is pretty good, the representatives of the local rednecks and brutes are really disgusting and their appearance and behaviour adds to the film's impact. But while watching Hooper's original I felt horror, dismay and disgust at Leatherface's family, that panopticon of creepy creatures, Nispel's film didn't produce similarly intense feelings. Some scenes looked spectacular, but they were quite illogical, and the final chase did not avoid the clichés that have been repeated countless times. Leatherface in Hooper's film was a believable character, a weirdo with a rather perverted hobby; Nispel's swung his chainsaw too much, making his behaviour seem unnatural and out of touch with reality. I guess that's why I wasn't scared, there was no deeper experience and Nispel's film became in my eyes just one of many teenage slashers.
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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.
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Gallery (75)
Photo © 2003 New Line Cinema
![The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - Making of](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/158/523/158523846_c3dbd9.jpg)
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