Rating: 7/10
Review date: December 2, 2003
Five teenagers were happily driving across Travis County in Texas when they stopped to pick up a hitchhiker. The girl then proceeds to kill herself in their battered van. Their lives were dramatically changed when they encounter a psychotic family with a rather unhealthy affinity for human skin. For those of you who don�t know, this is a remake of the 1974 classic with the same title which is directed by Tobe Hooper.
Please bear in mind that I haven�t watch the original 1974 flick so I can�t draw any comparison between the two. However it is worth noting that most people who have seen both versions said they prefer the original. Let�s get on with the review�
This movie is made to entertain and scare the pants out of you. Does it deliver? Yes to the former and part yes, part no to the latter. Most people just dismiss this movie as another lame �teenager movie being chased around by a psycho� but I disagree.
Director Marcus Nispel handled this movie well so as to keep me engaged throughout. The cinematography is beautiful (especially the shots showing the house which you can see in the trailer to know what I mean) and there is a slick camera angle which involves the dead hitchhiker (reminds me of a similar scene in Kill Bill vol. 1).
Speaking of which, this movie is quite violent with some nasty scenes here and there but I was quite disappointed with two characters that were killed off-screen (you�ll know when you watch the movie).
The characters are not interesting although the cast did their job well with what they have to do. Jessica Biel is plausible in her role as Erin and I have to say that she�s the only character I care about in the movie, if only because she has the most lines to say.
Erica Leerhsen as Pepper comes second as being a credible character and fortunately, the two female leads did scream but not to the degree where you find it annoying as in other horror movies (e.g. I Know What You Did Last Summer).
The cast is made complete with three male leads that are not worth mentioning here with the exception of Jonathan Trucker as Morgan who acts as the comic relief.
The psychotic family is not given much role or importance (I was told that this is not the case in the original) although R. Lee Ermey as Sheriff Hoyt performs convincingly as a lunatic cop. As for Leatherface, he managed to look as mean as he can be with that chainsaw.
When all is said and done, Texas Chainsaw Massacre is ultimately a horror movie with a simple plot. As I said before, I digress because it does feature some entertainment value, plenty of boos (I jumped 4 times which seldom happen) and a slick directing which provides some tension and gore to keep me excited. My advice for you is to take it easy, don�t expect too much out of this flick and you will definitely enjoy it.
Memorable quote: �I smell bullshit.�
-R. Lee Ermey as Sheriff Hoyt-
(c) Martin Taidy