Michael Bay's Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Horrors have a bad reputation for poor sequels and bad remakes, which is why when people heard there was a remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the general thought was that they would be butchering the classic(excuse the pun).

However this is a terrifying, shocking, emotional thrill of a movie. It may not be up to the standards of the 1970s version, but to be fair, nothing is. The acting is quite well done. The film takes advantage of the time its being made in and the budget, with this version having much better production values, its much more gory but not at the cost of story telling.

The realism is superb and the movie is, at times, as sad as it is scary due to the emotional torture of the characters, i'm sure many people will say its not as good as the original but it could have been a lot 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.

It is very safe to say that the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre(1974) was a cultural phenomenon for horror movies and helped change the shape of the entire genre. The movie provided all the essential elements that are vital in horror movies because when it comes down to it, these elements come from what the people want to see. We want to see the twisted things in our imaginations and nightmares come to life and what I love about TCM is it is something that could really happen to you. Sure the movie is a little cheesy now and I think Franklin was hilarious, but its the direction that counts. To me Leatherface is the greatest killer of all time, I like him better than Freddy. I love him because he is very stripped down, he's not supernatural and reacts to pain like any normal human would. He has all the essentials such as a very creepy image and psychotic behavior. Nobody can hold a candle to Leatherface.

Ok enough of that, let me get on to the review of the REAL Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I will not say anything about the story because I want everyone to see it for themselves while knowing very little about the story. It takes a lot for a movie to impress me when the anticipation level is hitting the sky because I expect so much and usually always get disappointed, this happened with Terminator 3. With the "new" TCM, it stays true to the roots that made the first one a hit, but this one BLEW me away.

Lets start with the cast. Everyone was amazing and fit in perfectly. I had doubts about Jessica Biels at first but now I see her in a brand new light. I could see no ounce of weakness in any of the characters. The moods expressed throughout the movie were flawless and very convincing. The acting plays a huge role because the better the acting, the more real the feel is, thats when you step into the shoes of the people in the movie and live it out with them. This is what makes and breaks movies and I'm proud to say the cast delivered.

The story line has been totally changed. This story is 100 times better than the original, I was very impressed. There are far more twists and turns and because the storyline has such a high thrill value, it keeps you glued to your seat. Our theater was packed and only 2 people that I know of left for bathroom breaks. I have never seen this happen before with a movie. Anyway, the storyline could not have gotten any better. One reviewer said some of the stuff in the movie was predictable, that is total BS, this movie has so many turns that you have no idea whats going to happen next.

Now onto the star of the movie, LEATHERFACE. I thought nobody could top Gunnar Hansen from the first TCM but Leatherface in the new one is the best one I have ever seen. He is bigger, scarier, meaner, and crazier than ever. He is the main focus as far as enemies go and I think its great, this pretty much paid tribute to him and it shows everyone that he is the guy to be reckoned with. The moment he did the first kill I knew this movie was ON and had a feeling it would top any slasher movie ever made.

In closing let me say that when this movie ended, A LOT of people started clapping and cheering. I saw no disappointed faces leaving that theater and this was the first movie ever in which my high anticipation was exceeded, let alone met. I don't care what ANYONE says, the original, while still a classic and will always be in our hearts, can't even come close to this one. Storyline, imagery, jump scenes, kills, twists etc.., this movie has it ALL and leaves a lasting impression strong enough to make you want to go pay $7.50 all over again and again and again until you get sick of it. Michael Bay, a lot of people doubted you when you signed on to this but I always defended you and let me say, I know you have shut all those people up. Job well done!

On August 18th, 1973, in Texas, the youths Erin (Jessica Biel), her boy-friend Kemper (Eric Balfour), their friends Andy (Mike Vogel) and Morgan (Jonathan Tucker) and the hitchhiker Pepper (Erica Leerhsen) are returning from a vacation in Mexico to a concert of the Lynnard Skynnard. Kemper is driving his van, when they see a disturbed young woman dangerously wandering on the road. They decide to help her, and the woman commits suicide inside the vehicle. They decide to look for a telephone to call the Sheriff, and they end in the house of Thomas Hewitt (Andrew Bryniarski), where their lives are threatened by the sick Leatherface and his deranged family.

I was quite reluctant to see this remake. The original "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is a classic, and as I have already written in other reviews, I do not see any reason to release remakes of movies, mainly classics. However, and although unnecessary, this remake is very good. The cast, leaded by the delicious Jessica Biel, have good and convincing performances. The cinematography is great, being very nasty in the property of Leatherface. In the end, I liked this version and I even dare to recommend it. I believe the fans, like me, of the original "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" will not be disappointed. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Massacre da Serra Elétrica" ("The Chainsaw Massacre")

Let's face it. There aren't, if any, good horror classic remakes. Good horror movies are not supposed to be remade, period. However, there are some remakes that come pretty close to "good" remakes, (such as The Ring) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of them. I watched this movie alone in the dark at midnight, with my DTS surround sound speakers, and it scared the HELL out of me! This movie intends to makes you feel damp, filthy and frightening. It takes itself very seriously, no jokes. The horror is non-stop, not allowing you to take a break. The fright and the gore satisfies most horror fans. Good style, good cinematography, well-directed. Of course, this movie cannot be compared to the original, but this is a pretty damn good horror movie itself.