The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) - Movie Review

Official Score = 3 Devils

You know what, I will admit that I am probably very similar in context to most horror fans with the fact that I more often then not generally tend to be much of a fan of remake movies... I mean as stand alones I have seen some decent enough remake movies, but if you look at them as remakes of classic movies... Well I hate to say it, but most of the time, these movies generally tend not to be as good as the original!

I mean there are some generally pretty awful remakes, and there is one or two that I have seen that I would consider to be actually better then the original... (Yeah I know, I was surprised to!)

But generally speaking those movies that should have been made as stand alone movies, are that way in my opinion because they oft times just don't pay the type of homage to the original movies in the right way (A goode example of this being, A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)!)

There are some though that really pay homage properly to those that made the classic... In my opinion, a great example of this is the movie, Halloween (2007)... This movie in my opinion did a great job in paying homage to John Carpenter's classic, while also adding a couple of elements to the movie, that made it just fantastic!

Another great one is, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)!

One of the few truly awesome horror movie remakes!

Written By: Scott Kosar (The Machinist) & Directed by: Marcus Nispel (Friday The 13th). Starring: Jessica Biel (The Illusionist), Erica Leerhsen (Book Of Shadows: Blair Witch 2), Mike Vogel (Under The Dome), Eric Balfour (Skyline), Andrew Brynarski (Batman Returns) & R. Lee Ermey (The Frightners).

Now the truth is, is I can go in to how everything is great... The truth is, is that all of the cast did their jobs great, and they were all fun!

The story... Well, this story of how after picking up a traumatized hitchhicker, who kills herself, starts off a chain of events that leads them to become the next up on Leatherface's chopping block... Starting with contacting the, 'Sheriff'... Who turns out to be a deranged member of Leatherface's family that goes by, 'Sheriff Hoyt' (R. Lee Ermey) and leading to each of the initial 5 friends who had just wanted to do a good deed, being stalked and killed off one by one!

These teens wanted to do a good deed, but picking up this hitchhiker gives new meaning to the reason why you should never, 'pick up a hitchhiker'

Well I could say this story is great... It is!

But the truth is, is the best part of this movie is R. Lee Ermey, his portrayal as Sheriff Hoyt was both disturbing, and hilarious... But was also made to look so real that you could almost imagine that all of this could happen in real life!

In the end... Is everything great in this movie? For a remake? Yes... It is extremely fun, and well worth checking out!

The Prequel... It's Importance In Movies

Don't get me wrong I mean the original series of movies are always fantastic, and even after decades and (well this is true in horror movies...) But after the first one starts to loose it's relevance to the overall series... But the truth is, is there is an element of both Science Fiction and Horror movies that are great that uptil recently seems to have been ignored in favor of a remake... That is the Prequel!

Now you might be wondering why the prequel is so important... Well in the case of horror movies, the prequel kind of it seems takes the place of remakes real nicely... And well let's be honest, a lot of people would say that horror movie remakes for the most part pretty well suck... Well I would agree with them that there is an inordinate amount of crap out there, but where as not all remakes have the capacity to stand on their own, a lot of prequels (as long as they are done right,) tend to be able to stand on their own!

A great example of this I have recently discovered is, Prometheus (2012)!

Prometheus... A great prequel to an amazing movie series!

Now I will be honest with you guys and say that, Prometheus is not as good as the original Ridley Scott (Blade Runner) vehicle, (The truth is, is they just don't make movies at that caliber anymore...) Never the less, this movie is an absolutely fun time, and helps bring in to focus certain plot hole elements that have periodically surfaced through out the run of the first four movies.

Now let me ask you guys this, if Ridley Scott had decided to remake his classic original movie instead of turning the movie in to an awesome prequel, would, Prometheus have been as good as it turned out to be?

The answer is most definitive no! I can't predict the future, but the truth is, is that there is no actress or actor on the planet right now that could have brought to the character of, 'Ellen Ripley', that Sigourney Weaver (Ghostbusters), brought to the world (I am not saying this because I am a fan of her work... I am saying this for the same reason that Jackie Earle-Haley just couldn't bring to, 'Freddy Krueger' what Robert Englund (Urban Legends) did!)

Jackie Earle Haley may be a great actor... But when it comes to, 'Freddy Krueger'... Robert Englund will always be the master!

Before I continue on, let me explain what I mean...

If you are a fan of the, 'Nightmare movies' then you have seen all of the original series in which, 'Robert Englund' dominated the role of, 'Freddy Krueger'! A few years ago, instead of doing another sequel, it was decided to do a remake of the first movie, and to bring in, Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen) to replace Robert Englund as, 'Freddy Krueger'!

Ultimately that decision proved to be a pretty awful one, considering the fact that the movie was a box office flop, and there not only has not been another Nightmare movie that has come out, but it looks like there is not going to be another to come out any time in the near future!

Ultimately I guess what I am trying to say is this... Prequels in the whole (as long as they are done right), keep to the continuity of the original story line real nicely, and even if they end up loosing the main talent for that movie, over all, story wise it should be a fun experience!

Top 5 Final Girls Of The New Millennium

So far in this series we have covered both the 80s and the 90s, so I thought it time that we head in to the new millennium with the, 'Top 5 Final Girls Of The New Millennium'!

At number #5 we have: Ali Larter (Final Destination).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="478"] Ali Larter on the plane to hell in, 'Final Destination' (2000)![/caption]

At number #4: Mila Jovovich (Resident Evil).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="568"] Milla Jovovich as she is learning the truth about her future in, 'Resident Evil' (2002)![/caption]

At number #3: Danielle Panabaker (Friday The 13th).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="454"] Danielle Panabaker is going through hell as she tries to escape Jason Voorhees in the Friday The 13th remake![/caption]

At number #2: Jordana Brewster (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="438"] Jordana Brewster has survived an Alien invasion in... Now she has to survive, 'Leatherface' in, 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre; The Beginning' (2006)[/caption]

At number #1: Scout Taylor-Compton (Halloween).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="462"] Scout Taylor-Compton may have been chased up and down Haddonfield by her brother, 'Michael Myers'... But she has made it tot he number 1 in this list![/caption]

For more information on these awesome final girls and their movies, please enjoy these trailers:

http://youtu.be/fTabuTNAZMQ

http://youtu.be/2gYGzJDt8HQ

http://youtu.be/fpKdXnXl93s

http://youtu.be/jiS6gtClrqk

http://youtu.be/lP4Psj7d1ZI

The Many Faces Of, 'Leatherface' And The Men Who Played Him

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] 'Leatherface' with his family as they are about to sit down for dinner in, 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'![/caption]

Believe it or not, with the exception of Freddy Krueger (who has uptil the recent remake has been played by: Robert Englund), and Norman Bates, (who til it's remake had always been played by: Anthony Perklins,) most long standing horror movie villains have been played by several different actors.

A good example of this is, 'Kane Hodder' (Hatchet)... Now Kane Hodder had up until recently been kind of universally recognized as the actor who played, 'Jason Voorhees' in the, 'Friday The 13th' movies... The only thing is, is that he didn't start playing the role till around part 7, and there were at least a couple of actors who played the role before him, and played them after him!

Well I got to thinking that you guys might enjoy a look back at the many looks of ,'Leatherface' over the years, (another role that has been played by many actors,) and the actors that played him!

So with out further adieu:

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974): Gunnar Hansen as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Gunnar Hansen played the role of, 'Leatherface' first, when he did, 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' (1974)![/caption]

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986): Bill Johnson as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="attachment_2953" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Bill Johnson would go on to take over the role in 1986's, ' The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2'[/caption]

Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3 (1990): R.A. Mihailoff as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="attachment_2954" align="aligncenter" width="640"] R.A. Mihailoff would go on to be the first person to play the role in the 90s with, 'Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3' (1990)[/caption]

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994): Robert Jacks as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="416"] Robert Jacks would be the final person to play the role in the 90s, having taken over for, 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation' (1994)[/caption]

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) & The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006): Andrew Bryniarski as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="442"] Andrew Bryniarski would not only go on to be the first person to play the role in the new millennium, but he would be the first person in the history of the franchise to have played the role more then once![/caption]

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D (2013): Dan Yeager as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="543"] To date... Dan Yeager is the most recent person to take over the role, but not only has he taken over the role, but in my opinion, helped bring the original series back to prominence, what with helping reboot the original franchise![/caption]

In the end, this series is pretty awesome, and if you are like me, then you are really looking forward to what comes next!

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D & Star Trek... Two Great Examples Of Movie Series Rebooted

That's right folks, these 2 movies, both being almost polar opposites of each other really got it right!

What do I mean by this? Well before I go in to this, let me give you a little background in to why these series ultimately really did need to be rebooted... Starting with, 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' would go on to live in the hearts and minds of horror fans all over the world forever![/caption]

Now this movie series started off with the ultra popular classic, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre  (1974)... A movie that was directed by Tobe Hooper (Eaten Alive)... Now this movie would go on to live in the hearts and minds of true horror fans, and would spawn a few sequels, and a remake series...

The problem is, is that like all great horror franchises, the production company allowed the series to degenerate in to unbearable campyness... That was until, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994)... This movie was so bad that they went in to full on remake mode!

Well the truth is, is the remakes truly did do the series some justice, and kind of rubbed off some of the stank that came with, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation... The problem though, is that for some reason, the studio decided not really to follow through the remake series very well, because directly after the first remake movie, they decided to do the pre-quel... Well both were good... It just sucked to see them end so quickly!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="510"] Leatherface as a girl... Really?[/caption]

And then came, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D (2013) rather or not you liked this movie or not, there is one area that I found not only to be extremely bad ass, but in a way, this movie could have stunk otherwise (It didn't), but having this element being apart of the movie, just made it all worth while!

That being just how well they rebooted the series!

What I mean by that, is that they essentially cut out the original series sequels, and started this movie as if it was a sequel to the Tobe Hooper classic original... But not only did they do that, and do that well, but they also did something that I don't remember ever seeing in any movie, that was done right, but have always wanted to see it, and see it done right, and that is to see the after math of the events from the previous horror movie!

There are many other reasons to see this movie, but the truth is, is these 2 I think are 2 of the better reasons!

[caption id="attachment_2622" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Star Trek (2009)... A great example of a classic series being properly rebooted for the next generation![/caption]

As far as Star Trek (2009) goes, I can go on and on about that movie, but the truth is, is that I liked the way they rebooted the series for that movie as well (essentially they gradually and comfortably refocused the story by changing events in the main story line, so that the original story can be told with a fresh perspective, and the truth is, I found that cool, considering that the original story was running out of wiggle room, and Paramount at the time had a moratorium on anything Star Trek, after, 'Enterprise' and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) bombed...)

In the end, there is a lot of other great reasons to check out these 2 films, and if you would like information on that, then I would recommend checking the reviews that are on this site... Otherwise, please enjoy these trailers for both movies!

http://youtu.be/SyJszxnJydA

http://youtu.be/AKqFfkassgo

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D (2013) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"] Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

You know you are a true horror movie fan when you can sit through a truly disturbing horror movie (Not a gore fest, or a thriller, but also not something like a, 'snuff' film), but a truely awesome but disturbing and fun horror movie... The first one for me that I saw was, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)!

Up to this point I had been watching the more traditional horror movies (A Nightmare On Elm Street, Silence Of The Lambs & the like...) But this one I found to be truly disturbing... Not because it is strongly violent... It's a gore fest... Not even out of fear that this type of thing could be real (sadly I have read that elements of this movie are based on serial killer, 'Ed Gein', and his life...)

No this movie was disturbing to me, because it was one of the few horror movies that scared me when I got older... (a circumstance that I assure you when I say that it doesn't happen often,)

Now because of the fact that this movie scared me... (Before I continue, let me say that this movie no longer scares me, but is a movie that I do enjoy), with that said, I decided to dive in to the series in the whole, and I have to admit that I found them to be a lot of fun, and with the later sequels to the original series bringing together such 'A' listers as, 'Viggo Mortensen' (who was in, 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3'), 'Matthew McConaughey' (who was in the final movie of the original series) and, 'Renee Zellweger' (who was also in the final movie of the original series.) I found them to be a lot of fun as well!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="510"] A young, 'Matthew McConaughey' with a young, ' Renee Zellweger' before they became the 'A-listers' of today![/caption]

And the most recent movie, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2013), I found to be an interesting way to reboot the original series instead of just remaking the series again...

Written by: Adam Marcus (Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday), Debra Sullivan (Conspiracy), Kirsten Elms (Banshee) & Directed by: John Luessenhop (Lockdown). Starring: Alexandra Daddario (Hall Pass), Dan Yeager (Metal Head), Trey Songz (Step Up 3D), Scott Eastwood (Flags Of Our Fathers), Tania Raymonde (Wild Cherry), Shaun Sipos (Final Destination 2), Keram Malicki-Sanchez (American History X), Thom Barry (Independence Day), Paul Rae (Enterprise), Richard Riehle (Office Space), Bill Moseley (Halloween) & Gunnar Hansen (Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers).

This movie is interesting to me, you see this movie isn't a remake, but a reboot... But not a reboot of the first movie, in this case, this movie seems to reboot the series but starting from the end of Tobe Hooper's original 1974 movie, and seeks to reboot the original series as the original series (I have to say that I was really happy to hear this!)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] This new movie seeks to reboot the original series starting from not long after this point in the original movie...[/caption]

But this movie starts off just after the events of the first movie, where the Sawyer family is holed up in their farm during a tense stand off with Sheriff Hooper (Thom Barry)... Now at first it looks like everything is going to go fine... The speaker for the family, 'Drayton Sawyer' (Bill Moseley) & Boss Sawyer (Gunnar Hansen) have decided to let, Jed 'Leatherface' Sawyer (Dan Yeager) be taken in to custody... That was when things started going wrong!

You see Burt Hartman (Paul Rae), and a group of rednecks come out to get their own brand of justice... They end up torching the farm and everyone in it... Or so they think...

Decades later, Heather Miller (Alexandra Daddario) finds out that not only is she adopted, but that she is the last known living member of the, 'Sawyer clan', and that she had been taken the night that the Sawyer farm had been torched, by one of the redneck couples and raised as their daughter...

[caption id="attachment_2514" align="aligncenter" width="450"] A family reunited...[/caption]

During this time she discovers that she has inherited the estate of the last recognized Sawyer... And so she and a couple of friends decide to drive down to the family estate while they make their way to Louisiana.

On their way, they pick up a hitch hiker by the name of, 'Carl' (Scott Eastwood)... Once they get their though, they are completely blown away by the level of wealth that was bestowed on to Heather... But with all good things there is always a catch right?
And as the bodies start to pile up, it is starting to look like maybe the, 'Sawyer curse' may not actually be over!

In the end, the only thing that I was a little surprised with, was the ending... Other then that, this movie was a great way to reboot the original series!

If you like these type of movies, then I recommend checking this one out, it is a fun one, and I think you might like it!

http://youtu.be/AKqFfkassgo