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Movies / On DVD / The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

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Reviews Counted: 152

Fresh: 52

Rotten:100

Average Rating: 4.8/10

Consensus: An unnecessary remake that's more gory and less scary than the original.

Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Theatrical Release: Oct 17, 2003 Wide

Box Office: $80,148,261

Synopsis: On August 20th, 1973, police were dispatched to the remote farmhouse of Thomas Hewitt, the former head-skinner at a local slaughterhouse in Travis County, Texas. What they found within the confines of the cryptic residence was the... On August 20th, 1973, police were dispatched to the remote farmhouse of Thomas Hewitt, the former head-skinner at a local slaughterhouse in Travis County, Texas. What they found within the confines of the cryptic residence was the butchered remains of 33 human victims, a chilling discovery that shocked and horrified a nation in what many still refer to as the most notorious mass murder case of all time. Wearing the grotesque flesh masks of his victims and brandishing a chainsaw, the killer, known as “Leatherface,” would gain infamy when sensational headlines were splashed across newspapers throughout the state of Texas: “House of Terror Stuns Nation – Massacre in Texas.” Local authorities would eventually gun down a man wearing a leathery mask and declare they had their killer, which abruptly closed the case; however, in the years that followed, many close to the grisly murder case would come forward to level accusations that police had botched the investigation and knowingly killed the wrong man. Now, for the first time, the only known survivor of the killing spree has broken the silence and come forward to tell the real story of what happened on a deserted rural Texas highway when a group of five young kids inadvertently found themselves besieged by a chainsaw-wielding madman, one who would leave a trail of blood and terror that would forever become known as “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” New Line Cinema presents The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a terrifying journey into a heart of unimaginable darkness as five young adults are stranded in a rural Texas town, only to find themselves fighting for their lives against Leatherface and his bizarre clan. Inspired by the 1974 classic film of the same name, the new film stars Jessica Biel, Jonathan Tucker, Erica Leerhsen, Mike Vogel and Eric Balfour. Co-starring are screen veteran R. Lee Ermey, Lauren German, David Dorfman, Andrew Bryniarski, Terrence Evans, Heather Kafka and Marietta Marich. Marcus Nispel, the mastermind behind many of the most powerful images and story-telling themes in contemporary music videos and commercials, makes his feature film directorial debut. New Line Cinema presents in association with Michael Bay and Radar Pictures a Platinum Dunes/Next Entertainment Production. The film is produced by Michael Bay and Mike Fleiss. The executive producers are Ted Field, Jeffrey Allard, Guy Stodel, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller. The screenplay is by Scott Kosar (based on a screenplay by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper). The creative behind-the-scenes team is led by cinematographer Daniel Pearl (who also served as director of photography on the original 1974 release), production designer Greg Blair, costume designer Bobbie Mannix, special effects make up artist Scott Stoddard, special effects coordinator Rocky Gehr, editor Glen Scantlebury and composer Steve Jablonsky. New Line Cinema will release The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (rated “R” by the M.P.A.A. for “strong horror violence/gore, language and drug content”) in theaters nationwide on October 17th, 2003. [More]

Starring: Jessica Biel, Jonathan Tucker, Eric Balfour, Erica Leerhsen

Starring: Jessica Biel, Jonathan Tucker, Eric Balfour, Erica Leerhsen, Mike Vogel, Lauren German, R. Lee Ermey

Director: Marcus Nispel

Director: Marcus Nispel
Screenwriter: Scott Kosar
Producer: Michael Bay, Mike Fleiss, Andrew Form
Studio: New Line Cinema

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Release:

Oct 4, 2005

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The
  • Inspired by a true story and the classic 1974 film. A group of teenagers take a detour from a road trip and what happens next is beyond anyone?s darkest fears and raw nightmares.
  • Source: Warner Home Video
  • Reviews for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
    08/07/08
    Mark Halverson
    Sacramento News & Review
    Ratings Image

    Even a paint-by-numbers slasher is a novelty in this decade.

    Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy | comment Comment
    06/28/08
    Tim Brayton
    Antagony & Ecstasy
    Ratings Image

    An initially promising, but quickly disappointing retread of Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel's hugely influential horror classic.

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    04/16/08
    Scott Foundas
    Variety
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    'Inspired by a true story' presumably adds to the sordid thrills; maybe we should look forward to entertainments about Nazis torturing children.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment 1 Comment
    04/16/08
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Chicago Reader
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    Ratings Image

    Inevitably, given a bigger budget, it lacks the cheap, raw quality of the earlier film that, along with George Romero's outfit in Pennsylvania, showed you could make profitable exploitation shockers on an independent basis far from Hollywood.

    Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
    04/16/08
    Philip French
    Observer [UK]
    Ratings Image

    Just needlessly ugly and unpleasant, not to mention Hollywoodized down to its muddy shoes.

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
    08/03/07
    Rob Gonsalves
    eFilmCritic.com
    Ratings Image

    You’ll have to overcome resentment towards this unnecessary remake before you can be properly terrorised but, on its own terms, it plays well.

    Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
    12/30/06
    Empire Magazine
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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    Here's a slice of advice: Go to the video store and rent the original.

    Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
    10/03/06
    Christy Lemire
    Associated Press
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    The best one can say is that his version is not slavishly in thrall to Hooper's: boring, fright-free and pointless, maybe, but not craven.

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    06/24/06
    Time Out
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    Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
    01/09/06
    Film Threat
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    The biggest question for me is 'Why?'

    Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
    12/06/05
    Kevin Carr
    Film Threat
    Ratings Image

    It adheres to the Hollywood formula for horror remakes: Twice the gore, half the scares.

    Full Review Source: FromTheBalcony | comment Comment
    06/26/05
    Bill Clark
    FromTheBalcony
    Ratings Image

    A little stylised, but still a genuinely creepy tale worth watching.

    Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
    04/02/05
    Garth Franklin
    Dark Horizons
    Ratings Image

    Além não gerar tensão alguma no espectador, ainda torna-se enfadonho a partir de sua metade.

    Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | comment Comment
    02/26/05
    Pablo Villaca
    Cinema em Cena
    Ratings Image

    Gruesomeness and shock editing are different things from suspense... The Texas Chainsaw Massacre offers plenty of the first two but little of the latter.

    Full Review Source: F5 (Wichita, KS) | comment Comment
    03/19/04
    Jake Euker
    F5 (Wichita, KS)
    Ratings Image

    [M]ay be the most literal example in movie history of squeezing blood from a stone.

    Full Review Source: Lowell Sun | comment Comment
    02/28/04
    Austin O'Connor
    Lowell Sun
    Ratings Image

    Another pointless remake, and it turns a horrific movie into generic slush.

    Full Review Source: Boston Herald | comment Comment
    02/02/04
    Paul Sherman
    Boston Herald
    Ratings Image

    It's horrible and explicitly violent, but never authentically scary.

    Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
    01/15/04
    Peter Bradshaw
    Guardian [UK]
    Ratings Image

    All the bad-rehash mojo from Friday the 13th to The Blair Witch Project has infected Scott Kosar's script.

    Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
    01/15/04
    Peter Travers
    Rolling Stone
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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    How many times do we need to see the story of low-rent Texas cannibals cutting up innocent teens?

    Full Review Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette | comment Comment
    01/01/04
    Daniel M. Kimmel
    Worcester Telegram & Gazette
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    Latest News for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

    January 31, 2008: Platinum Dunes, New Line Announce Plans for New Nightmare on Elm Street
    In a move that should surprise no one, New Line has announced a partnership with Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes banner to reboot the Nightmare on Elm Street series. More...

    November 14, 2007: Marcus Nispel to Direct Friday the 13th Reboot?
    You can't keep a good man down. Nor, apparently, can you keep an undead, hockey mask-wearing lunatic off the big screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, director Marcus... More...

    May 09, 2007: Jessica Biel: "Street Fighter"?
    Remember that pretty rotten Jean Claude Van Damme movie that was based on a video game called "Street Fighter"? Well, you can bet the producers of the new version wish... More...

    January 18, 2007: Box Office Guru Preview: "Hitcher" Aims to Terrorize Moviegoers
    After a busy MLK frame which concluded with the Golden Globe Awards, Hollywood lets the dust settle this weekend as only one new film enters wide release - the horror remake... More...

    See More Topics...

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