An initially promising, but quickly disappointing retread of Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel's hugely influential horror classic.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
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Reviews Counted:32
Fresh:6
Rotten:26
Average Rating:4.3/10
Consensus: An unnecessary remake that's more gory and less scary than the original.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for strong horror violence/gore, language and drug content
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... 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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Reviews for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
'Inspired by a true story' presumably adds to the sordid thrills; maybe we should look forward to entertainments about Nazis torturing children.
Here's a slice of advice: Go to the video store and rent the original.
All the bad-rehash mojo from Friday the 13th to The Blair Witch Project has infected Scott Kosar's script.
An overproduced, video-director remake, slick and grue-marinated and loud as a sonic boom.
Weakens, dilutes, disinfects and otherwise undermines the legacy of Tobe Hooper's 1974 original.
You realize how hard this is on me, to have to tell you what a superb job director Marcus Nispel has done re-creating, yet also revising, 1974's grisly, gristly, protein-centric masterpiece.
Next to this redundant, pointless and witless retread, the classic status of Tobe Hooper's original version is officially beyond dispute.
Unlike movies such as Seven, there isn't enough style in the new The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to justify the bloodbath, and it's riddled with too much been-there-done-that to endure as a classic.
Does convey the sense of being caught in a nightmare. A stupid person's nightmare.
A splatterfest remake that relentlessly assaults the senses and mind with no discernable redeeming social value.
Gruesome enough; what it lacks is a distinctive revolting personality of its own.
It is nearly as tense and nasty as the original and, to be fair, features far better acting, most notably by Jessica Biel, who is compelling even when she isn't about to burst out of her wet T-shirt.
This is easily the most gruesome, most pointless, episode of Scooby Doo ever.
For the new generation of slasher fan, the remake is a true gross-out with plenty of satisfying frights. For the rest of us, it's one more chapter in a neverending story.
That it escaped the straight-to-video bin suggests that Hollywood's contempt for today's youth audience has reached a new level.
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