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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: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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Release:

Sep 8, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

Blu-ray Disc Features:

  • Region [unknown]
  • NTSC

Audio:

  • (unspecified) English
 
 
 
 

Reviews for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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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
Scott Foundas
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

'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
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
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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
Christy Lemire
Associated Press
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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
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
11/08/03
Philadelphia Inquirer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

... a bloody good time of a B-movie.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
10/27/03
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
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An overproduced, video-director remake, slick and grue-marinated and loud as a sonic boom.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
10/21/03
Michael Atkinson
Michael Atkinson
Village Voice
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Weakens, dilutes, disinfects and otherwise undermines the legacy of Tobe Hooper's 1974 original.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
10/17/03
Richard Harrington
Richard Harrington
Washington Post
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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.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
10/17/03
Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post
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Next to this redundant, pointless and witless retread, the classic status of Tobe Hooper's original version is officially beyond dispute.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
10/17/03
Geoff Pevere
Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
10/17/03
Peter Hartlaub
Peter Hartlaub
San Francisco Chronicle
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Does convey the sense of being caught in a nightmare. A stupid person's nightmare.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
10/17/03
Bob Campbell
Bob Campbell
Newark Star-Ledger
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A splatterfest remake that relentlessly assaults the senses and mind with no discernable redeeming social value.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
10/17/03
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post
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Gruesome enough; what it lacks is a distinctive revolting personality of its own.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
10/17/03
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail
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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.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
10/17/03
Terry Lawson
Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is easily the most gruesome, most pointless, episode of Scooby Doo ever.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
10/17/03
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
10/17/03
Jack Mathews
Jack Mathews
New York Daily News
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A contemptible film: Vile, ugly and brutal.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
10/17/03
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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Junky and disposable but fast most of the time.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
10/16/03
Mike Clark
Mike Clark
USA Today
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That it escaped the straight-to-video bin suggests that Hollywood's contempt for today's youth audience has reached a new level.

Full Review Source: San Jose Mercury News | comment Comment
10/16/03
Glenn Lovell
Glenn Lovell
San Jose Mercury News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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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...

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