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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:151

Fresh:54

Rotten:97

Average Rating:4.8/10

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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21 - 40 (sorted by date)
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Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

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

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

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
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

There's a simple philosophy behind a movie like this: Add more squishing, add more screaming, and it'll be better. Or at least it'll make more money.

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
12/14/03
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic

Right up there with the "Faces of Death" series in the punch of nausea it likely will generate in some viewers.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
12/03/03
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

Rarely do re-makes ever need to be done, and rarely are they ever any good. This one is better!

Full Review Source: Zap2it.com | comment 1 Comment
11/25/03
Michael Szymanski
Michael Szymanski
Zap2it.com

The makers of this new version of Tobe Hooper’s 1974 drive-in classic may revere the original, but they display no understanding of anything that’s good about it.

Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
11/22/03
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

For dedicated admirers of the original, this version is just another rehash of the classic, but for new-comers or those who are looking for a good, old-fashioned scare, then there is plenty of meat on this table.

Full Review Source: Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies | comment Comment
11/22/03
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

Has that rare quality of not thinking too much of itself but knowing exactly what it is capable of.

Full Review Source: RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) | comment Comment
11/14/03
Harry Guerin
Harry Guerin
RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)

The original was at least fresh meat.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
11/11/03
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Click to read the article

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

...Although the story’s high on gore and low on almost everything else, Leatherface still inspires a hell of a lot more fear than Freddy or Jason.

Full Review Source: Local Planet Weekly (Spokane, WA) | comment Comment
11/05/03
Rachel Deahl
Rachel Deahl
Local Planet Weekly (Spokane, WA)

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Movie Gazette | comment Comment
11/04/03
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Movie Gazette

Bloody isn't the same thing as scary. It's got the atmosphere and the tone to a T. Lay off the abuse, and you've got yourself a movie.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
11/04/03
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

A feeble retelling that guts the integrity of the original and wears its own cynicism like a ragged mask.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
11/04/03
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

Given the opportunity to work with such classic material, all the director manages to do with it is to turn the whole movie into a shallow calling card for his visual skills.

Full Review Source: KFOR Channel 4 News | comment Comment
11/04/03
Blake Davis
Blake Davis
KFOR Channel 4 News

My predominant thought was that we need less talking and more chainsawing.

Full Review Source: Broomfield Enterprise | comment Comment
11/02/03
Dan Marcucci and Nancy Serougi
Dan Marcucci and Nancy Serougi
Broomfield Enterprise

The remake is not obscene because it's disgusting; it's obscene because it's carefully structured to be absolutely devoid of meaning.

Full Review Source: Flak Magazine | comment Comment
10/30/03
Stephen Himes
Stephen Himes
Flak Magazine

Biel rises above the rest of the cast, as a compelling protagonist in a role that mostly requires her to scream and run around in a tight tank top.

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
10/28/03
Addison MacDonald
Addison MacDonald
Premiere Magazine

Updated in sleek, visually intoxicating, but rather meaningless fashion.

Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
10/28/03
James Kendrick
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk
 
 
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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...

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