It's horrible and explicitly violent, but never authentically scary.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
Tomatometer
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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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Reviews for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
All the bad-rehash mojo from Friday the 13th to The Blair Witch Project has infected Scott Kosar's script.
How many times do we need to see the story of low-rent Texas cannibals cutting up innocent teens?
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.
Right up there with the "Faces of Death" series in the punch of nausea it likely will generate in some viewers.
Rarely do re-makes ever need to be done, and rarely are they ever any good. This one is better!
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.
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.
Has that rare quality of not thinking too much of itself but knowing exactly what it is capable of.
...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.
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.
A feeble retelling that guts the integrity of the original and wears its own cynicism like a ragged mask.
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.
My predominant thought was that we need less talking and more chainsawing.
The remake is not obscene because it's disgusting; it's obscene because it's carefully structured to be absolutely devoid of meaning.
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.
Updated in sleek, visually intoxicating, but rather meaningless fashion.
Latest News for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
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November 14, 2007:
Marcus Nispel to Direct Friday the 13th Reboot?
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May 09, 2007:
Jessica Biel: "Street Fighter"?
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January 18, 2007:
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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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