The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning

2006

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning

Critics Consensus

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning is full of blood and gore, but not enough scares or a coherent story to make for a successful horror film.

13%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 85

53%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 491,609
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Movie Info

It's 1969. The conflict in Viet Nam has exploded to immeasurable proportions, and 18-year-old Dean Hills number is up. Dean's brother Eric, who has already seen his share of combat, plans to take Dean to enlist in his beloved Marine Corps in hopes of keeping an eye on him rather than letting him take his chances at the local induction center. But Dean's plans do not coincide with his older brothers. Instead, he plans to confront Eric about dodging the draft after the boys and their respective girlfriends, Bailey and Chrissie, head across Texas for a final fling of serious fun. Soon after their journey begins, the spirited foursome is spooked by a menacing pair of bikers, Holden and his girlfriend, Alex. When Alex chases the group's jeep, propelling them into a serious accident, Chrissie is thrown from the vehicle. As Alex attempts to rob the injured trio, Sheriff Hoyt arrives on the scene and turns the tables on their would-be assassin. While Chrissie hides in the nearby brush, she watches as the sheriff kills Alex in cold blood and then inexplicably taunts her friends before ordering them into the back of the patrol car. Unbeknownst to Chrissie, Hoyt is headed back to the Hewitt family home where Thomas who is being groomed to become the terrifying monster known as Leatherface and the rest of the Hewitt clan await.

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Cast

Jordana Brewster
as Chrissie
Taylor Handley
as Dean
Diora Baird
as Bailey
Matt Bomer
as Eric
Lee Tergesen
as Holden
R. Lee Ermey
as Sheriff Hoyt
Andrew Bryniarski
as Thomas Hewitt/Leatherface
Terrence Evans
as Monty
Kathy Lamkin
as Tea Lady
Marietta Marich
as Luda Mae
Leslie Calkins
Cyia Batten
as Alex
Lew Temple
as Sheriff Winston Hoyt
Allison Marich
L.A. Calkins
as Sloane
Marcus Nelson
Tim De Zarn
as Ed
Emily Kaye
as Biker Chick
Marcus H. Nelson
as Lackey
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Critic Reviews for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning

All Critics (85) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (11) | Rotten (74)

  • Oppressive, mean-spirited and sadistic, The Beginning is an unsavoury exercise in cruelty and pain that one hopes will also be the end.

    Oct 28, 2006 | Full Review…

    Chris Tilly

    Time Out
    Top Critic

  • Gross and sadistic but never scary.

    Oct 28, 2006 | Rating: 2/5

    Randy Cordova

    Arizona Republic
    Top Critic

  • A noisy prequel to the 2003 remake that revs up the power tools to disguise its pointlessness.

    Oct 28, 2006 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

    Jamie Russell

    BBC.com
    Top Critic

  • Attention sadists: Demand more from your gorefests than this pro forma return to the well. Has mass murder ever been this dull?

    Oct 18, 2006 | Rating: 0/4

    Peter Travers

    Rolling Stone
    Top Critic

  • The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning relies on made-you-jump shocks and more fake entrails than a Jaycees haunted house.

    Oct 13, 2006 | Rating: D

    Keith Phipps

    AV Club
    Top Critic

  • The story's been played out so many times.

    Oct 9, 2006

    Richard Roeper

    Ebert & Roeper
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (85)

Audience Reviews for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning

  • Sep 28, 2018
    Literally one of the top-ten worst films I've ever seen.
    Stephen S Super Reviewer
  • Nov 02, 2013
    The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning serves as a prequel to the 2003 remake, and therein lies the problem. With the ending being a forgone conclusion, there's no real suspense or mystery. The cast features some impressive actors, including Jordana Brewster, Matt Bomer, and R. Lee Ermey, and they deliver fairly strong performances. Additionally, some of the action scenes are pretty intense. But the overemphasis on gore and the futility of the characters' struggle hurts the film. While some of the backstory is interesting, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning delivers the same formulaic tripe that the previous films dished out.
    Dann M Super Reviewer
  • Jan 18, 2012
    [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon13.gif[/img] I'll start by saying this is not a film in any meaning of the word it's just a studio milking one of the easiest cow's to milk for cash in the history of horror cinema. So here's the making of: A bunch of bank managers got together and stripped a classic horror film a.k.a "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (almost) entirely of it's pride. They then decided after stealing 51 million dollars with a remake that they wanted more. So they then took a classic movie with an inspired story and made a pointless prequel with a storyline probably made up on the spot. This so called storyline was the back story of one of the most iconic and terrifying horror characters in history and destroyed his reputation by explaining why he is, the way that he is, and why he brutally murders people with a chainsaw. Is that in any way scary? Hell no.
    Directors C Super Reviewer
  • Nov 22, 2011
    A long overdue remake, the movie is good, works well, although their history is bloody and not very good, it's a movie that tries to be the category of horror films but fails completely
    Rodrigo R Super Reviewer
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