The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning

[King Darkness]

Man this was brutal. I'm surprised they got so much violence and gore into a R rated movie. I think Ermeys Sheriff Hoyt is a far more monster than Leatherface.

Thats what I like to hear!

 

[Mark Hazard]

Here comes some hate and some spoilers:

It was as if the guys who typed this movie saw Batman Begins and took all the wrong lessons from it.

The original (1974) was terrifying because these kids were dropped into a nightmare with no beginning and no ending. This family existed out there before the film started, and give or take a sibling, was still there when the credits rolled. At least the 2003 remake, which I didn't like, got that part right. So this film was a bad idea from the get-go.

I do not need to see why the family became so messed up. But if you need to show me, do it well. I do not need to see how Leatherface (I cringed every time they called him "Tommy") makes his first mask. I can kind of figure that part out.

I do not need to see how Hoyt got the sheriff outfit. (And really, it was a better idea to think that he really WAS the sheriff out there.) They had him suiting up like Christian Bale in that thing. Stupid.

I do not need to see where he got the chiansaw from. Seriously. This isn't some sort of "where did the batsuit come from" level mystery. It's a farmhouse. There's a chainsaw there.

I do not need to see how Monty lost his legs. I do not need to see why Hoyt wears dentures. I never cared.

And I definitely think it was beyond idiotic to cram all those "origins" into one day.

If you ARE going to do an origin: A - make that origin interesting, rather than lazily go through a checklist of how each character ended up as they were in the '03 version; B - if you are going to go into new territory, why hamstring the "new" ideas by pinning them onto a tired-ass plot of "carload of hot young'uns get carved up?"

If you're going to show how it started, why not turn it on its ear a bit? Have a reverse-siege flick, where they close the plant, you spend a little more time on the "town dying" subplot, Leatherface kills his boss, and as a result, the entire town (what's left of it, including a sheriff dept made up of more than one guy) goes after the house? Picture NOTLD, or Assault on Precinct 13, or the end of Young Guns. The family has to defend the home, and in doing so wipe out most of the town's remaining residents. It would, in a MUCH more exciting way, explain the lack of cops and neighbors in the '03 remake.

You could have done this and kept all the "first time he uses the chainsaw", Monte losing his legs, Sgt Hulka losing his teeth, whatever. To me, villains holding off the good guys from their home base was the best part of Zombie's Devil's Rejects, but he's ripped off TCM films enough to call that one a push.

It'd be different enough from the TCM formula, would show the family bonding and coming together, fill the "bad ass" quotient for all the teen boys, would still qualify as a "massacre" for those who're hung up on that title. And who doesn't love a good siege flick? I think the movie gave itself a really low ceiling by insisting on cutting up more teens, as if there is anything left to be done with that formula.

And yet, the director's next project is the Friday the 13th remake.

 

[rabidwolverine21]

The directors terrible for this kind of movie, didnt he do bad boys?, and if so then keep with the action no inner plot movies.

 

[Mark Hazard]

Nope, he produced it, but the director of the remake was a music video director prior to his TCM flick. This new one is directed by a guy with one other feature (Darkness Falls) under his belt.

 

[EVILFACE]

I do not need to see why the family became so messed up. .

Then why did you see it? The movie's subtitle tells you it's about how they started out.

 

[Mark Hazard]

Sigh. You can read the whole review if you like.

If you ARE going to do an origin: A - make that origin interesting, rather than lazily go through a checklist of how each character ended up as they were in the '03 version; B - if you are going to go into new territory, why hamstring the "new" ideas by pinning them onto a tired-ass plot of "carload of hot young'uns get carved up?"

 

[EVILFACE]

I did read the review. I guess I just didn't have a problem with their checklist approach.

And I'm sure his F13 movie will be like the other F13 movies as well, which is fine by me

 

[galactiboy]

I went into the movie expecting violence and a cookie-cutter approach. The original TCM is an awesome movie... can't really be improved upon. These are just fun gorey fluff. Sure it would be nice if they tried something different, but if they tried really hard it might've sucked worse.

As it was I had a good time, saw some nasty gore and felt satisfied with the effort.

 

[denger4000]

I went into the movie expecting violence and a cookie-cutter approach. The original TCM is an awesome movie... can't really be improved upon. These are just fun gorey fluff. Sure it would be nice if they tried something different, but if they tried really hard it might've sucked worse.

As it was I had a good time, saw some nasty gore and felt satisfied with the effort.[/QUOTE

Exactly, what kills me is I still read reviews where people mentioned Leatherface as someone who spanned all 6 movies, is it just me or is this Leatherface a different character then the first 4 films? Because thats what I got from it. I'm not saying both exist in one universe, I'm saying they are two different characters from two different unvierse's that just happen to be really a like.

 

[galactiboy]

I definitely treat them as different movie series. These new ones are not the same... the are remakes and they even went through the trouble to give them different names. I think the bottom line is don't go to a remake of a slasher flick expecting to be touched in the bottom of you soul

 

[captain sack]

I went into the movie expecting violence

i went into this film expecting Diora Baird to free her Double D's.

 

[galactiboy]

i went into this film expecting Diora Baird to free her Double D's.

Yeah, no nudity was pretty surprising... I guess the days of the teens getting naked and hacked-to-pieces is at an end

 

[IrishJedi]

Yeah, no nudity was pretty surprising... I guess the days of the teens getting naked and hacked-to-pieces is at an end

Nah. Rob Zombie will have our backs with the HALLOWEEN remake.

 

[DarkArtist81]

Nah. Rob Zombie will have our backs with the HALLOWEEN remake.

Damn Skippy!!!

 

[Buttmunch]

A good horror movie doesn't need to have gore, nudity, or even be rated R. It can be PG-13 even. Some classics like Pyscho and the original Texas Chainsaw are equivilant to PG-13 films now adays and you don't even see any gore in Psycho (and I don't think much in the original Texas Chainsaw). Sure the slasher films tend to thrive on these elements, but a good horror movie doesn't need it. Remember the Shinning only has one scene of gore and it isn't that bad and that is a Creepy film. Or how about The Blair Witch Project? I thought Signs was even good.

 

[IrishJedi]

That's true, but those are different kinds of horror films. We're talking about the sub-genre of slasher flicks... and we like ours with boobies, thank you very much. :chew

 

[Vader AL]

damn right irish. i watched Freddy vs Jason tonight and I watched the intial scene twice......ok, 3 times. nothing like a naked chick running down a pier.

 

[galactiboy]

Now I'm making distinctions between horror and slasher flicks. Slasher flicks (ie: 80's style) thrive on blood, gore and tatties... its just a reality. Now something like the Shining and even the original TCM didn't need that, and it really wouldn't have fit. But in newer dumber films it seems to work well

And you guys are right, Zombie likes the nakeds and gore!!!

 

[Vader AL]

Now I'm making distinctions between horror and slasher flicks. Slasher flicks (ie: 80's style) thrive on blood, gore and tatties... its just a reality. Now something like the Shining and even the original TCM didn't need that, and it really wouldn't have fit. But in newer dumber films it seems to work well

And you guys are right, Zombie likes the nakeds and gore!!!

very true galactiboy...apples and oranges...both have a different taste. sometimes you feel like one, sometimes the other. Silence of the Lambs had a great meeting of the two.

 

[galactiboy]

Yep, sometimes you feel like a nut and sometimes you don't...