Reviewed By
Vaughan

Analysis
In a time where aggression and violence is perhaps at a cultural peak, it is hard to imagine the fuss and nonsense that surrounded the US theatrical release of the original 1974 Tobe Hooper classic 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'. Inducing shear terror and panic in some viewers to the extent that it was accused by the masses of being a real portrayal of murder (snuff movie), that the censors at that time felt the only thing this disgusting movie was good for was to rot away under lock and key, never again to be shown to the fragile public. No doubt fearing that it would turn society into a horde of aggressive savages, it wasn't until 25 years later that the UK censors, having realised that society hadn't crumbled with the onslaught of increasingly violent TV and the already softening movie censorship, that the original film was finally passed uncut in 1999 by the BBFC. It was the raw and gritty feel of Hoopers creation that left people disturbed and coupled with the fact that it was touted to be loosely based on real life serial killer Ed Gien, some thought it was a step too far. For those that hadn't seen the original on pirate VHS in the following years, a few nice surprises lay in wait, but too many years had passed and too much had been said to allow the impact to be anything other than average.

With it's notorious reputation, you would think that this film would be fairly untouchable and even the mention of a remake would cause the horror purists to label it as heresy. But here we are with a fresh re-imagination of the original shocker. I use the word re-imagination because of the obvious homage to the original work but this is not a direct copy of the story and does inject it's own personality but always respects the source material. The raw, visual grittiness that iconised the style of the original film is recreated in a fashion here but this is perhaps no real surprise as Cinematographer, Daniel Pearl is again working on the Chainsaw franchise after undertaking the same role in the original movie. A very clever move on behalf of the production team and one that has paid visual dividends.

The casting is pretty solid, made up of various actors who have had roles in other genre movies, but non of whom would spring to mind when mentioned in conversation, but no matter as they each handle their horrific predicament with convincing gusto. It would be a little unfair to single out our leading lady Jessica Biel just because she oozes natural sex appeal and displays a fabulous shapely figure, but life's like that so the sooner Miss Biel returns to our screens the better. Her role as Erin is essentially a revamped version of Sally from the first film, played by Marilyn Burns, and the two contrast very well with similar styled scenes that made the first the classic it is.

The man behind the mask gets a more prominent role in this incarnation with a very early look at Leathface's features including a rare 'behind the mask' view of Bubba Sawyer's hideously deformed facial features. His screen presence is still as terrifying as ever before and combined with the deafening drone of his favorite weapon of choice, makes for a cinematic scare quite unlike anything you would have seen outside of the original film.

Key Area	Rating (out of 5)	Comment
Action		As you would expect, the action stems from the multitude of escape scenes that litter the story and increase in their overall intensity as the plot reaches it's climax.
Tension		The atmosphere is tremendously well controlled with a steady rise in tension that is only relinquished once you have jumped clear out of your seat. The scenes within the Sawyer house basement are coupled well with an erie sound track that just jangles your nerves.
Violence/ Gore		The original, whilst graphic, never spiraled into a visual blood bath and this version is no exception. Clearly the horror element invites the gleeful addition of some explicit special effects and a chainsaw certainly isn't the most subtle of weapons, but these moments are not over cooked.
Bare Flesh	None	Plenty of human flesh hanging limply from the face mask of our insane killer Leathface, but non of it is remotely easy on the eye.
Plot		It is hard to score the plot as this is a remake, but an attempt has been made to freshen up the old material whilst staying loyal to hardened fans of the original.

Verdict This re-invention of a classic horror film has spawned a movie that, for the modern horror film fan, has slightly surpassed that of it's parent source. The atmosphere is still present and the story has changed only cosmetically, but the whole project seems a more polished and complete affair and one that begs to be viewed on the big screen.

Movie Pictures (Click picture to enlarge)