Remakes of any kind usually drum up emotions and feelings of wanting to vomit everywhere. It shows that whoever takes on such an undertaking with their time and budget pretty much has no original ideas, creativity or inspiration to carve out anything even remotely original to offer up in regards of art or integrity. There is another side of the coin where a remake or a reboot can actually be leaps and bounds better than it's initial counter part and has a mass appeal that warrants a frenzied fan base-which back when I saw The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) with an ex-girlfriend when it was first released, somehow was all caught up in the gore, the hype, and the thinking that this actually was based on a true story and bought it. Technically, this and the masterpiece original from 1974 really are based on true events-what with Tobe Hooper garnering the idea from a combination with his fascination of famed serial killer Ed Gein who did his work in Plainfield, Wisconsin-and from the random idea of being in line at a hardware store one afternoon and thinking to himself "It would be so easy to just cut all of these people down in front of me with that chainsaw on the wall over there". Even though the original picture from '74 is the best film in the franchise (and my favorite fear flick of all time) I really can't deny the effect this 2003 remake had on me when I saw it in the theater. The girlfriend I was with at that time wanted to see pretty much every new horror movie coming out while we were together, and this was one of the first ones. I wasn't at all used to watching movies like this then, and there were a few scenes that I really cringed and looked away at. Now, this film is cake. But it's mainly because of this entry that I very slowly started to want to see more-form a fascination with serial killers myself, and ultimately find out about Tobe Hooper's first flick that got him noticed and changed the world of horror forever.
This grainy, black and white opening really sets the tone.
Sweet Home Alabama. Sweet, cowboy hat wearing Jessica Biel.
Shut up, Franklin. Oh wait, he's in the original. Nevermind.
She had a .38 in her vagina. And she shot herself in the mouth. Holy shit.
There's lots of reasons not to call the cops.
That meat is.... yeah. You don't want any of that.
A dilapidated mill that has mummified dolls and body parts all over the entrance wall is probably not a place you just walk into.
Morgan is right. Just go.
You know how easy it would be to just kill this old guy in the wheelchair?
Here we go-it's Leatherface!
It took you this long to figure out that where you're at is weird?!
"I smell bullshit."
There are many diehard fans of the initial picture from Tobe Hooper that just don't like this version. I totally get it. Maybe it's nostalgia, or maybe it's because it was one of the first movies of this kind that really stuck to me and never let me forget about it for a long time, but in all honesty, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) is a solid remake and one great update for the early 2000's. The grit, the dim and dreary color pallet that pretty much saturates through to the end, and the downright dirty and hopeless feeling that you get from the utter panic and urgency behind the five main characters for the course of this film really makes this a memorable entry-especially if you still have never seen it before. It's much better than most would let you know about, and even to this day I still recommend new zits and zombies to sit through this at least one time. Yes, it was produced by fucking Michael Bay's production company Platinum Dunes, yes the main attraction and sex appeal comes from Jessica Biel wearing a cowboy hat, covered in blood and mud running around in a tied up wife beater, low ride jeans and her mid-section exposed for 90 minutes. Who gives a shit. That's half the fun. The characters really feel real, the claustrophobia is tight and Leatherface (well, the whole Hewitt family really) is meaner than shit and they just want people for dinner. If you've been avoiding this remake for the past 15 years, just watch it already. I'm sure you'll change your mind.
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