I’ve never seen the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I plan to rectify that, but I chose not to watch it before viewing the remake. I wanted to view Marcus Nispel’s movie with unbiased eyes. Having done that, I will say this movie is seriously disturbing.
The film’s introduction intimates that the true story has remained untold for over thirty years… until now. It implies that the original movie wasn’t the real account. Of course, neither movie is true, although Leatherface is based on real life serial killer Ed Gein.
When we first meet our endangered Scooby gang it’s August 18, 1973. They’re hot, high and horny as they drive their van through Texas. They almost hit an ill-looking woman trudging toward them on a dirt road. Erin (Jessica Biel), our strong heroine, insists they stop to help her. Joining them in the van, the mysterious girl mutters about getting away from a “bad man,” but no one realizes how distraught she is until she notices they’re driving the wrong direction. Refusing to return from where she just escaped, she commits suicide. It’s this opening sequence that lends the film its most disturbing material. From the nauseating knowledge of where she gets her weapon, to the visceral image of her destruction and the sickening way she’s later disparaged by the local sheriff… it is this ill-at-ease horror that will haunts viewers long after the closing credits.
That’s not to say the rest of the film isn’t frightening. It is, but not in the way you’d imagine. Sure, there are a few jump-out-of-your-seat moments, and you get a certain adrenaline rush when Leatherface (Andrew Bryniarski impersonating Kane Hodder) bursts out of a hidey-hole, his chainsaw roaring. However, he is far more terrifying when he quietly toils in his butcher shop or sewing room, harvesting fingers or sewing masks from human skin. It’s the torture he inflicts that makes viewers quiver in fear and flinch in sympathy.
Even more fearsome is Sheriff Hoyt (R. Lee Ermey), a perverse monster who gets off on abusing his power. Not only is he vile, he is also arguably the scariest part of the movie. It’s much easier to imagine someone being that twisted in real life than to imagine a chainsaw wielding madman.
Most impressive is the film’s visual style. This is director Marcus Nispel’s debut film, but cinematographer Daniel Pearl actually worked on the original 1974 movie. Not only is their use of light creative and stunning, it is also illuminating. I appreciate being able to see what is happening in a horror film for a change.
A strong cast is a rarity in slasher films, but this one is solid. Ermey is deliciously despicable and Biel is forceful and convincing. It’s unfortunate the director diluted her performance by constantly dousing her with water.
Besides a wet, hot chick, Nispel also copped to a few other clichés (animal in the closet, car won’t start, and others) that diminish the strength of the film. The contrivances could’ve been overlooked if they weren’t stacked on top of two grievous errors. One is the redundant hide and seek that takes place in the finale. The second big mistake involves the “family.” These backwoods mutants with their repugnant teeth, pallid complexions and vacuous eyes are unquestionably eerie, but their relationship to Leatherface isn’t clearly defined or developed. Either explain them or excise them.
Regardless of its flaws, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre plays stronger than most teen scream movies. This new version has the confidence and capability to wriggle under your skin and freak you out for 98 minutes, if not torment your dreams.
Has the confidence and capability to wriggle under your skin and freak you out for 98 minutes, if not torment your dreams in the dark of night.- Terri Clark
