The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning: Review By Vamp

So here we are, the final, in only one way, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" film. I wish I could tell you that this prequel was all everyone cracked it up to be in their reviews, but it's not. That's not to say it's a terrible film, it's just not worth the all-praising reviews that it's been getting from MovieWebbers so far. This is nowhere NEAR what any of the previous installments were... well... It was better than "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation" was, and I enjoyed it a lot more than I did "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2" (Which I still liked, you know), but it wasn't as good as "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)" or "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003). Not NEARLY as good as either of those. In it's own right, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning," is a great film, and makes a grizzly back story for one of the most macabre series there is, but this one's reliance on blood and gore to scare is sickening, and I don't just mean that because all of the blood was disgusting. This movie came out during the time when people thought that grizzly murders and copious amounts of blood and gore were necessary for scaring people... Which isn't the case. It just makes you go "EEEEWWW," and want to blow chunks. I'm very glad that we've grown out of this era, though because I'm tired of being disgusted, and look forward to being scared in more movies. And no, "SAW" is intending to scare anyone, before you say something. It's just there to make you go "EEEEWWW," and want to blow chunks, while at the same time delivering a brilliant and twisting storyline. Anyway, I digress. While this film was excellent, and far from sh*tty, it relied too much on blood, and naturally that brought my rating down. However, if you want a very interesting story, to answer a lot of questions that have been forming since you bean watching "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" films, then this one will definitely tickle your fancy. While delivering much more blood than is necessary, this movie keeps true to the basics of what a "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" film should be, and doesn't waver away from the macabre and the spooky... It just takes the scare out of stuff, and replaces it with the gruesome and the grotesque. So if you're worried by reading my review so far, then don't fret, because it's not a terrible movie at all..... It's just not a perfect one, either.

Jonathan Liebesman, the director of this gruesome tale, has done four other movies besides this one, which include "Genesis and Catastrophe" in 2000, "Darkness Falls" in 2003, "Rings" in 2005, and "The Killing Room," which will be coming out soon this year. He's also working on one called "Battle: Los Angeles," which is said to be coming out in 2010. Jonathan Liebesman seems to have a very good hold on doing action and horror films, and I respect that very much. He brings some very new things to the table, as well, which create new sorts of macabre and disturbing, and I respect that as well. He has many different angles in this movie that he uses, and they all seem to work out great for portraying scenes of gruesome dismemberment and skinning, but it's the decision for all this blood and gore that throws me off kilter. Why did Directors go through this stage, where they though shocking and brutal images would scare people? It would make more sense if it were NEEDED, but it didn't seem like half of the gore and intense images that were shown in this film were actually needed, so I question the director's choices in regards to these different things. The writer of this film, who did the story and the screenplay, is a man named Sheldon Turner, whose only done one other story besides this one that is OUT now, and that would be the 2005 remake of "The Longest Yard," which I personally, have not seen, but hear good things about. He's also rumored to have written the story for "X-Men Origins: Magneto." Anyway, he writes a mean back story for Leatherface, and shows how it all started, and I appreciate finally knowing something about the killer. The thing about the other slashers in the genre, is that they're all explained stories. Michael Myers was a young boy when he suddenly stabbed his sister to death. Years later he escaped a mental institution to kill his last remaining sister. Jason Voorhees was drowned as a young boy, and after coming back and witnessing his mother's decapitation at the hands of a young camp counselor, he exacts his revenge by hacking to death camp counselors and teens. Freddy Kruger was a child molester and a murderer, and when the parents of Elm Street had finally had enough, and burned his house down with him in it, he was sent to another world. Now he returns to kill the children of the parents who sentenced him to this damnation, by getting them where there's nowhere to hide. Leatherface, however, was always just THERE. His backstory, and his drive to kill was never explained, just utilized, and Sheldon Turner does a great job at creating a backstory for him. So Turner DEFINITELY gives a mean story for this movie.... Too bad his screenplay was doused in blood. Turner is not the only one responsible for this bloodfest, though. David J. Schow also wrote the story for this one. That's right, the man who wrote the story for "Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III," as well as the story for another favorite film of mine, "The Crow." He does a great job of helping Sheldon Turner create a story, I just wonder why he and Sheldon Turner decided to put so much blood into it, even though Schow had nothing to do with the screenplay. The Director and the two Writers work together wonderfully, and bring us a brilliant, and blood-filled story that will shock many a fans of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" series.

The visuals of this movie are what are so controversial with me. The excessive amounts of blood in this, to me, was just ridiculous, and completely unneeded. Blood and Gore does not make a movie scary.... And nor does it make a movie GOOD.... It just makes the film GROSS, as well as hard to watch at many points in the film. I understand what the movie was trying to convey, though, and that was the fact that it's no cleanly business skinning bodies and sewing the faces into masks, so I have to give them some credit for not making it all pansy and fancy smancy, but there comes a limit to the amount of blood that a film should use, and that limit was exceeded BIG time, if not DOUBLED with this movie. While the blood was at an excessive force with the film, there are many other factors which weigh in on the good side of things with this film. One being Leatherface's appearance. He hasn't yet gotten into the habit of cutting off his victim's faces, and sewing them into a bloody mask that he will then wear, yet, but he DOES wear a strip of leather around his face, except for his eyes, since he, and many other people, do not like the way that he looks. His long, scraggly hair REALLY adds a menacing look to the man. Add a meat cleaver to this, and later on in the film, a chainsaw, and you've got yourself one MEAN f*cker! Another visual that I thought was cool, was the ttransformation that the old hillbilly man made into becoming Sheriff Hoyt. He wore the old trucker's cap, and the overall bibs in the start of this film, but when he becomes the sheriff, it's just awesome to see. I don't know WHY it's so, but watch the film and I'm sure you'll understand what I mean. It's just interesting to see how the man that was such an inigma in the first one, stepped into his boots and became the Sheriff that caused so much trouble in the remake. There are many other scenes that are visually good, but I'll let you find those yourself. Just remember when you watch this movie, that you will NOT be scared, just majorly grossed out, and if this violence and goriness DOES scare you.... Then clearly you're not really that in depth with a horror film, are you? Anyway, this film is good visually, but definitely not for the squeamish people out there.

This movie's storyline is where it all excels, really. While you're distracted by all the intense violence and gratuitous images, it may be hard to notice that the story for this film was VERY well done. As I've already touched down upon earlier on in this review, this movie gives us a back story as to WHY these things are going on, and WHY Leatherface is the way he is. The storyline of this movie is very catching, and I commend Sheldon Turner GREATLY for that, I just wish he wouldn't have bogged down his screenplay with so much blood. I know, I know, you're sick of hearing me complain about the blood and violence in the movie, but you'll just have to stick with it for now. For what it's worth, some of it WAS needed, and I appreciate that. Anyway, I keep digressing. The storyline offers us a deep and interesting look into the past of one of the most notorious, spooky, and macabre members of Slasher Movie stardom, and while Leatherface may not have spawned as many sequels as, say Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, or Freddy Kruger, he is CERTAINLY as memorable and frightening as any of the three, if not MORE than some of them. It makes us fear the character even more to know that there's something behind all that mindless killing and butchering... Something fierce, and vengeful... Something that probably will NOT be fed and/or stopped. As I've said a few times already, I've lost count, really, this story more than makes up for the fact that the blood is so copious. A group of teenagers are headed to Austin, Texas, to drop of the two men of the team at an airport, where they will be shipped off to serve in the Vietnam War. However, on their way, they get into an accident, and meet a Sheriff that isn't what he seems to be. Witness the birth of one of the most ruthless characters in horror movie history, Thomas "Leatherface" Hewitt. It's a chilling story, and if anything, the copious amounts of blood and violence will keep your eyes glued to the screen, no matter how appalled you are with it... Or how DISGUSTED and near-vomiting you might be getting. So if you're looking for a chilling, and gripping story, then you've come to the right place with this film. Definitely worth the watch in that respect.

Jordana Brewster, known for her roles in movies such as "The Faculty," where she plays Delilah Profitt, "The 60's," where she played Sarah Weinstock, "The Invisible Circus," where she played Phoebe, "The Fast and the Furious," where she plays Mia Toretto, "D.E.B.S." where she plays Lucy Diamond, "Nearing Grace," where she plays Grace Chance, "Annapolis," where she plays Ali, and she also has a role again as Mia Toretto, in the upcoming third sequel to "The Fast and the Furious," entitled, "Fast & Furious," she's also had parts in shows such as "All My Children," "As the World Turns," "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," and "Chuck," stars in this movie as our heroine, Chrissie. Chrissie's boyfriend is Eric (Played by Matthew Bomer of "Flightplan"), and Eric is leaving to go back to war in Vietnam, and he's going with his brother Dean. Eric is completely excited about his trip back to war, he's a war man, and that's that. However, as Chrissie, Eric, Dean, and Dean's girlfriend, Heather (Played by Diora Baird of "Accepted"), are on their way to Austin, Texas, to drop the boys off, they're run of the road by a crazy biker woman, as they swerve, and hit, a cow. They're all banged up badly, but before the crazy biker woman has the chance to shoot, rob, and/or kill them, the Sheriff shows up, with shotgun in hand, and blows the crazy biker chick into oblivion. However, little does Chrissie, who was thrown into a field as the vehicle swerved, they're in for far more than they'd bargained for with this Sheriff. He takes Eric, Dean, and Heather away in his car, after Eric discreetly tells her to stay hidden in the grass because he knows something is wrong with this Sheriff. As she starts to search through the car that they were driving in, which was totaled, a man comes up in a tow truck to take care of the mess. She successfully hides from this man, but she is dragged away, to a huge Manor, where she KNOWS that Eric, Dean, and Heather are being held captive at. She sets to trying to find help, but after seeing that something is seriously wrong, she goes back to the road, and heads back to the bar they were at to begin with. She runs into one of the bikers that had attacked her earlier. He takes her back to the house, so that he can search for his girlfriend, whom he was told by Chrissie was killed by the Sheriff. However, as they arrive, he tells Chrissie that her friends aren't any of his concern, and now everything is left to her. As she sneaks around, though, she sees the evils of this family, and what it is TRULY about, and she soon finds out that getting her friends out of their alive and safe, is going to be INFINITELY harder than she'd imagined it would be. Jordana Brewster does a FANTASTIC job at this role. She's a great little actress, and she really plays the role well. She's smart, being cautious as she enters rooms, and making sure NOT to run into any traps or anything that could kill her. The other thing about Jordana Brewster's performance, was that she plays a VERY good scared woman, and her screams will most DEFINITELY be remembered by many people to come. Not as scary, frightening, or memorable as the screams of Marlyn Burns from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)," but they'll be memorable screams, nonetheless. You REALLY feel for this character, too, as she is chased and tortured by this maniacal family... You don't relate to her well, though, I don't think. Jordana Brewster was DEFINITELY a great casting choice for this role.

Taylor Handley, known for roles in such movies as "Jack Frost," where he played Rory Buck, "Phantom of the Megaplex," where he played Pete Riley, "Zerophilia," where he played Luke, "September Dawn," where he played Micah Samuelson, "In From the Night," where he played Bobby, "The Standard," where he played Ryan, and he's got roles in upcoming movies like "Skateland," where he will play Kenny Crawford, and "Southland," where he will play Wade, he's also had roles in many Television Shows, such as "Hidden Palms," "CSI: Miami," "Cold Case," "Blind Justice," "The O.C.," "Dawson's Creek," "Becker," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Touched By An Angel," and "Frasier," stars in this movie as our Hero, Dean. Dean is the brother of Eric. Dean is also going to be going to war for the first time in Vietnam. He'd been drafted into the army, just as his brother had been drafted BACK into the army. Dean, however, is frightened to go there, and so he and his girlfriend, Heather, have plans to go to Mexico, and avoid the draft. He's not told his brother yet, though because he knows how much it means to his brother to be in the army, and headed to Vietnam and serving with his brother. However, he's going to have to tell him soon, since they're getting closer and closer to reaching their destination in Austin, Texas. As they're heading down the road, leaving a bar they had stopped at to refresh, Dean tells Eric, and Eric is NOT happy about it because he's going to War FOR his brother. However, their little argument is soon forgotten, as a crazy biker chick attacks the vehicle. They crash, and soon, the Sheriff shows up, but the Sheriff is not what he seems, and as he finds the draft card that Dean had begun burning, he starts to cause even more trouble for the group. Dean, Eric, and Heather are soon taken into the police car, and taken to a huge house. Eric lies, though, and tells Sheriff Hoyt that it was HIS draft card that he'd burnt. Here, Dean is tortured by the Sheriff, as the Sheriff finds out about the lie that Eric told about being Dean. However, Dean is forced to do twenty push-ups, as the crazy Sheriff beats him with his riot stick. Soon, Dean can't move, even though he won his freedom by doing the twenty push-ups. When he CAN move, he gets his foot caught in a bear trap, where he is left. It seems that Dean is in trouble, and he has to save his brother, his brother's girlfriend, and his OWN girlfriend, and get the hell away from this place before something REALLY bad, and REALLY worse happens. Taylor Handley does a good job at playing this role, as well, and he REALLY nails the role, too. He gets the whole, scared man, who rises to the occasion, and tries to rescue everyone, VERY well. He definitely knows how to play an angry, pissed off, and scared individual, and really brings the role around full circle, making it a very deep character. You really feel for this character because of how scared of the draft he is, and then because of all of the trouble that he is given by Sheriff Hoyt in the film, but I'm not sure you could relate very well to THIS character, EITHER. Taylor Handley was DEFINITELY another great casting choice for this movie.

R. Lee Ermey, known for roles in such movies as "Full Metal Jacket," where he played Gny. Sgt. Hartman, "Fletch Lives," where he played Jimmy Lee Farnsworth, "The Terror Within II," where he played Von Demming, "The Rift," where he plays Capt. Phillips, "'83 Hours Till Dawn," where he plays Glen Fairling, "Toy Soldiers," where he plays General Kramer, "Hexed," where he plays Det. Ferguson, "Sommersby," where he plays Dick Mead, "Body Snatchers," where he plays General Platt, "Love is a Gun," where he plays Frank Deacon, "Murder in the First," where he plays Judge Clawson, and "Man of the House," where he plays Captain Nichols, returns to the role that he made famous in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)," and delivers his character's backstory, in this movie as Sheriff Hoytt, the evil Sheriff. Hoyt wasn't always Hoyt, as it is shown in this film. To begin with Hoyt was just a hillbilly man living in a town whose main income was the meat processing plant where everyone in town worked. However, NOW that plant was being shut down, and everyone in the town was leaving, and going away for good. One day, as Hoyt is at home, the Sheriff comes to his door, and tells him that his brother, Thomas Hewitt, had killed a man at the plant, and that they needed to find him. Hoyt goes with the Sheriff to be able to calm Thomas down and capture him, but as we finally find Thomas, we know that Hoyt is not what he seems. As the Sheriff gets out and tries to apprehend Thomas Hewitt, Hoyt grabs the Sheriff's shotgun, and kills the Sheriff. From there, he takes on the identity of Sheriff, and reveals his plan to the family. He's going to take over as Sheriff, and they shall procure food by killing passers by to cook and feed upon. You see, Hoyt served in the Korean war, and there he became a prisoner of war, and to survive, he ATE his compatriots, thus developing a thirst for blood, and a hunger for flesh. His family is VERY unsure and doubtful about this, and when they get themselves the group of teenagers, their fears are confirmed as they start to put up a huge fight against the family, and seems like they're going to get away. However, it is never Hoyt's intention to let them go, or let them LIVE for that matter. R. Lee Ermey made this character so awesome in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)," and in this one he doesn't disappoint either. He tosses around his dark and gruesome jokes like none other, and making you laugh when you know you shouldn't. He just plays this crazy and maniacal character so well... It's strange how these actors can make these characters so CREEPY and so MANIACAL, but they do it, and R. Lee Ermey makes one of the most memorable dickhe*ded bad guy of any Horror movie you can think of. There is absolutely NO other person who could play this role HALF as good as R. Lee Ermey can, and I'm glad that he decided to come back for this role, too. You don't feel sh*t for this "*sshole," as he loves to call people, either,and you DEFINITELY can't relate to him, either, which is great because that's EXACTLY the way it was supposed to be portrayed: as a mean and nasty man bent on torturing people, and reveling in that torture. R. Lee Ermey was DEFINITELY yet another great casting choice for this movie.

Now we've got Leatherface, and the rest of his twisted, nasty, maniacal, and macabre family. First up, we've got Monty, whom you might remember as the legless man from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)" (Played by Terrence Evans of "Driver's Ed," returning from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)"), then of course there's Leatherface's Mother, or at least his foster Mother, Luda Mae (Played by Marietta Marich of "Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering," and returning from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)," also there's the bigger woman who comes to visit for tea (Played by Kathy Lamkin of "The Heartbreak Kid," and returning from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)"), and then of course, we've got Thomas "Leatherface" Hewitt himself (Played by Andrew Bryniarski of "Black Mask II: City of Masks," and returning from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)." Luda Mae, one day, was digging through the garbage, trying to find some food that was fit to eat, since she was so poor, when she finds a baby in the dumpster. This baby then becomes Thomas Hewitt, and she raises him as her own, and she is the only one who sees him as "A Beautiful Young Boy." As Thomas grows up, he is made fun and picked on in the schoolyard because of his face and how he looks, and he came to hate his looks, and wear masks. Soon, as he became old enough, he started to work at the meat packing plant. One day, though, the plant is closed down, and he is told to leave. However, Leatherface is not to be trifled with, and later on in the day, he returns to the owner's office, and kills him. Later he's walking down the road, when the Sheriff approaches. Leatherface doesn't need to worry, though because Hoyt is there, and he kills the Sheriff. Soon, Hoyt has Leatherface killing people off so that they can have some food to eat. While he is skinning one kid, he sees the kids face, and finds that he can cut the face off, and sew it into a new face for himself. Thus, the mask made of other people's face is born. Then, he is called to come deal with someone who'd come into the house to kill Hoyt, and he gets his affinity for killing with a chainsaw by sawing the man in half with the chainsaw he took from the old meat packing plant. And so, Leatherface is born. Monty once could walk, until one day, when someone bent on revenge against Hoyt comes in, and shoots him in the knee. To help with the pain, Hoyt has Leatherface come up and cut off the ruined leg, and then Hoyt tells Leatherface to "Even it out," and Leatherface cuts off the OTHER leg. Thus, Monty's legs are no more, and he is stuck within his wheelchair for the rest of his life. None of the family, however, is very comfortable with the way that Hoyt has decided to run things, but they decide that after awhile, it will grow on them, and so they don't try to stop him, or kill him or something drastic as that because they get to keep their home, and many a generation of Hewitt's had been buried, and laid to rest on this land, and they weren't ready to leave it behind. AT. ALL. All of these actors do a great job with their roles, and really capture the characters well, and make them great for the screen. One thing that I thought was great about this film, is that it sets Leatherface's story straight, as far as his family goes. One of the greatest continuity things with the original "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" series, was the fact that none of the family was explained, and with the exception of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2," with Drayton Sawyer, none of the family was ever the same except for Leatherface. This one makes sure that the family is explained and kept the same as the family in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)" was. They all do a great job at acting as their characters, and making them each as disturbing and macabre as they were in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)." They definitely get that point across with the film, and just MAKE each character what it is, and furthering my opinion that NO ONE else COULD or SHOULD replace them in these roles. They were ALL DEFINITELY MORE great casting choices for this movie, which seems to be something that they did VERY well with for this movie.

All in all, this was really a great film, that will maek a great addition to anyone's horror collection, and it DEFINITELY makes a great addition to "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" series, but what it all comes down to, is that blood does not make a movie scary, and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning" proves that. The director of this movie REALLY did a great job of putting together a good horror movie, and a good "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" film, and he uses great angles and filters, which bring a VERY spook, and VERY macabre feeling to the movie. It's not as spooky and macabre as "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)" or "Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III," or even "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)" was, but they're spooky and macabre visuals, nonetheless. The writer of this film puts together a great storyline with the help of the same writer from "Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III," and they make one of the best horror storylines that I've ever seen, it was just too bad that they decide to bog the film down with so many bloody, gory, and torturey scenes. It was too much blood, and it just made you too disgusted or sick to be SCARED in this movie like it was trying to make you. The visuals of this movie are great, and make for a really spooky and macabre film, and like every other film in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" series, it's it's OWN kind of spooky macabre, that doesn't match original (No film ever WILL match the level of macabre that "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)" did), and just a freaky film overall. However, the amount of blood in the film was ridiculous, and takes away the film's scare factor, which isn't bad, it just makes this film a gross out, instead of a scare the hell out of you kind of film, like a Slasher movie is SUPPOSED to be like. The storyline of this movie, despite being drenched in blood and gore, is VERY well done, and makes for one hell of an interesting film. It's a great prequel, and it REALLY keeps you interested by utilizing an excellent story, and then making the disgusting and grotesque visuals glue your eyes to the screen, causing you to say "OK, THAT was DISGUSTING" throughout the entire film. The acting really ties it all together. All of the actors and actresses in this film deliver performances that are COMPLETELY convincing, COMPLETELY believable, and COMPLETELY realistic, and they deliver roles that you can feel for, in some cases, on variously different levels, even though you can't really RELATE TO any of them. They were ALL great casting choices for their individual roles, though, so that's DEFINITELY a great thing about the movie. So if you're looking for a good, scary film, then look elsewhere, but if you're looking for a bloody film, full of spooky and macabre scenes, and a massive amount of unneeded blood, then this is the movie for you. Also, if you're looking for a very good story, that will explain the backstory for one of the most notorious slashers in the entire Slasher Movie Kingdom, then this is for you. Also, if you're a fan of the entire "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" series, then this a movie that you should check out and see because it makes a great addition to the series. The only problem is that it relies too much on the blood and gore factor to try and scare you, and it just doesn't work. AT. ALL. But trust me, this film is WORTH the watch, and even WORTH the BUY, so go out and see it NOW! You can even buy it without RENTING it because you will NOT be disappointed with this film, just grossed out by it. It truly IS worth the buy, so trust me, and go and get it now!!!!!

THIS CONCLUDES PART VI, "THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING," THE FINAL PART IN MY REVIEW SERIES FOR "THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE" SERIES. THANK YOU ALL FOR READING!!!!!