Plot: What’s it about?
While I have been a fan of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre as well as this 2003 remake, I don’t find the other films to be of varying quality. Since I have reviewed a few other installments for this site over the years, I won’t get too bogged down in comparing them. I will say that this 2003 remake truly lived up to my expectations and still delivers more than 20 years after its release. While I feel it doesn’t touch the grittiness and scaled back budget of the original, it’s still hard to deny its impact. More Recent outings just can’t seem to get things right, bringing social media and social commentary into a series that is so much better without it.
The film begins and ends with a police investigation of the Hewitt residence before focusing on our 5 young adults. We’re introduced to Erin (Jessica Biel), her mechanic boyfriend, Kemper (Eric Balfour), Andy (Mike Vogel), Moran (Jonathan Tucker) and a hitchhiker named Pepper (Erica Leerhsen) who are all going to a rock concert. During their ride, they encounter a hitchhiker on the road and narrowly avoid hitting her with their van. When they see that she looks more than a little disoriented, they decide to give her a ride. She warns the five friends that they’re all going to die before she pulls a revolver out of her dress and commits suicide. They decide to contact the police, and right away we can see that things aren’t going to go well. The sheriff played by R. Lee Ermey enters the picture, but it doesn’t take long to realize something is off about him. Of course, this will all lead to the appearance of the chainsaw wielding psycho known as Leatherface. His appearance here is indeed very frightening as his intimidating stature with his disfigured face makes for one hell of a horror movie villain. And of course, Jessica Biel is looking her absolute best here. Her character shows great resilience throughout the film, which admittedly puts its characters through hell. Morgan has the unfortunate task of being the smartest of the bunch, who gets sadly outnumbered too often for simply wanting to leave. All the cast do great here.
One can truly sense their dread at various times during the film. I also found the characters more developed here than in the original film. Many will remember the wheelchair bound Franklin. If there was a more irritating horror movie character, I am hard-pressed to think of one.
Director Marcus Nispel nails the cinematography and ups the gore to a good extreme, especially when compared to the original. Thankfully, he still manages to show restraint when necessary. The film follows the basic structure of the original film but still manages its own deviations to strongly stand on its own. After the original, we had what I found to be some lackluster sequels. It’s nice to have a remake that at least matches the original film, and I feel in some ways tops it. That may seem like blasphemy to some, but it gets many things right. I saw the film many times theatrically and was fast to purchase the deluxe DVD way back in 2004. It still holds up remarkably well. It might not be the most pleasant viewing experience, but I try to watch it at least once a year when I’m in the mood for some chainsaw frights.
Video: How’s it look?
While I know that 4K is the preferred choice of many, I still find myself a bit hesitant as I feel it darkens the image quite a bit. Thankfully, that isn’t the case here as this is the best I have ever seen the film look. The 1.85:1 transfer has been given some superior treatment by Arrow. The film was shot with very specific colors in mind to give it the look that Nispel was going for. I feel it is all accurately rendered here. Fans should be more than pleased.
Audio: How’s it sound?
The DTS HD 7.1 track is also solid. I did keep the remote nearby to adjust as the louder moments obviously had more impact. Vocals had the expected clarity as well. The music and scenes with Leatherface create the most impact. I always felt this film had a great soundtrack on Home Video and it’s only improved here.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Arrow mixes old and new supplements to create a winning package here. We also get a poster, double-sided artwork and a booklet which is a very nice touch.
- Audio Commentaries – We get a whopping four tracks here. The various tracks include the Director, cinematographer in one and various members of the cast and crew. Whichever one you go for (or all four), you will get your share of good insight.
- Severed Parts – This is one of the archival features, which is essentially deleted scenes. The most noteworthy additions are the alternate opening and ending. It’s interesting to see, but I am glad they didn’t go this route.
- Screen tests – Also in the archival extras are 3 clips featuring Jessica Biel, Eric Balfour and Erica Lershen.
- Chainsaw Redux: Making a Massacre – This is a one hour and 16-minute documentary that leaves no stone unturned. I still remember seeing it upon first release, and it covers all the basis very well.
- Ed Gein: The Ghoul of Plainville – This is an effective and often eerie segment about the man which inspired the original film.
- Cast & Crew Interviews – This is straightforward, and we hear from several members of the cast.
- Behind the Scenes – In a briefer segment, we get a decent look at the making of this film.
- Concept Art – This features production stills and Leatherface concept art.
- Trailers – We find the teaser trailer and Theatrical trailer as well as TV ads.
- Deleted Scenes – This is essentially the same deleted scenes we’ve had before, but they’re on their own rather than in documentary form. It’s a nice touch to see them this way.
- Reimagining a Classic – In what is essentially some new interviews, we hear from the Director about his thoughts on the original film as well as making this one. It’s nice to see, but there isn’t much new here that hasn’t already been covered elsewhere.
- Shadows of Yesteryear – We hear from Daniel Pearl who acted as the cinematographer for both, the original film and the remake.
- The Lost Leatherface – In what is the most interesting new feature, we hear from Brett Wagner who was initially cast as Leatherface in the remake. He suffered a back injury after his first day, which put him out of commission. He speaks of how he learned that he was eventually replaced since he wasn’t fully recovered. He seems very grounded and doesn’t seem to hold any ill will towards being replaced. A lot of what is mentioned here was news to me, making this segment a must-see.
- Masks and Massacres – We hear about the makeup and effects. It’s another worthy addition to this set.
- Chainsaw Symphony – This piece features the film’s composer, Steve Jablonsky. I am not always the biggest fan of these sorts of behind the scenes, but this one is solid.
- Image Gallery – These can be fun to toggle through.
