The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Without a doubt, one of the best horror movies I have seen in a long time. It's kind of a remake of the original, but this is the "real story" of what happened. With original director, Tobe Hooper, and original writer, Kim Henkel, I was rest assured this wouldn't turn out to be some brainless piece of trash remake. After seeing this movie I was still a bit on-edge leaving the theater. Not in a scary sense, but rather in a way that was more like having that disturbed feeling after waking up from a nightmare. I found myself so tensed up at times that I had to consciously say to myself, "Relax". The constant barrage of images and suspense had a few moments of levity injected nicely by R. Lee Ermey who plays the local Sheriff. Man oh, man is he one twisted fucker.
If you have seen the original movie, you should see various aspects of the films that are familiar, but just told in a different way. Such as the beginning. Five people in a van driving down an old Texas road who pick up a hitchhiker. This time, it's a female hitchhiker and is obviously troubled by something she just experienced. Suddenly circumstances necessitate they stop in town and remedy the situation.
From there, it's a dark and horrid ride to the end of the movie. Some scenes were just agonizing to watch. Especially those involving meathooks and salt. I consider myself a hardcore gorehound and horror movie fanatic, this movie turned me into a white-knuckle fanboy gripping the arm rests at the local AMC. This is one extremely visceral movie, and the darkened way the film is shot only accelerates that. If the director was looking to create a movie that can make you feel claustrophobic, he achieved his goal quite adequately.
For whatever reason, Gunnar Hanson did not revive the role as Leatherface, but this new guy isn't that bad. The acting from everyone involved was decent, and the cinematography was really good, considering this IS a horror flick. For fans of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, do yourself a favor and go see this one. You won't be let down.
