THE RATING
THE LAIR EXPERTS
Matt: Very rarely does a sequel or remake come along that lives up to the original. But in the case of 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre', not only did it live up to the original, it raised the bar and set the standard of how remakes should be made. This film was almost a complete re-imagining, except with the classic elements of the original film still intact. The family element was changed drastically, but it works well. The acting is top-notch, particularly with R. Lee Ermey as Sheriff Hoyt and Jessica Biel in her breakout role as Erin. Andrew Bryniarski brought Leatherface to the new generation like no one has ever done before, with menace and mayhem not seen since the immortal Gunnar Hansen pioneered the role in 1974. While it's true that the original cast members are not very fond of this film, it delivers on almost all fronts-- the blood and gore frequently splatter the screen, the kills are intensely gruesome at times, and the story is almost as believable as the original film. The only drawback to this movie was the high-grade film they used (they should have used 16mm or something more grainy to give it the raw feel of the original). Oh yeah, and the heavy metal soundtrack they released that wasn't even used didn't make sense, either. That might be a good thing, though, because Steve Jablonsky's score more than makes up for the lack of a real soundtrack. Check out the music section and see if you agree. Overall, this is the film that really put Platinum Dunes and Michael Bay on the horror map, and fast-tracked several other remakes that didn't quite deliver- including our beloved classics: 'Halloween' (2007), 'Friday The 13th' (2009), and 'A Nightmare On Elm Street' (2010). Despite that, along with 'Dawn Of The Dead' (2004), this film will forever remain in exclusive territory, high atop my list of remakes that actually worked. 8 out of 10.
A.J.: Now this is what a remake should be like! At the time, it was one of the first of the classic slasher films to be remade and Michael Bay hit the nail on the head with this one. This is good, old-fashioned Leatherface doing what he does best-- sawing and scaring! The plot was brilliant. It gave the franchise the reboot that remakes are meant to do, but also stayed true to the feel of the original while maintaining its own identity as well. The acting was great from every character, the musical score fit well, the atmosphere was damn near perfect, and the scares were there throughout the entire movie. This is actually one of the very few movies that legitimately scares me when I watch it. 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' remake is a must-watch and gets a well-deserved 9 out of 10 for me.
THE FANS
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