User reviews

Impresively taking "Texas Chainsaw" back to its roots, horror fans and cinema-goers alike should definitely give this prequel to the daring 2003 remake a chance. Although the remake in 2003 was excellent and had a tighter, more involving plot than this film, it breaks a barrier because rather than directly approaching the style of the remake and trying to live up to its success, this equally grisly thriller ignores all of the gloss, cinematography, pacing and story that it was inspired from. Instead, it goes back to the film style which made the nightmare in 1974, a more direct homage to the in your face horror that started it all.

This story is in 1963, right before the events of the 2003 film which took place in the early seventies. Jordana Brewster plays Chrissie, who is on a fun road-trip across Texas with her friends, Eric, Dean, and Bailey, played well off of each other by Matthew Bomer, Taylor Handley and Diora Baird.

Shortly after the terrifying, recognizable psycho Leatherface commits his first murders, a cross story involving an encounter with some nasty bikers throws the doomed teenagers flipping across the road in a surprisingly brutal accident.

After Sheriff Hoyt arrives (R. Lee Ermy in another chilling performance), to take control of the scene, the nightmare begins for Chrissie's friends as she watches them get taken away in his police car, unknowingly headed for the house which would become a place of torment and nightmares for years to ensue.

Appropriately gory and no-holds barred, Jonathan Liebesman creates a tight, slick and sadistic thriller in the eyes of Chrissie as she endlessly attempts to rescue her friends from a demented madman's clutches. This is a highly worthy and satisfying entry in the horror series that will make an indelible mark on your imagination, if not already done by the seemingly endless spew of remakes and graphic horror films.

Please don't get me wrong, this is a good horror film. To those looking for gore, it is there any there is plenty of blood shed. I would speculate several scenes have been cut to appease the mpaa. Had this film been release before Hostel, The Hills Have Eyes, or the Saw Franchise, more of the film would have ended up on the cutting room floor. The film is being advertised as it will show up how Tommy Hewitt became Leatherface. Anyone looking for any real discovery to this information will have to look somewhere else. Truthfully the only real incite into the Hewitt family origin is how a homicidal sexual deviant was able to become a Sheriff. Being a prequel, the lack of background information is, to say the least, disappointing.

I don't want to get into specifics, but there are several parts where the film feels as though it being recycled. Some scenes feel as if they were rehashed from other Chainsaw films, needless to say they did not live up. Add to this the typical slasher clichés (don't go upstairs/down to the basement, etc) and it only adds to the predictability.

I've been a Texas chainsaw fanatic since i saw the original (when i was about 8) and all the sequels obviously tried hard (except the one with Bridget Jones in which was an utter waste of time) but ultimately failed to be worthy of following up such a classic. the remake was OK, it looked great and had some quality violence but didn't really hit the spot.

but when i had finished watching this one (a prequel to a remake?) I've got to say i was very impressed, of course it had problems. the odd character didn't seem to have much of a purpose other than to die horribly and scared teenage girls still have that tendency to walk towards the screams of pain rather than leg it, but the grimness and violence of it all was pretty much relentless. there was no crap attempts at humour (other than the 'sherrif' but thats laughing at how out of order he is) and once it gets going it doesn't stop until the abrupt ending.

it looks great, the violence is above and beyond what you expect to see at a cinema (i don't know all the cuts made to the us version but the UK version seems to be about 8mins longer) and it felt like i was watching something that deserved to have 'texas chainsaw massacre' in the title.

if you like horror and gore films you should have a great time, go see.

How did the characters become who they became? This movie shows us how the Hewitt family began their reign of terror. The question I keep asking is this,,, who's the bigger 'main' monster? Is it Leatherface,, or the psychotic sheriff?!? While LF is definitely a monster,,, I'd say the Sheriff is the mastermind,,, The 'kids' who find themselves in this living nightmare were cast perfectly,,,

Once again,,, if you are squeamish and can't differentiate the movie from reality,,, then this is not for you,,,

I saw this when i was in L.A. screening my own horror short October 2006. It was at the Chinese theater, and i was so delighted that i'm still talking about it. I love the original and the remake, and i feel the same way with this one. It shows how f****d up things can get when you accidentally end up in places you shouldn't be. Ermey is a true horror star, and really shows of here. This is a very gory film, and those of you who can't watch much blood, stay away:) For those of you who can, come on in!!! :) When i watched it i almost felt that it might turn me off of making horror films, but the feeling of course came right back:) Leatherface shows no mercy! Just as us horror freaks like it. The thing that shocked me was that i heard that they cut 17 scenes to get it an R-rating? Then i'm thinking, i can't wait to see what they cut. Hopefully the DVD will show us the goods. This might sound dumb coming from a horror fan of a long time, but i hope they make another one:)

Story is about how the family became notorious for what they do best. That's killing young hippies, bikers and pretty much anyone else that crosses paths with them. And why? "We'll never go hungry again." Good enough reason for me! I, like many of you, are going to see this to see Leatherface and family, kill. To see gore, blood, maybe get a few scares, watch Leatherface do something really badass. Yeah! But is that all we're supposed to expect? Can't we hope for maybe something else thrown in? Maybe a real in-depth look into Leatherface aka Tommy. Nope, we get what I just said. The same old routine. We've seen it before. And it's been done better. Not with better special effects or cinematography. But acting, writing, and suspense. Not once was I scared, felt any type of suspense....anything. (I hope you did) I pretty much just sat there waiting for something "cool" to happen.

The movie was pretty hardcore though. Extreme fans of horror, people who have seen Untold Story and stuff like that, will have no problem with this. But the average viewer should have a sweet time with this. You'll be sucked into it. The tone of the movie works very well. It's a hardcore movie that sticks to it's guns.

I am just getting a little tired of the same formula. I was hoping for something different. Didn't get it. The movie is hardcore, bloody and has Leatherface. Not too bad.

Prequel to the 2003 "Texas Chainsaw..." giving us the origin of Leatherface and his twisted family. That's all done within the first 20 minutes...then it's just a virtual redo on the original with four likable 20-somethings being captured and tortured by Leatherface and his family. Considering it's basically a remake of the 2003 film, it works remarkably well.

It takes place in 1969 and has two brothers (Taylor Handley and Matthew Bomer) going to enlist (after being drafted). Along are their two girlfriends (Jordana Brewster and Diora Baird). But they're stopped by crazy Sheriff Hoyt (R. Lee Ermey) who is Leatherface's uncle...and the "fun" begins.

Very grim and graphic with no humor and shot in muted color...just as the 2003 one. The gore is strong and disgusting (this got trimmed to get an R rating) and I can't say I liked it...but it did it's job. It scared me. I was cringing in my seat a few times and jumped more than once.

Another plus is ALL the acting is good. Brewster, Handley, Baird and Bomer are all good-looking and likable--when the violence starts you really are horrified at seeing such great characters being tortured. Ermey is on hand giving another terrifying performance as Hoyt. His character is so twisted, violent and sick that when he got a taste of his own medicine my quiet audience broke out in applause. Also there's good old Leatherface and his chainsaw chasing everybody.

In some ways I applaud a grim, graphic R rated horror film that pulls no punches--I HATE the watered down PG-13 crap we usually get. But unlike some (like "Scream") this is pretty unrelenting and wears you down. But it scared me and that's exactly what it's supposed to do. An 8.

"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning" is actually a rather enjoyable addition to this particular slasher franchise. Especially when taking into consideration the abysmal "Leatherface" movie that came afterwards.

The storyline in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning" is actually interesting and proved to be so from the very beginning and up to the end. So writers Sheldon Turner and David J. Schow did manage to churn out a wholesome script and storyline here for this 2006 slasher. And today in 2022 was actually my second time to sit down and watch this particular movie in the ""The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" franchise.

Something that you might could have asked for here, was a more deviation from the usual routine that the franchise tends to apply for every single movie. But hey, there is something to be said for familiarity, eh?

They had a good cast ensemble put together for the movie. And while I am mostly unfamiliar with the majority of the cast ensemble for the movie, I will say that they put on good performances and carried the movie quite well. It was especially nice to see the likes of R. Lee Ermey in a movie such as this, and he was actually doing a spectacular job in bringing the Uncle Charlie Hewitt character to life.

For a seasoned horror fan and gorehound as myself then "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning" actually did prove enjoyable, as there was enough gore and mayhem to satisfy my craving for the macabre. So that was a thumbs up for the movie.

Visually then "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning" is good. There are lots of nice effects, which come of as being realistic and somewhat bloody and gory. Again, something that counted well in favor of the movie.

My rating of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning" lands on a six out of ten stars.

I was hesitant to see this movie, but after I saw the remake of the first one, I decided to give this movie a chance. I was hoping for a somewhat scary movie with a mediocre plot, so expectations were not high. Using these two criteria, this movie was terrible. Instead of being scary, Texas Chainsaw was just disturbing; the amount of blood and beatings that were actually shown was quite gross, and this seemed like an ill-attempt to cover the fact that there was no real plot and crappy dialog.Granted, I didn't expect an elaborate plot development, but the movie should have been less predictable and use fewer cliché scary techniques (like looking through a window and the bad person suddenly showing up). Texas Chainsaaw could have been done properly to really scare the audience, instead it was gory, predictable, and boring. Save your money and time and go see something else.

Personally, I can't stand horror films sometimes, but I love to watch them at the same time. I know that's ironic, but a good scare is in need once in awhile.

Now if you like gore, suspense, and intensity then this is the movie for you! The acting was great and I loved finally seeing how the family came about with their sickness for killing people.

The gore is so bad that a few girls at different times ran out of the theater about to throw up, but that's how you know that is a good movie. So I would definitely say go see Texas Chainsaw, but BE PREPARED for what you are going in for once you sit down in that dark theater!!!

First and foremost, if you enjoy movies for the sake of gore, blood, and no "take-away" shots, then this movie is for you. When anyone does anything, you see it actually happen right there. It's awesome.

As the name would suggest, this movie was supposed to be about the beginning and how he came to be "Leatherface". However, we only see a montage in the introduction of images fading to black that are supposed to resemble the torture that brought him to go on a killing spree. I won't say what they show but if you pay attention you might be able to put some backstory behind his killings. Unfortunately, that did not suffice for me. I know you are probably thinking that it would be boring talk and irrelevant banter about him being mistreated and abused, but it would have been nice to see what was the breaking point that made him turn into this raving lunatic killer.

In essence, the movie is really like all the other Texas Chainsaw movies, so if you are a fan of the series or just enjoy actually seeing the damage being done, this movie will definitely please you.

What a waste of 2 hours of my life. This is a film for dunces and those out of touch of rational thinking. It could have been such a great movie but couldn't rise above the inadequecies of most yankie slashers. It would have got a couple more points if it just removed the incessant and intolerable background music. Couple that with the typical, kill him when you get the frickin chance you moron moments, and why no one ever has lights on, and the rest of the oh so cliché supposed to scare you moments that really don't cos you know they're frickin coming. The gore is good, but if you want a good n proper gore fest - go rent wolf creek. Thats how it should be frickin done. Jeez i'm wound up!!!!!!!

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning is the first installment of the grim deeds of the Hewitt family as they start their rampage of serial killings. The family was made into a bunch of demons by poor economic times, a monster child that is scorned by society, and a lack of common sense. After getting to know the beginning the cutting start and is very bloody. Not for the faint of heart or the young, this is a film about sick people. As horror films go, there is a good amount of realistic effects. The acting is good as well as the directing. This film holds true to the theme of its predecessors and is a class A gore fest. Don't watch this while eating dinner.

I enjoy a good horror movie myself, but these on going Texas Chainsaw movies are really loosing their shock ability! Sorry, but this last one released was the very worse I have ever witnessed. I had hoped for a fun, scary horror flick just in time for Halloween. Was I so very disappointed with this one! I kept looking at my watch, no really! I can't say there was any shock-fear in this one. The makeup was all right on our big star here again this time around, but oh please the acting was so bad. So far I have to say, the very first one was indeed the best of these. Can't we start having some fun to watch real scary horror movies again? Where are all these writers with those frightening imaginations and creative minds anyway.

~Angel-X~

As good of a horror as any others I've seen in the last 20 years or so m but rarely talked about. Why? The previous Texas Chainsaw movie released a few years earlier is equally as great. Arguably the best two TCM movies in the entire franchise.

Well, I was really looking forward to seeing The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, I even dragged my friend to see it. I really enjoyed the first remake and this looked like it had even more scares and a great story. I loved the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre as well, so I figured it would be interesting to see how the family got started. That's what this story delivers.

It's just about how Thomas Hewitt/Leatherface was born and raised into becoming Leatherface. The new sheriff, well the farmer killed the real sheriff we find out, and just takes his place, he figures he should train Thomas to be a killer as well. 4 teens just happen to be cruising by and get into a car accident because of a biker trying to rob them, but the "sherrif" comes by and kills the biker and captures 3 out of the 4 teens. Well, you get the idea of how else this story came to be.

Now, the story I think needed more development, like how Thomas grew up, they kind of skimped out on it. The acting is your typical cliché horror film, but I did love the gore. It had a few scary moments, but it got really annoying with all the loud noises when there was nothing to be scared of. But I guess you should just judge for yourself.

6/10

Has a true horror fans, i thought this movie sucked. It's technically the same movie has the remake except they put a quick explanation on how Leatherface was born and transform himself into this killer. But i also thought that even if the story is the exact same thing has the remake, they actually did something right this time by adding a lot more gore in this one. I also could cared about these guys and i could wait to see them die because they deserve to die.In the end, this is the perfect example on what a by the book horror movie is suppose to look like and am tired of seeing theses by the book horror movie that always used the same old formula.