The Texas Chainsaw Massacre The Beginning Resolves Unanswered Questions.
| Tweet | |
|
|
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre The Beginning provides insite to the history of Leatherface and is great horror in spite of the prequel status. When you suspend judgement regarding the film's origins you can see that good horror is just good horror, and this one hits the mark.
Review by BHM Contributor Ronnie Angel
October 20, 2006
Release: 2006
Written by: Sheldon Turner
Directed by: Jonathan Liebesman
Starring:
Jordana Brewster as Chrissie
Taylor Handley as Dean
Diora Baird as Bailey
Matthew Bomer as Eric
Lee Tergesen as Holden
R. Lee Ermey as Sheriff Hoyt
Andrew Bryniarski as Thomas Hewitt/Leatherface
After years of butchering the name of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise
with horrible sequels and endless random characters, the combination of the remake
(
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , 2003) and now The Beginning have seriously saved
the TCM good name. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre The Beginning is one of the best new horror
movies I have seen in a while.
The story begins in the familiar Travis County TX town in 1939 with the birth of Thomas Hewitt on the floor of the meat packing plant. The mother does not live through the birth and Thomas gets literally tossed out with the day’s garbage. He is found later by a young woman rummaging through the trash who brings the baby back home with her to meet “the family". As a side note, I cannot really figure out how these people are related. Trust me, I have tried. This family consists of all the familiar faces from the 2003 remake, including Sheriff Hoyt (Lee Ermey in a truly demonic role perfect for him), the mother-figure Luda Mae, old Monty the tow truck man before his "accident", and now Thomas Hewitt/Leatherface himself.
Through the beginning credits we see young Thomas growing into the monster that he is with the usual characteristics of a serial killer, including self mutilation, animal cruelty, arson, etc.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre The Beginning then fast-forwards to 1969 and Thomas is working in that same meat packing plant where he was born - he apparently has been working there for some time. Unfortunately for Thomas, the plant is being closed for health reasons. When the time comes that Thomas is told to leave the plant forever, he does not go without a fight.
Things get ugly, somebody dies, and the town Sherriff is dispatched to apprehend Thomas. The Sherriff
first stops to pick up Hoyt who is Thomas Hewitt’s official “care giver”. Well, we
all know that in the later installments of the franchise Hoyt is the Sherriff, and here we find out
how his new title comes to pass.
The new "Sheriff" makes a pledge to his family to never go hungry again thanks to his new home cooking (you will have to watch the flick to see what that means) and also makes a comment about ridding their town of bikers and hippies…and thus begins the madness.
While all of this is going on we meet some kids making their way through the area. There is Eric who is soon to be reenlisting to go back to Vietnam, his brother Dean who is going to burn his draft card and flee to Mexico and their girlfriends Bailey and Chrissy. When a biker chick tries a daring highway robbery which leads to the group wrecking their car on a local backroad, the new "Sheriff" shows up immediately and takes out the would be robber before detaining three of the hapless kids and taking them back to the old house. Chrissy hides and eventually makes it to the house to attempt to save the others with the help of another biker she runs into on the road.
From here The Texas Chainsaw Massacre The Beginning turns into a very exciting, very gory cat and mouse game, wherein one may be in serious trouble while another is not and then the roles reverse. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre The Beginning starts with a bang and keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the movie, with many surprises and some answers to questions the remake posed. There is tons of gore for the gore fans, and plenty of suspense and action as well. It is fun to see the initial reactions of some of the "family" to the new “activities”.
If there is any problem that I have with this movie, and prequels in general, it is that you know what is going to happen to the characters. So really you can't root for a hero, because you it is no secret that they will die. At the same time you know that the villains will all be in the next movie. Nevertheless, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre The Beginning is a great horror movie and a great addition to the saga. And in spite of the fact that it is a prequel, there is a great horror movie ending. See this one ASAP! Questions or comments about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre The Beginning? Contact us!
Take me to horror movie reviews!
Horror Movie Freaks is the FREE eZine from Best-Horror-Movies.com that will give you the new horror releases, the new horror news and the new horror reviews that you CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT!!
Subscribing is easy, painless and free.
Do it NOW!!
