‘Witness the birth of fear’
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning is a 2006 American slasher horror film that functions as a prequel to the 2003 remake, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Directed by Jonathan Liebesman and co-produced by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper (co-creators of the original 1974 film). The plot takes place four years before the timeline of the 2003 remake.
The movie stars Jordana Brewster, Diora Baird, Taylor Handley, Matt Bomer and R. Lee Ermey.
Originally, the film had the subtitle The Origin. New Line Cinema had to pay $3.1 million more than expected in order to keep the rights to the franchise after Dimension Films made a large offer to buy it from the original rightsholders. The film grossed less than half of what the original film had grossed, finishing its run on $39.5 million.
Plot:
On one last road trip before they’re sent to serve in Vietnam, two brothers and their girlfriends get into an accident that calls their local sheriff to the scene.
Thus begins a terrifying experience where the teens are taken to a secluded house of horrors, where a young, would-be killer is being nurtured…
Reviews:
” …standard slasher fare, executed without emphasis by Liebesman, who relies on surprisingly unmemorable gore zone visits to hold attention. Considering that faces are peeled off, legs are removed with a chainsaw, and cannibalism is on the menu, The Beginning is dull, paging through the Horror 101 textbook as young, pretty things are hunted and destroyed by large, ugly things.” Blu-ray.com
“Liebesman’s movie is not about building up tension or even administering ‘boo’ moments, although it does try. It’s more about how far it can stretch the on-screen sadism milking every second of torment that the four youths undergo. Whereas Hooper’s original swung away from showing much in the way of onscreen bloodletting, this prequel opts not to cut away lingering on the vileness that is occurring.” Eat My Brains
” …isn’t frightening so much as horrible. Although the script is lame, the direction by Jonathan Liebesman is intense and focused. The film looks terrific, which is annoying, because you want to hate it. Suddenly, post Saw, violence has become bloodier, darker, more manic and without mercy.” Angus Eye for Film
“You can see every turn in the plot coming for miles. Attention sadists: Demand more from your gorefests than this pro forma return to the well. Has mass murder ever been this dull?” Rolling Stone
“The facially deformed Leatherface is saddled with a backstory—he popped out of his mother while she died on a slaughterhouse floor, was rescued from a dumpster by Hoyt’s wife and mercilessly teased by playground children, and found himself driven to kill after losing his job at the foreclosed abattoir—that, instead of enhancing the fiend’s imposing mystique, winds up sapping him of his mysterious, primal horror.” Slant Magazine
Texas Chainsaw 3D
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
Release:
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning was released in North America on October 6, 2006.
Cast and characters:
Jordana Brewster … Chrissie
Taylor Handley … Dean
Diora Baird … Bailey
Matt Bomer … Eric
R. Lee Ermey … Uncle Charlie Hewitt / Sheriff Hoyt
Andrew Bryniarski … Thomas Hewitt / Leatherface
Lee Tergesen … Holden
Terrence Evans … Monty
Kathy Lamkin … Tea Lady
Marietta Marich … Luda Mae
L.A. Calkins … Sloane (as Leslie Calkins)
Tim DeZarn … Supervisor (as Tim deZarn)
Allison Marich … Young Luda Mae
Marcus H. Nelson … Lackey (as Marcus Nelson)
Lew Temple … Sheriff Winston
Cyia Batten … Alex
Melody Chase … Biker Chick (uncredited)
Emily Kaye … Biker Chick (uncredited)
John Larroquette … Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Technical details:
1 hour 31 minutes | 1 hour 36 minutes (unrated)
Aspect ratio: 1.85: 1
Audio: DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital
