The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: A Suprisingly Good Remake

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) is a remake of the 1974 film, directed by Tobe Hooper. An interesting thing about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is that it is not a true story, as many believe; however, the cannibal killer, Ed Gein, inspired it. Remakes generally receive poor ratings when compared to the original film, but I was hoping this movie would come close to the beloved cult classic original. Scott Spicciati, a reviewer for Aggressive-Voice.com, commented that “they’re the same film, only one is newer”. A great film has a plot that is focused, coherent, and “just makes sense”. In addition, the plot of a remake needs to closely follow the original film. The acting should show emotions, reveal characters’ traits, and overall, be believable. The setting needs to reveal accurately time and place as well as have a sense of realism. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) was a surprisingly good remake with few flaws.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) is about a psychotic killer, Leatherface, running rampant due to his serious face deformity. Throughout the movie, he terrorizes a group of friends passing through town.

Overall, I give this movie a four out of five. Peter Traves (Rolling Stone magazine) gave it a B+, but went on to say, “…nothing explains the flaw in this bad boy: How can a movie scare you when you’ve seen it all before?” I completely disagree with this statement; the movie will absolutely scare you. I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys being scared and/or appreciates modern horror movies with all their “over-the-top” clichés. Of course do not watch the movie with young children, nightmares may follow viewing the film; “the depiction of violence and gore has gone into overdrive”(Susan Granger). On the other hand, those who absolutely loved the classic 1974 film are likely to be disappointed with the loss of the original low budget quality.

The setting helps a great deal in bringing the film to life; however, some scenes seem to be more recent than the 70’s. One example is the modern sprinkler system in the meat packing plant. Another example is the scene when Erin is running through the forest and the sun in shinning through the treetops in a much-staged way; it seems a bit too enhanced to look realistic. The junkyard shows a great sense of realism with its overgrown weeds and grass, as well as plenty of scattered garbage. The Volkswagen the five characters are riding in seems reminiscent of the 70’s with a black and white blanket from Mexico and a mural painted on the ceiling. The rund

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