THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE

US, 2003, 98 minutes, Colour.
Jessica Biel, Jonathan Tucker, Erica Leehsen, Mike Vogel, Eric Balfour, Andrew Bryniarski, R.Lee Ermey, David Dorfman, Lauren German.
Directed by Marcus Nispel.

One American reviewer remarked that what the world was really waiting for and needing was a remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre! The makers have said that they wanted to reinterpret the classic for contemporary audiences. Box-office success has confirmed their hunch. But, ...

The original was made in 1974 by Tobe Hooper who went on to a career with horror films including Poltergeist and Salem's Lot. It was a small-budget story of five young people encountering a deranged family, especially one adult son who killed people with a chainsaw and covered his deformed face with the skin of his victims. Now, we have the same story with a bigger budget. (There were several sequels to the original and numerous variations on the theme including the 2003 releases the clever, Wrong Turn, and the very ugly House of 1000 Corpses.)

Much of the time can be spent in wondering who would want to see this kind of story and why. As Leatherface pursues his victims and tortures them, we are watching tragic and repellent events. The film-makers say they wanted to make their audiences fearful. This does happen, of course, but it raises the question of why we would want to submit ourselves to this kind of gross horror and fear.

The performances are not bad, especially Jessica Biehl as the intrepid member of the group who runs the gauntlet and survives. Veteran R.Lee Ermy does a variation on his Full Metal Jacket sergeant as the sinister and brutal sheriff.