The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

Director:

Marcus Nispel

Writers (WGA):

Kim Henkel (1974 screenplay) and
Tobe Hooper (1974 screenplay) ...

Release Date:

17 October 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Inspired by a True Story

Plot:

A group of friends passing through are stalked and hunted down by a deformed killer with a chainsaw in order to sustain his poor family who can only afford to eat what they kill.

Plot Keywords:

Leatherface | Suicide | Chainsaw | Psychopath | Telephone

Awards:

4 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Jessica Biel	...	Erin
Jonathan Tucker	...	Morgan
Erica Leerhsen	...	Pepper
Mike Vogel	...	Andy
Eric Balfour	...	Kemper
Andrew Bryniarski	...	Thomas Hewitt (Leatherface)
R. Lee Ermey	...	Sheriff Hoyt
David Dorfman	...	Jedidiah
Lauren German	...	Teenage Girl
Terrence Evans	...	Old Monty
Marietta Marich	...	Luda May
Heather Kafka	...	Henrietta
Kathy Lamkin	...	Tea Lady in Trailer
Brad Leland	...	Big Rig Bob
Mamie Meek	...	Clerk

MPAA:

Rated R for strong horror violence/gore, language and drug content.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White | Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Taiwan:R-18 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Mexico:C | Portugal:M/18 | Italy:VM18 (tv rating) | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Australia:MA | Brazil:18 | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | Germany:18 (nf) | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:R(A) | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #39964) | Argentina:16 | Chile:14 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

The bumper sticker on Kemper's van reads: "Nothing is true / Believing is permitted", an obvious reference to the movie's "Based on actual events" claims.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When turning to go to the mill, a round-bale of hay is seen in the field. The bale is bound with netwrap. In 1973, the only possible binding would have been twine.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: The film which you are about to see is an account of the tragedy which befell a group of 5 youths. It is all the more tragic in that they were young. But had they lived very, very long lives, they could not have expected, nor would they have wished to see as much of the mad and macabre as they were to see that day...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "One Tree Hill: The First Cut Is the Deepest (#1.16)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

A Part of Me

Way Better than I Expected

The original is a classic, I guess that's why there's a copy of it at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.

Taken as a remake, this is a good film. The story was different enough to keep me guessing, the characters were, uhhh, fleshed out a little more. While the original at times seemed like a documentary, this one was a straight-up horror movie, though without too many of the cliches that make modern horror movies tedious.

On it's own, this was a very good horror movie. Well-filmed, well-acted, suspensful, with good characters. The kids in this movie are not all just obnoxious kids--they get into trouble because of a good deed, so I found myself rooting for them, even the annoying one or two. The casting of Lee Ermey as the sheriff is icing on the cake; he definitely brought the movie up a few notches.

While not a classic, this remake is worth seeing.