| Overall Grade: |
B+ |
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| Story: |
B+ |
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| Acting: |
B |
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| Direction: |
B |
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| Visuals: |
A |
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Not for the squeamish...
by Tim (movies profile)
Dec 19, 2006
4
of
4 people found this review helpful
As an avid follower of the Texas Chainsaw series and a long-time horror movie fan, I was very skeptical to go see a prequel to something that many regard as one of the most original and horrifying stories to grace the screen. Tobe Hooper's original still to this day gives me chills to think about the rawness and utter disdain shown to viewers of the sickness this family and story exhibits at literally all times.
After I left the movie, I was actually relieved that I didn't waste my time. What hit me in the middle is that the genre of horror movies today, now with more gore and more moments to turn your head away from basically in every type of atmosphere (i.e. Saw, Hostel, etc.), that our society's "need for blood and gore" had finally caught up with the needs of this type of movie.
The story that leads us through the prequel was a little shaky and thin, but for the development of Leatherface, including giving us the actual source of the face he wears for years to come, this was a picture of true horror and even threw in some great suspense.
R. Lee Ermey always has played roled of the rough and tough "take no garbage" alpha male, and his transition as Sherriff Hoyt to someone who puts his family and its murderous ways above anything is purely evil and he does a great job in making you hate him by the end of the movie.
I was even pleasantly surprised that the story within the story had some substance and was believable, although we'll never get away from people not having common sense and the ever-present heroes and heroines that weigh their own lives against getting mangled to shreds.
Many will question how far some of the scenes went with the level of blood and the need to make it as gruesome. To those that question, I offer that the true fans, just like in Star Wars and the like, it's the level that the originality and essence of these projects which makes it a decent, if not good movie overall for TCM fans. |
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