It has been several years since Leatherface last terrorized the Texan backwoods with his Sawyer family, but that doesn't mean he hasn't continued his cannibalistic ways.  In fact, Leatherface has been "adopted" into a brand new family of crazed Texan cannibals.  The film begins with an effective scene of Bubba "Leatherface" Sawyer (R.A. Mihailof) sewing together a fresh mask of flesh while one of his victims attempts to escape, but gets gutted with a chain saw instead.  From then on, we follow the eventful journey of siblings Ryan & Michelle (William Butler & Kate Hodge) as they drive from California to Florida to deliver a car to their father, but they've just entered into the desolate Texas landscape.  As they drive into the night, Texas state authorities are cleaning up a hazardous mess of bodies which have decomposed into toxic material - remnants of past Sawyer family massacres.  The brother and sister pairing drive into the next day and a gas station where they encounter a hitchhiking cowboy named Tex (Viggo Mortensen,  The Lord of the Rings) and the wild-eyed store owner Alfredo (Tom Everett).  Tex gets friendly with Michelle and Ryan, to a lesser degree, but the cordial moment is cut short when Alfredo pulls a shotgun on the threesome, and the siblings haul ass out of there, watching Fredo blast away at them and Tex.  The two siblings quickly take off down a deserted road, but soon find themselves stalked by Leatherface and his new cannibalistic and homicidal family.  Ultimately, their only hope for escape is in Benny (Ken Foree), a survivalist who not only has the firepower, but also the training to take down the entire psychotic family.

To start off, this was a very troubled production.  I can't even begin to list the ways, but let's just say that the film was so excessively violent that the repeated runs through the MPAA forced the release date to be delayed from early November, 1989 to January, 1990.  At one time, director Jeff Burr was fired on Friday and re-hired on Monday.  The shooting schedule was rushed, and budget was tight.  Also, I would have to say that calling this a "massacre" is false advertising as only two people outside of Leatherface's adoptive family are killed in this film.  There's a lot of violence, but not a lot of death.  Though, despite all this, Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III is quite a good film.

The cast is solid, very solid.  There's no amateurs here like in many of the Friday The 13th films.  R.A. Mihailoff was an experienced stuntman at the time, and did a great job as a slightly more evolved Leatherface that is more focused in his mayhem than before, but still remains very youthful in mind and impulsive in action.  He was also one strong dude having to lug that HUGE chain saw around almost everyday.  William Butler had some previous experience in slasher flicks, but this was his most featured role and he does well in it.  As Ryan, he's a bit pensive and uneasy trying to deal with heavy situations.  Of course, Viggo Mortensen delivers an entertaining and intriguing  performance as the crazed Tex with a bit of an odd crossdressing undertone.  He pulls off the insanity and the charm very well, and proves to be a solid and impressive actor even a decade before The Lord of the Rings made him a household name.  Tom Everett really fits perfectly as the wild-eyed, fidgetty, and probably schizophrenic Alfredo.  Definitely a classic character for these films.  Dawn of the Dead alumnus Ken Foree brings a lot of energy and a decent amount of humor to the role of Benny.  He truly endears himself as the hero of the film whereas there are usually only perilless heroines.  Benny gets to kick some ass, and really give our psychotic villians someone to tangle with.  Also, with the character being an armed survivalist, we get some nice action scenes and fiery moments.  Definitely a worthwhile and enjoyable character.  Finally, there's the female lead in Kate Hodge.  She really rates high as Michelle among the other female leads of the series that go through maddening events and experiences, but this time, she doesn't breakdown into a traumatized pile of emotional goo - so to speak.  Michelle comes out as a far tougher character, and proves that she might not only survive, but also endure in the aftermath of this Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

I believe Jeff Burr did a fine quality job despite the turbulence of production.  Personally, I see a close resemblence of the look of this film and Jason Goes To Hell despite that they both had different cinematographers.  There's just this dark, dense landscape at night with a tinge of blue that makes these two films look very similar.  Anyway, Jeff Burr crafted a film that probably shouldn't have turned out nearly as good as it did.  The screenplay was well-written by David J. Schow, and it was his first break because this was the first script of his to get produced.  Though, he hasn't had a wondrous career with a couple of Critters films, an episode of "The Outer Limits," and two episodes of "The Hunger" under his belt, but he did deliver us the screenplay to the cult classic The Crow.  All in all, he did a good job here with probably the only consistently worthwhile TCM sequel.

I'm not giving this a great rating because it is almost perfectly formulatic for a Texas Chain Saw Massacre film, but it's the characters where this movie holds strong.  The story is mostly a direct template from the first film, but the characters are more original than the story.  There's also more suspenseful and intense action than before or since.  Also, I like this design of Leatherface the best, and who can resist the massive chain saw given to him with the phrase "The Saw is Family" engraved on the side?  Mihailoff's representation of old Bubba Sawyer has a lot more aggression and coordination than before.  Kate Hodge brings a much stronger and tougher heroine to the series, and I can't help but enjoy every role I see Viggo Mortensen in.  So, a 7.5 out of 10 seems to be appropriate for the unrated version.  You can view either the rated or unrated version on the DVD as well as a documentary that runs the guantlet through the entire rocky production and D.O.A. theatrical release.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.  The title is infamous in the history of American cinema.  It remains as one of the most disturbing films ever made.  It's just raw unrelenting terror.  A psychotic journey straight into the bowels of hell.  How anyone could ever believe they could remake such a thing is beyond my comprehension.  Of course, you throw in the name Michael Bay, and everything becomes so easily understood.  The man makes mindless big budget summer blockbusters, and hardly any of them are worth a second viewing (if even a first).  Relegating him to a producer's role doesn't seem like a huge step in any positive direction, but surprises can come along.  I admit that I was a detractor to the entire idea of this film.  Nothing Hollywood-produced can ever equal or even hope to surpass something as purely insane and snuff film-like as Tobe Hooper's original film.  The trick is not to expect such a thing because it'll never happen.  If you compare this 2003 remake to the original film from 29 years earlier, you will inevitably despise it, and so, I am going to review this film on its own merits - which I find to be surprisingly good.

The setup is pretty simple, and pretty formulatic.  A group of teens are traveling through 1973 Travis County, Texas on their way to a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert.  There's the tough but vulnerable tomboy Erin (Jessica Biel), her affectionate boyfriend Kemper (Eric Balfour), the dim bulb musclehead Andy (Mike Vogel), the sort of hippie hitch-hiker from El Paso Pepper (Erica Leerhsen), and the skittish odd man out Morgan (Jonathan Tucker).  They're singing along with "Sweet Home Alabama" (which actually wasn't released until 1974), and enjoying a bit of weed.  Everything's all a happy road trip until they come across a very traumatized girl, around their age, trailing along the barren highway.  A tragic turn of events with this girl forces the group to contact the local police - Sheriff Hoyt (R. Lee Ermey).  This terrible twist of fate soon leads them to a large rundown house to obtain help, but what's waiting for them there is anything but helpful.  What they encounter is a crazed backwoods family, and the murderous, relentless, chain saw wielding Leatherface.  The events of this day would become known as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (depending on your disposition).

What really stands out in this film is the great casting.  Where to start?  Well, what is most important in any slasher film is the heroine.  Jessica Biel (7th Heaven, The Rules of Attraction) is so amazing.  Her character tumbles through a horrifying bottomless pit of terror, and she sells all of it.  She starts out very affectionate, but also tough and take charge.  Biel and Eric Balfour really have wonderful chemistry, the love between Erin & Kemper seems so genuine and heartfelt.  Early on, there's so much sympathy built for her and the rest of the young cast.  Later on, when the chain saw revs and the terror begins, the grief and fear she emotes is so frightening real.  The tension and suspense will get to you, but it wouldn't exist if Biel didn't have the acting chops to make Erin such a sympathetic and real heroine.  Of course, Eric Balfour compliments Biel perfectly.  He's not a macho guy at all, he's very genuine, and you believe, without question, that he's fully in love with her.  He wants to spend the rest of his life with Erin.  Balfour also demonstrates a sense of leadership as well, standing firm in what he feels is best.  Mike Vogel plays the stereotypical musclehead, but plays it with a dumb sympathy.  He says the complete wrong things at the wrong times, but he really means nothing ill about it.  He's not the brightest guy, but he's the kind of friend you can depend on when you need him.  Jonathan Tucker is admittedly the weakling of the group, and certainly less sensitive.  Though, eventually, you can't help but feel for the poor guy.  Ultimately, he's just scared, freaked out over the situation at hand, and just wants to put it behind him as quickly as possible.  Finally, Erica Leerhsen (Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2) plays a far less stable girl than Erin is.  Pepper was only hitching a ride down the highway, and is now in a situation she never wanted any part of.  She easily starts to break down after being terrorized by Sheriff Hoyt, and barely holds together.

On the side of the psycho family, the Hewitt clan, you pretty much have to start with Andrew Bryniarski, the newest Leatherface.  This is, by far, the most straight forward and aggressive portrayal of the character, ever.  In the original continuity (the first four films), Leatherface was portrayed in a few different ways, but mostly in a mentally underdeveloped fashion.  Here, he's a ferocious animal.  He's a rampaging bull, but appears to be more focused than ever before.  The fact that he is now named Thomas Hewitt instead of Bubba Sawyer would appear to be to distinctly differentiate the two continuities.  Still, there's a moment or two where Leatherface seems a bit like a ridiculed little boy.  It gives a hint of character and depth to him.  The overall look of Leatherface is very hulking, but not in a Kane Hodder fashion.  Leatherface is just BIG!  Andrew Bryniarski is a 6'5" body builder with a decent list of acting roles to his credit.  So, there's no lack of physical screen presence on his part.  The design of Leatherface is all-new, but not foreign - the butcher's smock remains.  As with every new film, the mask of flesh is re-designed with more detailed ideas in it.  I've never had any issues with any of the masks I've seen (I just overlook TCM4 altogether) as they all offer something unique and different.  I mean, Leatherface can't wear the same mask of flesh for all that long.  Sooner or later, it's going to rot away.

The screenplay by Scott Kosar (The Machinist) introduces some new elements and characters into the world of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  One such new element is Sherif Hoyt portrayed by R. Lee Ermey, who is very creepy and sadistic.  Granted, he seems to be called upon to do the same act in most every film since Full Metal Jacket, but he does it so well.  His Sheriff Hoyt is terribly intimidating, frightening, and demented.  You just don't know what he's gonna do next.  He pushes these scared teens to the edge, but doesn't let them off this ride.  It's all about psychological torture for many of his scenes.  The rest of this fucked up family is quite good, but have significantly less screentime.  Terrence Evans plays the cranky and creepy Old Monty exceptionally well, and all the ladies really dive off the deep end, too.

Next, there's the direction of Marcus Nispel.  He had no film credits preceeding this film, just music videos.  That always gets people pissing in the wrong direction.  David Fincher began as a music video director, and look at the amazing films he's directed.  I honestly feel that Nispel has a great talent for tension and suspense.  The way he crafts every scene in this film definitely twisted my muscles up in knots, and had some chills running over me.  You may indeed get the jitters here and there.  Though, while he did film some very gory and disturbing footage, he felt the need to hold back.  Alternate cuts of scenes are present on the Platinum Series DVD, and they really made me twitch in my seat.  They would be a gorehound's dream, but we are left with a slightly tamer final cut.  Still, there's a lot of gore and terrifying violence to satisfy your horror needs.  There's some gutsy stuff that nobody had the gumption to do three years ago.  Horror films had been roaming down the safe road for a long time, and this film chose to get ballsy.  It went further with the violence and brutality.  Still, it held back some for fear of overloading the audience with too much intensity and visceral gore.

Daniel Pearl, the cinematographer of Tobe Hooper's 1974 original, returned to lense this remake.  The difference is striking, but the difference of $9.1 million in budget and 30 years of artistic evolution tends to do that.  It has a gritty beauty to it.  In the light, there's a dry, desolate, but wide open landscape to the film.  The big Texas sky goes on for eternity.  In the dark, there's this striking, but beautiful lighing.  Probably too slick and polished for something baring this title, but it's high contrast and very effective.  There's a density to the darkness that enhances the isolation.  Overall, I really enjoyed the look of the film.  It's very rich and detailed.  It sounds wrong to call it gorgeous, but that's just how I feel about it.

The musical score by Steve Jablonsky intensifies all the tension and suspense.  It truly aids the film without overwhelming it.  I found it noticable, but not at all in a bad way.  It really drives home the terror, as does the entire sound design.  When that chain saw revs, it's louder and fiercer than ever before.  Also, despite the fact that the soundtrack album is filled with modern day heavy metal bands, all you hear of any of them is in the latter half of the end credits.  Rather unnecessary and out-of-place for a film set in 1973, but the studio's just gotta have their soundtrack.

Overall, I honestly find this film to be very good.  It's not perfect as the filmmakers' felt the need to hold back a bit on the intense violence and gore in the editing stage.  If an unrated cut were ever released, I think this drawback would be remedied.  Ultimately, standing on its own merits, Marcus Nispel's first film is impressive and the kind of film most directors would kill for as the start of their feature film directing careers.  Again, if you go in intent on comparing it to Tobe Hooper's 1974 original film, I don't see how you're gonna like it.  Your mind is probably already made up that this remake is inferior, and I agree that nothing's ever going to measure up to that film on the same levels.  The 1974 and 2003 movies are two entirely different beasts.  No modern day $9.2 million Hollywood studio film is going to be like an $80,000 independent film from 30 years ago.  But more importantly, you can't recreate what Hooper accomplished, and nor should you.  I think it was wise for the filmmakers to not try to emulate anything specific from that movie, especially certain scenes.  With the way this remake was approached and shot, such a thing could only fail.  In any case, this version of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is definitely worth your time.  Whether you will view it as a worthy remake is purely subjective.  It's a good, solid horror film that does what a horror film is supposed to do - scare the crap out you.  On a final note, I found it to be invaluable and a beautiful homage to the original film to bring back the greatly talented and beloved actor John Larroquette to narrate the opening and end of the film.  His voice is as much a part of the history of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre as Leatherface and Tobe Hooper.

Remakes, prequels - will they ever end?  By proof of this film, not anytime soon.  I must warn you that this review will have some spoilers in it.  There are certain issues I will raise that cannot be explored without them.  While I will try not to be detailed in my spoilers, they do directly impact the fact of who dies and who survives.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning takes place in 1969 - four years before the events of the previous film.  Dean (Taylor Handley) has been drafted into the United States Army in the midst of the Viet Nam War.  His brother, Eric (Matthew Bomer), has already had a tour in 'Nam, and is going back to re-enlist.  Chrissie (Jordana Brewster) very much loves Eric, and doesn't want him to go.  Unfortunately, he's too gung-ho for the war and being a patriot to choose love over volunteering for the war.  What Eric doesn't know is that Dean intends to dodge the draft by hopping the Mexico border with his girlfriend Bailey (Diora Baird).  The group of four must travel cross-state (Texas, of course) for the brothers to join the army.  Meanwhile, changes are occurring in the Hewitt household.  With the closing of the slaughterhouse, the family is all that's left of this town.  Charles Hewitt (R. Lee Ermy) assumes the role of town sheriff, the family casually embraces cannibalism, and Thomas Hewitt (Andrew Bryniarski) begins his vicious killing streak.  Inevitably, these two stories converge, and total carnage and death ensues. I can't say you'll "witness the birth of fear," but you will be a witness to a lot of visceral violence.

My first main gripe with this film is that the focus is on the wrong character, despite the great actor portraying him.  Leatherface is the icon of the franchise, and six films have been produced and released with him as that icon.  Whether you call him Bubba Sawyer or Thomas Hewitt doesn't make a huge difference.  Either way, he's still a cannibalistic homicidal maniac who wears human flesh as a mask, and kills people with a chain-saw in Texas.  So, my point is, when it comes time to tell of his origins, to explain to us why he is who he is, and why he does what he does, how come the focus of the film is diverted away from him?  Why is he treated as the secondary villain throughout the film when he is the icon of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise?  He's on all the posters, all the promotional materials, and has always been treated as the main attraction in the films.  In this film, R. Lee Ermey is given the reigns as Charles Hewitt / Sheriff Hoyt.  He has the brunt of the spotlight, and has more of his character explored than Leatherface.  As the matriach of the Hewitt family, it is only natural he's in a leadership role, but Leatherface is barely in this film.  Only when someone is to be brutally murdered, is he brought into frame.  We really learn next to nothing more about Leatherface than was explained in the 2003 remake.  In fact, far more of Leatherface's origins are stated in that film than this supposed origins story.  This alone makes the idea of a prequel a wasted opportunity.  If you're not going to explore the backstory and origins of the franchise's one and only constant star, then why bother doing a prequel?  The film sets itself up like it is making Leatherface the focus of the story, but once Ermey comes on screen, he's given the spotlight.  Now, there's a difference between stealing the spotlight, and being given it.  One occurs out of pure happenstance by an actor's outstanding performance.  The other is fully planned by the filmmakers.  The filmmakers chose to put focus on Hoyt instead of Leatherface, and that honestly annoys me.  What further annoys me is that the brunt of the backstory in this film is glossed over in the main title sequence!  A montage of Thomas Hewitt at different ages and some newspaper headlines is the meat of the "beginnings."

My second gripe is that the ending is a victim of the film's own trappings.  This is a prequel, and we've already seen the first film which is set four years after this one.  So, we already know who is not going to die in this film.  When the biker Holden (Lee Tergesen) has Hoyt at gunpoint, you want to get excited that the tables have turned, and this family may now get their deadly due.  Of course, that's short lived since we already know that Hoyt isn't going to die because he's alive (and in one piece) four years later, as seen in the 2003 remake.  Thus, there's no tension, hope, or suspense that the scene is obviously intent on provoking from an audience.  And the oh-so-clever way out of this is when Holden does pull the trigger, the gun doesn't fire, and thus, leaving him defenseless to the subsequent attack upon him.  This happens despite two facts:  one being that he checked the gun chamber earlier on, and more importantly, he just successfully fired the gun at another of the Hewitt clan no more than a minute ago.  The gun works one minute, and then, doesn't the next.  This is the first of two displays of stunted logic by the filmmakers.  The second comes from the ending - which is worse because you quickly realize that every potential victim will die.  Leatherface magically appears in the backseat of this getaway car stolen by our heroine, despite the fact that he was still trailing behind her when she got in the car.  Then, he also is able to maneuver that big ass chain-saw around in the back seat.  So, Leatherface must've contacted the starship Enterprise, had Scotty beam him into the backseat, and used a retractable chain-saw to kill the girl.  Of course, he still has to walk back home.  The film ends without a resolution, and thus, feels empty.  Even the brief narrated statements by John Larroquette are no real help.  This is honestly the flattest ending to a horror film I can recall seeing, and only the second worst film ending I've seen this year - right behind Miami Vice.

While this film is as intense, brutal, and grueling as everyone has been saying, it feels much less developed than the 2003 remake.  I found the young protagonist leads to be less endearing and sympathetic than those in Marcus Nispel's film.  This foursome, more or less, felt like your standard slasher film cannon fodder with some decent level of character development behind them.  I didn't particularly feel for them because they lacked any degree of true emotional depth.  The brutality of their deaths, despite the great impact of their ferocity, did not draw any further empathy from me.  The less-than-engaging actors aren't completely to blame for this because the screenplay doesn't give them any real personalities to make their characters worth much of a damn - especially the girls.  They all seem too cliché and hollow.  There's no emotional roller-coaster ride that these characters are subjected to, or even any straight out mindfuck material to screw with their sanity.  You don't see any of them descend into hysterics or some pit of despair.  Nobody seems genuinely traumatized by the insanity and carnage they bare witness to.  Jordanna Brewster doesn't come remotely close to what Jessica Biel was so rich with back in 2003.  Biel was exceptionally likeable, but also had a tomboy toughness to her, a touch of grittiess, and a real traumatic out-pouring of emotion.  I want to see tears and uncontrollable sobbing when a girl sees one of her best friends or boyfriend get savagely murdered right in front of her.  Brewster just doesn't display the acting chops to pull off that level of overly intense emotional distress.  Even the tougher heroines of the franchise have shown a wider range of emotions than Brewster shows any hint of here.  Only Holden, the rebel biker, did I actually feel for, but that's only because I have a real big fondness for Lee Tergesen and his work.  Plus, we were both dressed in pretty much the same attire (wore my black leather biker jacket to the theatre).  It's always an extra special treat when I see Tergesen on screen.

The final gripe is the audacity of these filmmakers to try to recreate the infamous "dinner scene" from Tobe Hooper's original Texas Chain Saw Massacre film.  The version of this scene in this film is about as disturbing as your picnic in the park getting rained on.  A quickly slashed throat is as far as it goes to disturb you.  This family just doesn't display enough erratic or demented physical behavior to tap into the raw, psychotic mania Hooper originally captured.  Liebesman's version is totally forgettable and dismissible.  Leatherface isn't even present until the very end!  It's as pussified as can be imagined without becoming totally laughable.  Just goes to show that you cannot recreate a classic, especially when you're barely trying, and at least Marcus Nispel had the foresight not to attempt to recreate this scene in his film.

Now, after this massive tangent of gripes and negativity, you inevitably ask if there's anything good here?  Well, there is some that goes a long way.  The acting from the returning cast remains solid as a rock, and the cinematography is quite good except when the end chase sequence turns into The Blair Witch Project with the shaky-cam bullshit.  When will filmmakers learn that this style of shooting is nothing but annoying, disorienting, and detracting to the effectiveness of a scene?  Beyond that, nothing in the camera work really stood out for me - good or bad, and honestly, didn't appear noicably any grittier to me than the 2003 remake.  It's not as glossy in its lighting, but I personally wouldn't state much more difference than that.  The look of the film is nearly identical to Marcus Nispel's installment down to the faded, dry color scheme.  I'm really indifferent towards the musical score.  It doesn't enhance the film much, but certainly doesn't damage it.  It's just one of those scores that's just there.  On the editing side, the film cuts away (and ultimately holds back) when the most graphic imagery appears.  Whether this was an MPAA rating requirement, or the director's prerogative is uncertain.  For whatever reason, I'm tempted to believe the latter especially after seeing what made the R-rated cut of The Hills Have Eyes earlier this year, but one of the producers said that 17 scenes had to be cut down to obtain an R rating.  I'll really believe that when they release an unrated cut on DVD.

The violence here is indeed more unrelenting and brutal than in the 2003 remake.  Every act of violence is so smash mouth that it will have you recoiling and cringing.  Flesh is slashed and shredded, bones are crushed, skulls battered, and blood is spattered.  It's intense and tough to take.  The first kill, which is by sledgehammer, is so visceral and dead-on realistic that you may suffer whiplash from the impacts.  The first chain-saw kill is dramatic, and the sound of it is gut-wrenching.  Although, the focus is almost completely on the violence instead of the aftermath.  Seeing the end result of all this carnage usually goes a long way to building up the fear and emotional distress of our protagonists.  This film does indeed lack tension and suspense.  It's just about making the most violent and barbarous film possible.  You can get the very same thing in a Quentin Tarantino film.  When I watch a horror film, I want tension and suspense racked up as far as possible, or at least have it delve into pure madness.  Director Jonathan Liebesman really makes no attempt at this.  He just wants violence upon violence.  He's about the shock and impact which are merely momentary whereas the emotional roller-coaster that the build up and aftermath offer are long-lasting.  Still, the savagery of the film does make an impact that you won't soon forget, but doesn't do anything to keep you on the edge of your seat.  This film is purely about sadism, not terror.  It's a blunt object lacking character or subtlety instead of the finely-crafted piece of terror, tension, and suspense that I was hoping for.  Furthermore, despite all this barbarism, this film lacks the whirlwind of insanity that has always been the high marks in these films.

Also, what The Beginning lacks that the 2003 remake had is bravado and an animalistic rage for Leatherface.  In Marcus Nispel's film, Leatherface was like a tank barrelling down on his prey, and smashing through whatever got in his way.  Here, he barely has any screen presence at all since Ermey's given all the damn screentime.  There was no pay-off for all this hiding Leatherface in shadows and such.  By the end, he has less screentime here than Jason Voorhees in Jason Goes To Hell, and we've all heard the complaints over his lack of screentime in that film!  In 2003's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Leatherface was a dominant physical presence, and that is sorely lacking here.  And where's the bravado?  I was actually surprised and impressed by the 2003 remake because it was a real, straight up horror film that was very well-rounded.  I won't say at all that it measures up on the same levels to Hooper's classic, but I would hardly say it was a disgrace.  So, that film dared to be what exceptionally few horror films were actually trying to do - be a real horror film.  It wanted to scare you, to make you feel the horror, and disturb you to some degree.  This prequel doesn't even try to be that much beyond upping the bar for the intensity of the violence, but still doesn't kick my ass.  Nispel's film also had a certain consistent adrenaline rush to it, but this prequel lacks even that.  No momentum is ever built up.

I will indeed give this film high marks for its guts to not hold back on the violence and savagery, but I honestly feel it falls short in every other aspect.  There's so much that seems carbon-copied from the remake that it becomes difficult to focus on anything remotely original here.  Even the end chase sequence swings through the slaughterhouse, albeit only briefly.  In fact, the entire end chase is very brief, sacraficing (again) any attempt at building tension or a sense of imminent peril.  The screenplay wastes every opportunity to make Leatherface the focus of the movie, and to mainly explore his evolution from a deformed outcast child to a cannibalistic, psychotic, and vicious butcher (which I thought was the entire point of this prequel).  The director foregoes any attempt at creating tension, suspense, or even a passing sense of insanity in exchange for pure blunt brutality.  It's just kill, kill, kill to no end.  Just an excuse for a body count.  The characters that we should have immense sympathy for really just fell flat for me.  I didn't care if they lived or died.  There wasn't nearly enough emotional depth or personality to them to forge any connection for me.  The girls are just there to scream and offer some eye candy.  I will also take issue with anyone who freely throws around the statement that this film is terrifying.  Unless a movie makes you scream out (and I mean screaming like a puny little bitch) in terror, has you pissing your pants, or leaves you completely paralyzed with fear in your theatre seat, don't dare say that this or any other film is terrifying. The Exorcist had that paralyzing effect on me six years ago when I saw it theatrically, and I haven't been able to watch it since (despite the fact I own the DVD).

Anyway, I have to ultimately say that this film is much less developed than the 2003 remake, but is indeed more intense where the violence is concerned.  I don't see it as a good enough trade-off.  Reference Alexandre Aja's The Hills Have Eyes remake to see how a film of this kind is done right.  That, my fellow horror fans, is the true best horror film of the year.  It has all the fear, madness, empathy for characters, suspense, gore, and brutality that one looks for in a Texas Chainsaw Massacre film.  No sequel, prequel, rip-off, or remake has yet to do justice to Tobe Hooper's original, unrelenting, and raw film from 1974.  This film is rather lifeless and lacks any genuine human element to connect with - something essential to any great horror film.  I am forced to give The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning a 4/10.