Topic: Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (Theatrical Version)

[addicted2dvd]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
Year: 2006
Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Rating: R
Length: 91 Min.
Video:  Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio:  English DD 5.1, DTS, DD Surround Sound

Stars:
Jordana Brewster
Taylor Handley
Diora Baird
Matthew Bomer
R. Lee Ermey
Andrew Bryniarski

Plot:
Take a bone-chilling journey into evil, and witness how Thomas Hewitt became the infamous and deranged serial killer Leatherface.

Born under the mosty gruesome of conditions, an abandoned baby is found and taken in by the demented Hewitt family. As he grows under their morbid nurturing, Thomas develops a ravenous appetite for chainsaws and torture. This is unfortunate for four teens captured by the shady local "sheriff" and brought to the Hewitts' sadistic house of horrors. There, the teenagers must fight to survive as Thomas' murderous desires are unleashed and Leatherface is born.

Extras:
Commentary with Director Jonathan Liebesman and Producers Andrew Form & Brad Fuller
Deleted & Alternate Scenes (with Optional Commentary)
Down to the Bone: Behind the Scenes Documentary
Trailers
DVD-Rom Content

My Thoughts:

This is one of the ones a good friend gave to me after she bought the unrated version. I thought they did a good job on this prequel... I enjoyed it quite a bit. This showed the start of Leatherface and the rest of the Hewitt family. The story was good... the gore was plentiful, but not over-done... and it showed a lot on how it all started. I did have one problem with this movie. In the very beginning after Tommy Hewitt (Leatherface) killed the first guy (his boss)... the real sheriff Hoyt came to the house looking for Tommy talking about how they found the body (his boss)... but then at the end of the movie when the girl runs there... his boss' body was still laying where Leatherface left them. If they knew about that first murder then surely the body would have been gone by then. I am sure they left it in there for a scare factor for the girl to find... but it just stuck out like a sore thumb. I also liked that it used the same house... not to mention some of the same actors... as the remake. Over all... the movie was well worth the 90min to watch it. And I am sure I will be watching it again.

[Achim]

I enjoyed it for what it was myself. I own the Unrated though.

What was pointed out at DVD Talk are the following two facts, which play a bit against the movie:
1) as it's a prequel we already know that all "good people" must die, as Leatherface and the sheriff will remain undiscovered until the events of the "original" film.
2) explaining "where Leatherface comes from" makes him actually slightly less scary than if we don't know
I agree, but I still enjoyed it as the film it is