Movie Review: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)

While I actually think the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake is alright, this follow-up from Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes company definitely doesn’t work. It’s very violent, but not scary or disturbing, as it should be.

The movie basically just provides an incredibly good looking cast a chance to get covered in blood and dirt. It starts out far more glamorous than the cast in the remake, which was one of the things I appreciated about that movie. But then it just gets disgusting. Not fun. Not entertaining. Not disturbing. Not scary. Just disgusting.

It makes you uncomfortable, but not in the good way that the original did.

It’s not all terrible, though. R. Lee Ermey reprises his role from the remake, and he’s once again the best part of the movie. He’s a genuinely compelling psychopath, and remains far more grounded than most of the Sawyers/Slaughters in the original run of the franchise.

Still, there’s really just not a point to this movie. In order to have a prequel to a movie like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, you basically know that all the lead characters have to die. And unfortunately we don’t learn anything new or interesting along the way.

Rating: 3/10