The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

The story begins in 1973 with Erin (Jessica Biel), her boyfriend Kemper (Eric Balfour) and their three dope-smoking friends travelling along a deserted stretch of Texas highway. Add one distraught hitchhiker to the mix however, and a bloody chain (no pun intended) of events soon follows. Think of it this way — attempting to duplicate the genius of Tobe Hooper's low budget snuff-like masterpiece would have been a waste of time. What's done is done. So, director Marcus Nispel and producer Michael Bay instead turned the gritty horror classic of sadistic butchery into a decent teen slasher flick filled with... well... sadistic butchery. True, this version is not as shocking when compared to the original, but it's much better than any sequel the series has offered to date. At the very least, the newer Texas Chainsaw Massacre succeeds in avoiding suspense-ruining campiness. Moreover, this is one movie that translates well to an intimate, darkened living room experience. Aside from cool toys (a metallic Texas Chainsaw Massacre faceplate and blurry "crime scene" photos), the two-disc DVD set comes with a large assortment of features. There are three average commentary tracks (story, technical, and production) strung together like a series of sound-bytes, but they're informative nonetheless. The set also contains a documentary about serial killer Ed Gein, the inspiration for Hooper's movie. The Gein documentary is informative and disturbing but also shameless in its attempts to associate Gein's story with scenes from Nispel's remake. Other extras include TV spots, an alternate introduction and ending, digitalised concept art (with different looks for the Leatherface mask), a feature length documentary on making Nispel's Texas Chainsaw Massacre, screen tests, a music video and more. There's enough here to keep you entertained for hours. Plus: deleted scenes, original theatrical trailer. (Alliance Atlantis)