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Movies / Upcoming / The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning

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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)

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Reviews Counted:77

Fresh:10

Rotten:67

Average Rating:3.4/10

Consensus: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning is full of blood and gore, but not enough scares or a coherent story to make for a successful horror film.

Runtime: 89 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

US Box Office: $39,418,953

Synopsis: The producers behind the successful 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre return to deliver this startling prequel, which details the beginnings of the Hewitt clan and exposes their psychotic... The producers behind the successful 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre return to deliver this startling prequel, which details the beginnings of the Hewitt clan and exposes their psychotic idea of family fun. For the first time, audiences will learn what led to the origin of Leatherface, perhaps the most iconic horror character of all time. It's 1969. The conflict in Vietnam has exploded. The toll on the United States is catastrophic, the losses immeasurable, while the draft ramps up to feed the military machine. And 18-year-old Dean Hill's (Taylor Handley) number is up. But before Dean can report to the local induction center, his brother, Eric (Matt Bomer), who has recently returned from a tour of duty in Vietnam, decides to surprise Dean. Despite the concerns of his devoted fiancée, Chrissie (Jordana Brewster), Eric plans to re-enlist alongside Dean in his beloved Marine Corps in hopes of keeping an eye on his directionless brother. Unfortunately, Dean's plans do not coincide with Eric's. Dean's simple strategy to dodge the draft and head south to Mexico is sponsored by his strong-willed girlfriend, Bailey (Diora Baird). But before either couple realizes the true battle they are about to confront, the boys and their respective girlfriends head across Texas for a final fling of serious fun. Soon after their journey begins, the spirited foursome is spooked by a menacing pair of bikers, Holden (Lee Tergesen) and his girlfriend, Alex (Cyia Batten). When Alex chases the group's jeep, propelling them into a serious accident, Chrissie is thrown from the vehicle. As Alex attempts to rob the injured trio, Sheriff Hoyt (R. Lee Ermey) arrives on the scene and turns the tables on their would-be assassin. While Chrissie hides in the nearby brush, she watches as the sheriff inexplicably taunts her friends before ordering them into the back of the patrol car. Unbeknownst to Chrissie, Hoyt is headed back to the Hewitt family home, where his nephew, Thomas – who is being groomed to become the terrifying monster known as Leatherface (Andrew Bryniarski) – and the rest of the Hewitt clan await. As Chrissie witnesses the horrors inflicted by the Hewitt family upon the people she loves, she realizes she is their only hope of survival. New Line Cinema, in association with Michael Bay, presents The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, the terrifying story of a family left behind in a fading rural town, with no hope, no prospects and nothing left to lose, whose eccentric behavior crosses the line into gruesome, sadistic ritual. The film stars Jordana Brewster, Taylor Handley, Diora Baird, Matt Bomer, Lee Tergesen, Cyia Batten and R. Lee Ermey. --© New Line Cinema [More]

Starring: Jordana Brewster, Andrew Bryniarski, Cyia Batten, Diora Baird

Starring: Jordana Brewster, Andrew Bryniarski, Cyia Batten, Diora Baird, Matthew Bomer, Taylor Handley, Lee Tergesen, R. Lee Ermey, Lew Temple, Heather Kafka, Marietta March, Terrence Evans

Director: Jonathan Liebesman

Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Screenwriter: Sheldon Turner
Story: David J. Schow
Producer: Mike Fleiss, Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller
Studio: New Line Cinema

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Reviews for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
01/15/08
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Even more than most horror films, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, feels desperately unoriginal

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
11/10/06
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Tom Meek
Tom Meek
Boston Phoenix

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
11/20/08
Michael Szymanski
Michael Szymanski
Hollywood.com

The original "Chain Saw Massacre" spoke, in unsettling terms, to middle America's growing contempt for the '60s counter-culture, but no deeper meaning can be ascribed to this mayhem. It's just a joyless technical exercise.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
07/15/08
Rossiter Drake
Rossiter Drake
San Francisco Examiner

A rote latter-day slasher film with barely anything worth recommending.

Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy | comment Comment
07/06/08
Tim Brayton
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy

...an ugly film, overwhelmed by transparent shock value, short-sighted storytelling and nihilistic undertones.

Full Review Source: Cinemaphile.org | comment Comment
05/22/08
David Keyes
David Keyes
Cinemaphile.org

...unsightly, pointless, and thoroughly mean-spirited...

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
06/04/07
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
05/12/07
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A garden-variety horror movie that provides no innovation on the old "kids stranded in the woods with a scary monster" plot.

Full Review Source: Cinematical | comment Comment
04/08/07
Jette Kernion
Jette Kernion
Cinematical

Audiences will start playing the 'Who's Next' game as people run, scream and die, and the whole thing loses the power that this horrific creation once had over cinema.

Full Review Source: UGO | comment Comment
03/24/07
Brian Tallerico
Brian Tallerico
UGO

The focus in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning isn't on the confrontation of demons, moral reckoning, or terror. It's an unimaginative exercise in suffering.

Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
03/15/07
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

That "Zzzzzz" ringing through the theatre during The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning ain't just a chainsaw, it's snoring.

Full Review Source: Rue Morgue Magazine | comment Comment
02/12/07
Dave Alexander
Dave Alexander
Rue Morgue Magazine
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
02/03/07
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

In the end, and despite Ermey's best efforts, it's just another splatter flick.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
01/10/07
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's neither as bad as it could have been, nor as interesting as it should have been, and the final desultory reaction is a decidedly minor one.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
10/30/06
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

Oppressive, mean-spirited and sadistic, The Beginning is an unsavoury exercise in cruelty and pain that one hopes will also be the end.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
10/28/06
Chris Tilly
Chris Tilly
Time Out

Lacking anything resembling subtext and anything resembling genuine suspense, The Beginning is little more than just another hackneyed rehash of increasingly diminishing returns.

Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
10/28/06
James Kendrick
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk
 
 
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