BLOOD WORK: HALLOWEEN HORROR DAYS ~ DAY 24: THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING (2006)

Last year we took a look at several remakes of classic horror films, one of them being the 2003 remake of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. Only a handful of these remakes spawned sequels and Chainsaw was one of them. Marcus Nispel's film touched a nerve with audiences and was a huge success for a horror film. When it comes to horror films naturally you make a sequel, even if it is moderately successful. Thus we received THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING.

Fresh new director Jonathan Liebesman only had one other film under his belt, the horror film DARKNESS FALLS (2003). The fright film about the tooth fairy earned him the job to direct the sequel to one of the biggest, scariest films in years. Everyone of the actors who played the cannibal family in the first film returns, which is a good sign. And as the title suggests this film is a prequel as opposed to a sequel. This too is a good thing because at the end of the last film Leatherface was minus an arm. I think I speak for all Texas Chainsaw fans out there that a one-armed Leatherface, one who can't hold the chainsaw and yank the pull cord, is no Leatherface at all. In truth this film is about Leatherface and not the group of unwitting youths who go where they don't belong.

THE PLOT

1939. Born deformed and in a sweaty rank slaughter house, Leatherface was dumped out back in the dumpster moments after his birth. A destitute woman scavenging for scraps finds him and takes him home to her family where he is cared for as one of their own. Years later his facial deformity grows and he is forced to wear a mask to keep others from being uncomfortable. He gets a job working at the slaughter house where he remains until the facility is closed down in 1969. Now a monstrous man, Leatherface is even more frightening.

As Leatherface leaves the slaughter house he takes a sledge hammer to his old boss, a cruel man that had antagonized him for years. After the murder he simply walks home taking a massive brand new chainsaw with him. The police beat him home and arrange for his uncle to assist the sheriff in the arrest. During the car ride the police speaks poorly of Leatherface. When they do find him wandering up onto the road from the ditch, Leatherface's uncle takes the policeman's gun and kill the officer. Uncle Charlie claims to have had a revelation. He has seen the path that his family should take. He forces the rest of the family to fall in line and soon after the first group of travelers passing by fall prey to the new family motto.

THE GOOD

The Sync. When we meet the "chainsaw family" in the first film (whenever I say "the first film" I'm referring to the 2003 remake, just so we're clear) they all seem to have their own scars and deformities, missing limbs and perverse proclivities. There were dozens of details that had to be accounted for in a prequel. The movie syncs up beautifully. It shows us how they get their scars and lose their limbs and go full on homicidal. It fleshes out R. Lee Ermey's character as well as showing us Leatherface's whole back story. It's grizzly and brutal and disgusting. In other words it's perfect. One of my absolute favorite parts of the first film is Andrew Bryniarski's performance as Leatherface. He's even better in this film and is given more to work with too. Leatherface has never been better!

The gore. If you're going to make a sequel to a horror film you have to outdo the previous film. Higher body counts. More gruesome death scenes. And more gore. If this is the recipe for a successful sequel then this movie delivers in spades. The birthing sequence at the beginning of the film made me and my friends nauseous in the theater (that's a compliment by the way). Everything about the slaughter house felt nasty. The first time Leatherface skins a character's face is bloody marvelous. The truly epic moments are the last two kills, full on chainsaw impalings. Whatever the first film had in terms of graphic violence, this one is every bit the superior.

THE BAD

The scares... or lack there of. One of the great qualities about the first film were the moments of suspense and terror. There are moment without any violence or gore that are just terrifying. When The Beginning came out in 2006 the SAW franchise was in full swing and other horror franchises were floundering in SAW's wake. It comes across as if The Beginnings was trying to out do those films in terms of gore. The suspense in this film is built from moments of grotesque violence as opposed to pure old fashion suspense and tension. Personally, it doesn't bother me very much that the scares are missing. I love characters like Jason and Freddy and Michael Myers and I watch the sequels not to be scared but to see my favorite horror icons do what they do best. Leatherface is the best he's ever been in this film in my opinion and it gets my full support.

THE VERDICT

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise is a strange series of films that never really quite caught on. Usually there is a decent stretch between films. We never really received a proper saga for the Texas Chainsaw Massacre despite all the films. Looks at all the previous sequels: Part II, despite my personal feelings, is so alien to original in terms of style. Part III has a whole new family unconnected with the previous family save Leatherface. The Next Generation is its own strange beast and Chainsaw 3D tries to reconnect to the original by disregarding all the previous entries. This movie finally feels like a genuine continuation. Sadly with nowhere to go forward and nowhere to go back they couldn't do anything else. It's a shame. These two are such a fine pair of Chainsaw films.