Review: Texas Chainsaw 3D

I can't tell you how many times I've read people putting down others online because of their taste in movies. It's common to see "you're not a real horror fan if you like/dislike movie X," but everyone has different tastes in movies and it's important to me that we don't have that kind of attitude on Daily Dead. Just because I don't care for a particular movie doesn't mean that there aren't horror fans out there that won't love it.

There are plenty of instances where I've heard from people who prefer the remake of Dawn of the Dead or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to the originals and I know that Texas Chainsaw 3D will also divide casual and die-hard horror fans.

After seeing Texas Chainsaw 3D, Leah came to me with a very different opinion of the movie than my own. Having never seen any of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies previously, she found herself really enjoying the film. On the other hand, I've seen all of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies numerous times and didn't care for it as much. Both are valid opinions, both of us represent different types of horror fans, and I thought this would be a great opportunity to give readers two different reviews of the movie.

Texas Chainsaw 3D (Leah's Take)

By Leah Cevoli

I love horror movies, and even though Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Friday the 13^th are some of my all-time favorite movies, I never quite got into the Chainsaw series. Perhaps the thought of a big man with a chainsaw terrified me or I thought they were too gory.

Whatever the reason was, I have never seen the original or any of the remakes. Which in a way was kind of awesome to be going to review a remake with no preconceived judgments or expectations.  Except, this turned out not to be a remake at all.  In fact, the movie starts a few minutes BEFORE the original ends and feels much more like a continuation than a sequel.

The movie opens with the closing scene from the original 1974 classic, and follows it up with about 10-15 minutes of more action that occurs after the original ends. Then it flashes forward a few decades where we meet Heather Miller hanging out with her friends getting ready to prepare for a Spring Break trip to New Orleans.  Just as the group is preparing to leave, Heather gets a notice in the mail that a long-lost relative has passed away, and has left her quite a chunk of property in a small town in Texas.

Of course, the group of friends decides to delay their trip to New Orleans, with a pit-stop in Texas to deal with Heather’s inheritance. Upon receiving the keys to a beautiful mansion that once belonged to Heather’s now deceased grandmother, the gruesome murders begin, and don’t let up till the movie ends. I found myself most times rooting for the innocent victims to make it to safety, but yet there was more than one time I found myself rooting for Leatherface to finish off the unfortunate person that got too close to him.

I think this is what makes TCM and the story of Leatherface a bit different than some of the other classics in this genre. The audience really develops a relationship with Leatherface. We get to learn his back-story, how his life has progressed as an adult, and in fact, that he can live within the confines of normalcy, when needed. As an audience there are definite moments, particularly towards the end, where we are rooting for Leatherface.

The scares were a plenty, but there was only one, or maybe two times where I had to cover my eyes and felt squeamish over a scene. The plot was rich and complex, and in my opinion didn’t leave any unanswered questions, with the ending really wrapping everything up nicely. The actors were superb, particularly Alexandra Daddario as Heather. This gal is now a bona fide horror starlet, and I expect to see her popping up in more than one of your favorite horror movies.

I thoroughly enjoyed Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D, and surprisingly so. Having never seen the original, I am now a fan of Leatherface and will be renting the original TCM soon. Those viewers who are already fans of the original, in my opinion, will adore this deeper look at Leatherface and the continuation of his family legacy. And the most important thing this film teaches us is that blood is indeed thicker than water.

Film Score: 3.5/5

Texas Chainsaw 3D (Jonathan's Take)

Texas Chainsaw 3D set out to please fans of the series by picking up the story right after the ending of 1974's The Texas Chains Saw Massacre. While the idea sounded promising, the movie feels too much like a reboot and misses some very important elements that made the original a classic.

The movie begins with a highlight reel of The Texas Chains Saw Massacre and continues moments after the original ending. We're back in the 1970's, where the police and locals have learned what the Sawyer family has been up to all of these years. Things don't end well for most of the family and the movie jumps forward to the present day, following Heather Miller (Alexandra Daddario). She had just learned that her grandmother passed away and she is the new owner of her grandmother's home in Texas. Heather travels with her friends to check out the new place and finds out that her grandmother was not the only resident of the house.

In theory, the idea this being a direct sequel could have worked. The major issue here is that it's not completely fleshed out. One item fans will quickly pick up on is that the timeline is impossible and Heather should be nearly 40 instead of in her mid-20s. This is just one of a number of plot issues surrounding the Sawyer family and Leatherface's survival. This wouldn't be as big of a problem, except for the fact that tying Texas Chainsaw to the original is a big part of the story the filmmakers are trying to tell. While this movie has a different approach, it's similar to what Universal did with their prequel to The Thing. Texas Chainsaw comes across as more of a reboot with loose ties to the original.

I would have had no problem looking over minor plot issues if the movie was able to capture the spirit of the first movie. This is impossible due to the removal of most of the Sawyer family from the modern story. Once the story hits present day, it's mostly standard slasher fare and puts much of the focus on Leatherface, who comes across as more of a generic slasher villain in this movie. The original 1974 movie revolved around a cast of crazy characters from the Sawyer family and Texas Chainsaw is hurt by relying too much on Leatherface.

Another major issue was the reliance on in-your-face 3D and CG blood instead of practical effects. This movie was definitely designed with a casual audience in mind, and while there are scenes that will make some jump and cringe, there's nothing new or extreme here for fans of the series. In fact, there were quite a few times where scenes that were supposed to scare or startle the audience resulted in laughter instead.

The movie follows the usual slasher beats for the first hour, but it does win some points with me for an unconventional third act that takes the story to interesting places. I may not have loved Texas Chainsaw 3D, but the ending did have me curious to see what they have planned for a sequel. For those that aren't aware, this was designed as the start of a new series of films, so this probably won't be the last we'll see of Leatherface.

I was also impressed with Alexandra Daddario, as the movie hinges on her performance and she steps up to the challenge. Texas Chainsaw 3D isn't able to achieve the level of quality it needed to become an instant classic, but Alexandra's performance and a short running time prevented the movie from feeling like it was dragging on. The supporting actors are a mixed bag, but I wouldn't say that there were any cringe-worthy performances. Fans of the original series will also be happy to see a number of cameos including Bill Moseley and Gunnar Hansen.

If you're a die-hard fan of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies, it's going to be tough for you to really enjoy this film. With that being said, it could have been a whole lot worse. For casual horror fans and young teenagers who are looking for a new slasher movie, I don't think you'll necessarily be disappointed, but there isn't anything really new here. This is by no means a terrible movie, but definitely a wasted opportunity. The creative team was working with some really interesting ideas, and it's obvious that they were fans of the Chainsaw series, but a better execution could have brought the Sawyer family back to their full glory.

Film Score: 2.5/5