Texas Chainsaw: The Beginning DVD Review

"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - The Beginning" reviews

DVD

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - The Beginning

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2007-02-16 16:00:43

Provider

DVD Review

Prequels are becoming increasingly prevalent, from superheroes to serial killers. Perhaps we will soon see a medium sized monkey portraying young King Kong or the Godfather during his school bully years.

For now we'll make do with a chainsaw wielding maniac who could never really be described as subtle but in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - The Beginning the volume is cranked up to maximum from Leatherface's first attack on a woman driving her boyfriend to enlist in the Vietnam war.

In these times of psychoanalysis the filmmakers have attempted to explain Leatherface's descent into serial killing by chronicling his life; abandoned child born in a slaughterhouse, of all places, bullied etc. If that wasn't enough he's subsequently adopted by an army vet with a taste for human flesh. The character is played by Full Metal Jacket sadist R Lee Ermey who, admittedly typecast, delivers probably the best performance here.

There are also some borderline-original peep-through-your-fingers moments here involving chainsaws and meat hooks among other things, which is, let's face it, what fans want to see.

This 2-disc set includes both the uncut and original theatrical versions with optional filmmakers commentary, deleted scenes/extended scenes including three alternate endings (one which suggests another prequel) no less all with optional commentaries. There's also Down To The Bone which is a well-compiled series of featurettes.