Street date: March 30, 2004

Although the 1974 version of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre helped put horror legend Tobe Hooper on the map and is considered a classic by most true stab-and-slab aficionados, I must confess that I never "got it". Leatherface just wasn't scary to me, the constant screaming got on my nerves, and (by the time I got around to it in the 80s) the surprise ending was pretty contrived.

There is plenty of screaming this time around too, but TCM is pure and unapologetic throwback and throw-down horror -- worth watching through the new eyes of young director Marcus Nispell. Old school fans will know they're in for a reverent retelling of the tale when they hear John Larroquette's familiar intonation on the voice-over at the beginning of the film, as he recounts the gruesome events of the true mass murder that inspired the film (actually its origins are buried deep in the case of Ed Gein, which means it's about as loosely based as it gets).

The direction and the performances are definitely above the usual horror par — the two standouts being star Jessica Biel and character actor R. Lee Ermey. Ermey plays a totally depraved backwoods sheriff (is there any other kind?) and Biel, making the most of every inch of her killer bod, plays a very unwilling victim. The new family of sadists also manages hold their own against their predecessors, as does the seldom-glimpsed chainsaw-wielder himself, Leatherface (a buzz-worthy Andrew Bryniarski).

The original TCM cinematographer, Daniel Pearl, is back for the remake but he's completely changed his style. Gone is the grainy, shaky cinema verite look, and here is the slick, sexy M-TV take tailor made to suit Nispell's own rock video and commercial background. It works beautifully, because the movie is not at all edited like a rock video -- we're allowed to follow and stay with the characters through their life-threatening trials and tribulations.

For true fans of action-oriented horror, the new TCM is definitely one for the permanent library.

The double-disk DVD features a removable metal face-plate (put it on your wall, or slip it back into the packaging), an "Evidence File" packet with six little picture cards, and a feast of additional release material.

First up are three separate screen-specific audio commentaries.

"Audio Essay #1 - Production": Nispel, producer Michael Bay, executive producers Andrew Form and Brad Fuller, and New Line CEO Robert Shaye. Learn about low-budget moviemaking here (TCM cost only $13m, though it looks like much more -- it made $96m worldwide).

"Audio Essay #2 - Technical": Pearl, production designer Greg Blair, art director Scott Gallagher, supervising sound editor Trevor Jolly, composer Steve Jablonsky and Nispel. Too technical for me, but still reasonably interesting.

"Audio Essay #3 - Story": Kosar, Fuller, Form, Nispel, Bay and stars Biel, Leerhsen, Balfour, Tucker, Vogel and Bryniarski. This is the most entertaining of the three, for the casual fan. Find out what made Bryniarski grunt like a pig! (Actually, there are a lot of real swine in the film, dead and alive.)

Disc two has the best extra goodies:

"Chainsaw Redux: Making a Massacre" is more than just your run-of-the mill featurette where everyone says how great it was to work with so-and-so. It runs 75 minutes and features new interviews with everyone: Nispel, Bay, Pearl, and the cast, various effects artists, and even doubting fans complaining about the remake before they saw it. The documentary dissects the film from conception to casting to production to post-production to the theatrical release. Most of the interviews on the DVD were done after opening weekend, so we get some perspective on the film's success. The only thing missing (and it's a pretty big thing) is participation from Tobe Hooper, who did support this remake. Be warned: the featurette is good, but it is laden with spoilers so if you haven't seen the movie yet, don't watch "Redux" first.

"Ed Gein: The Ghoul of Plainfield" gives us a glimpse into the sick life and times of the serial killer who was the inspiration behind not only TCM but Psycho, The Silence of the Lambs, and many more. Running about 25 minutes long, the documentary intercuts talking heads (authors and psychologists) with real crime-scene photos and clips from the movie. It's pretty well done, and gives you some insight as to how a "Leatherface" might actually come to be.

"Severed Parts" is a deleted scenes documentary featuring seven cut scenes, some of which are actually quite good. I enjoyed hearing Nispell's comments as to why certain things did or didn't stay in the movie. Most of the scenes were rightfully excised (like a "too much information" beginning and ending bookend sequence), but there is one rather grisly, extended murder scene that might have been more effective on the big screen. In "Severed Parts" you have the option of playing the short featurette which shows all the scenes with Nispell's comments, or you can play each scene separately on its own.

"Screen Tests" run about 10 minutes (but it feels longer; for some reason, I like seeing vintage screen tests, but not new ones so much) and we get to see Biel, Leerhsen and Balfour giving their all, screaming and crying in a stark, bare casting room.

There is also the obligatory music video ( Motorgrater's "Suffocate"), and stills galleries (inlcuding production concept art; Leatherface Concept Art) and TV spots and trailers.

DVD-ROM Extras:

These are for PC owners only, so my Mac can only imagine the weblinks to the official TCM website, New Line's DVD "Hot Spot," and the Script-to-Screen Viewer, which gives the user direct scene access (either full screen or in a smaller window) and the option to view storyboards for select scenes. You can also print out the entire screenplay.

Review by Staci Layne Wilson [1] for Horror.com

[ Don't forget to check out Horror.com's exclusive premiere coverage [2] of TCM.]