The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006) Movie Review
Written By: LFG
Edited By: Grave Reviews
Film Information
Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Producers: Michael Bay, Mike Fleiss, et. al.
Writer: Sheldon Turner
Date Released: October 6, 2006
Cast:
Jordana Brewster as Chrissie
Taylor Handley as Dean A. Hill
Diora Baird as Bailey
Matt Bomer as Eric Hill
Lee Tergesen as Holden
R. Lee Ermey as Charlie Hewitt Jr. / Sheriff Hoyt
Marietta Marich as Luda Mae Hewitt
Allison Marich as young Luda Mae
Andrew Bryniarski as Thomas Hewitt / Leatherface
Terrence Evans as “Monty” Hewitt
Kathy Lamkin as Tea Lady Hewitt
Rating = 2.5/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
The film starts off with a flashback scene of how Thomas Hewitt (Andrew Bryniarski), also known as Leatherface, came to be in this world. Luda Mae Hewitt (Marietta Marich) adopted the disfigured newborn after finding him in a dumpster at the local slaughterhouse. Years later, Thomas finds himself working in the same slaughterhouse where he was born and found. After he was berated by the manager for not leaving the condemned building, Thomas murders him and leaves with a chainsaw in hand. Sheriff Hoyt (Lew Temple) finds out and attempts to arrest Thomas, however, he was killed by Charlie Hewitt (R. Lee Ermey), Thomas’ uncle, who then decided to assume the sheriff ’s identity. As the town was virtually abandoned, no one was there to question whatever was happening.
Charlie—now calling himself Sheriff Hoyt—positions himself by the roadside of the deserted town, preying on unsuspecting passersby in the hopes of killing someone to feed his family. Here he encounters brothers Eric (Matt Bomer) and Dean (Taylor Handley) who were on a road trip and spending their last remaining days of freedom with their girlfriends Chrissie (Jordana Brewster) and Bailey (Diora Baird) as both brothers were heading off to the Vietnam War.
Gore Factor
As with all Texas Chainsaw franchise films, gore was a predominant element from start to finish. As such it is quite difficult to pick the most horrifying scene. However, the most disturbing scene in the film was when the entire Hewitt family enjoyed a meal of stewed human flesh and bones. Most viewers can stomach blood and gore, but seeing a person eat human flesh—and actually enjoying it—is another thing.
The Grave Review
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006) provides a good background of the Hewitt family history, although it doesn’t really explain why they act they way they do. This remake followed the usual slasher-film formula, having young adolescents stuck in the middle of nowhere with a psycho killer out for their blood—and it somehow still works.
The entire Hewitt household is deranged and watching them literally “play with their food” is a sight that would stay with you for days. However, Charlie a.k.a. Sheriff Hoyt is easily the star of the film. He is a despicable character, and the way he tries to be pious and self-righteous whilst killing people makes him truly evil in human form.
Thomas Hewitt feels more of a secondary character in this film, although he did have some memorable scenes, specifically when he skinned Eric’s face and wore it as a mask after. This was a pivotal moment since this served as his trademark act whenever he killed someone in the succeeding events as shown in the other Texas Chainsaw films. This also greatly signifies how insecure Thomas is as he grew up scorned because of his looks.
The importance of family is also a main theme throughout. While it is obvious that the Hewitt family have some serious mental problems, they are a tight-knit group and would go through great lengths to protect each other, minus the concept of morals and conscience. Charlie/Sheriff Hoyt is the delusional head of the family, and everyone else is just there to listen to whatever he wants to say or do. He cut off his uncle’s legs out of nowhere, and he still got away with it.
Lastly, what’s interesting about Thomas’ character is that in one of the earlier scenes in the slaughterhouse, he completely ignored his manager who was berating him, but when the manager insulted the Hewitt family, Thomas immediately resolved to kill this man. The slight hesitancy and restraint would make one question whether he still has some morals left in him, or is he a total monster as what the succeeding films portray him to be? Or perhaps it’s only because family, no matter how evil or crazy, will always be family.
For the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006) two and a half graves out of five graves.
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