The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
After picking up a traumatized young hitchhiker, five friends find themselves stalked and hunted by a chainsaw-wielding killer and his family of equally psychopathic killers.
Review Sentiment
Sheriff Hoyt forces Morgan to reenact the hitchhiker's suicide and handcuffs him
Group meets Luda Mae at the gas station and is directed to the Crawford Mill
The film jumps from its slowest, most criticized stretch around the gas station and mill setup (scores near 5.5) to the visceral, widely praised Andy meat hook sequence and Hoyt confrontation (scores near 7.5-7.8), a swing of roughly 2.3 points driven by the arrival of Leatherface and Ermey in full force.
The 2003 remake opens with modest goodwill from its period atmosphere and shocking hitchhiker cold-open, then sags slightly through its rural setup before surging once Leatherface and Sheriff Hoyt take center stage. The middle and final acts are where the film earns its reputation, with Ermey's performance and the relentless brutality of the second half generating genuine audience terror and praise. The film lands as a competent, well-shot genre entry that never matches the original but satisfies horror fans looking for sustained dread and a strong final girl.
Full cast
Jessica Biel
Erin Hardesty
Jonathan Tucker
Morgan
Andrew Bryniarski
Thomas Hewitt (Leatherface)
Erica Leerhsen
Pepper
Eric Balfour
Kemper
Mike Vogel
Andy
R. Lee Ermey
Sheriff Hoyt
David Dorfman
Jedidiah
Lauren German
The Hitchhiker
Heather Kafka
Henrietta
Terrence Evans
Monty Hewitt
Marietta Marich
Luda Mae Hewitt
John Larroquette
Narrator (voice)
Kathy Lamkin
Tea Lady in Trailer
Brad Leland
Big Rig Bob
Mamie Meek
Clerk
Harry Jay Knowles
Victim On a Silver Platter (uncredited)
Scott Martin Gershin
Leatherface (voice) (uncredited)
Crew
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