 |
Friday, October 17, 2003
Dull 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' remake simply doesn't cut it
It's hard to successfully remake a horror classic like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" or "The Thing" because its essence, the thing that made it special, is 1) hard to put your finger on, 2) usually very much of its time, and 3) invariably dulled by the repetition of copycats.
 | MOVIE REVIEW | ||
| |||
This is definitely the case of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," which was no masterpiece but had a ghoulish, low-budget audacity and excitement that was new to the drive-in movies of 1974, and is nowhere to be found in this respectful but ponderous big-budget remake.
It's the same basic story of five teenagers who, driving through Texas with a load of pot they've smuggled over the Mexican border, pick up a disoriented woman hitchhiker who promptly pulls out a revolver and shoots herself in the mouth.
When they stop in the nearest small town to report the suicide, they're set upon by a family of in-bred crackers, including one crazed serial killer who runs his own slaughter house and keeps it supplied by means of his creative chainsaw.
Getting his first shot at a feature film, German commercial and video director Marcus Nispel has given the proceedings a desaturated, arty look and tried hard to be true to the original, retaining its early '70s period and many of its key sequences and effects.
But after three decades of "Halloween," "Friday the 13th" and "Scream" movies, the novelty is long gone. Efforts to expand the envelope of grotesquery make the film repulsive and suspenseless, and it sorely misses original director Tobe Hooper's grisly, wily sense of humor.
My web site
My Yahoo!
Google
· DVDs: 'The Munsters: The Complete Series'
· 'Godfather's' power is clearer than ever in restored version
· What to watch: 'Mister Roberts'
· 'Body of Lies:' Spy thriller is full of tasty treats, yet fails to satisfy
· Despite stars, 'Body of Lies' must fight audience's fatigue of Mideast politics
· Imaginative 'City of Ember' is a rousing adventure
· Idyllic and honest, 'The Grocer's Son' returns to the simple life
· Demme's 'Rachel Getting Married' is warmly generous and uncomfortably honest
· 'The Express' tells uplifting civil rights tale, but is stalled by a lack of depth
· Limited Movie Runs
· Movie Best: 'Anatomy of a Murder'
· Seattle Film Events
more· 'Chihuahua' fetches $17.5M to win another weekend
· Tim Robbins gets star of Hollywood Walk of Fame
· Jolie: Obama win would be 'nice' for family
· Jolie says Pitt changed her mind about pregnancy
· Cloris Leachman named Rose Parade grand marshal
more
· The Insider: Starbucks picks up a little free publicity from bungled quote
· Payton believes team will return to Seattle
· Today's News: Our Take - Travis Barker Inspired by DJ AM's Recovery
· Boy dead after being hit by falling TV in Wapato
more
101 Elliott Ave. W.
Seattle, WA 98119
(206) 448-8000
Home Delivery: (206) 464-2121 or (800) 542-0820
seattlepi.com serves about 1.7 million unique visitors
and 30 million page views each month.
Send comments to newmedia@seattlepi.com
Send investigative tips to iteam@seattlepi.com
©1996-2008 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Terms of Use/Privacy Policy
