Remakes, the bane of the modern film-lovers existence. Every time a new one comes out I feel a sense of abject horror, and I know deep down that a much loved classic is going to be butchered. Just lately, since Ocean's Eleven, the quality seems to have improved and these remakes actually become enjoyable experiences. In fact, this review was going to be a double header with The Italian Job remake. But all you really need to know about that film is that its okay, it just should have been called something like Marky Mark's Marvellous Mini Movie and not taken in vain the name of the greatest British film ever. I was nearly as gutted when I read that TCSM was being remade, but I'm glad to say my fears were totally blown out of the water.
The 1974 original is widely regarded as one of the best horror films ever made, and thirty years on it still scares people shitless. Much as I love it, I'm always slightly disappointed by the amateur-ish acting and the low budget production values. Plus, for such a brutal film there's very little gore. Still, it completely rocks, it made Leatherface into a horror icon and it gave Eminem an amusing stage prop.
Wisely, the makers of the 2003 version keep the original premise, a bunch of good-looking teens getting terrorised by a loon with a chainsaw, and simply tart it up. Five friends on their way back from Mexico pick up a stunned, semi-coherent girl stumbling along the side of the road. Before they can get little more out of her than "They're all dead," she promptly blows her head off in the back of their van. They set off to find the local sheriff, and end up running into assorted local fruitcakes, the most sadistic law enforcer ever and the chainsaw wielding Leatherface. Oh yeah, they also run into their own violent deaths! I mean, let's face it, that's sort of the point of the movie.
<*dv_0*> By keeping the budget low, and hiring an eager first time director (Marcus Nispel), the producers have ensured that their film is as lean as a Cheeky Girl. There's no excess here. Horror films need minimal character development or plot build up, and fans of the genre will jump for joy when TCSM kicks in after about five minutes. The casting is also spot on. Jessica Biel (so hot it hurts) plays Erin, the lively tomboy you know is going to survive. Six Feet Under's Eric Balfour is the crappily named Kemper, Erin's boyfriend and the nominal leader. The rest of the teens are unknown to me, but they all put in sterling performances before meeting their maker. (I'm really NOT giving anything away when I say that am I?) Extra special mention goes to R. Lee Ermey (the scary drill sergeant from Full Metal Jacket) as the local sheriff; a performance that is so full on it hurts. Loopy, funny, terrifying, he dominates the film every time he's on screen.
The proper test for any horror, of course, is how scary it is. I'm not one of those people who scares easily, so I went into raptures while watching this film. There's at least four or five good scares sprinkled liberally throughout. A bit like chocolate chips in a cookie. What's great, though, is that even the ones that are fairly obvious manage to give you a little jolt. And the gore hounds among you won't be disappointed either: the red stuff is splashed about liberally at all times. Snap this little beaut up on DVD and you'll get even more enjoyment out of it. Three separate commentaries, a making of documentary and a true life doc on Ed Gein (the real life psycho who inspired both the original and the remake), plus deleted scenes and screen tests. Give it a few months to slip into one of those 2 for 20 deals and you'll have a proper bargain on your hands.
Basically, I was forced to re-think my take on remakes quite sharply after seeing this. It delivered everything I wanted and a lot more besides. its a joy to see horror films get back to just being plain scary, with only a few edgy laughs here and there. The only thing that annoys me more than remakes is the Scream-style ironic horror flick; the ones that arent scary, arent funny, and are far too clever for their own good. On this evidence, those films have had their day.
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