For more than three decades, the legend of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Leatherface has wowed crowds since it hit the big screen in 1974.
New Line Cinema, in association with Michael Bay, tries to explain how it all began in “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2: The Beginning.”
The movie is set six years before the first Texas chainsaw massacre in 1969, with the Vietnam conflict at its peak. With his draft card in hand, 18-year-old Dean Hill’s time in the army has expired. Unknown to his baby brother, Dean re-enlists in the army despite concerns from his fiancee, Chrissie, played by Jordana Brewster.
Beginning in the infamous dirty, dark meat-packaging warehouse, a pregnant worker delivers a baby boy who was said to be a retard and freak because of a facial disease. “Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2: The Beginning” quickly got the attention of the audience.
Set on a back road in Texas, this movie had the recipe for terror, horror and success. The Hewitt family proved to still be the crazy, deranged family that we all became familiar with in the 2003 remake “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”
Just in time for Halloween, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2: The Beginning” will have you jumping from your seat. Though more gory and bloody than scary, the movie still did its job to explain the events and causes of the first movie.
Though the first massacre movie was based on a true story, because the Hewitt family was never caught, the second movie is based on how the killing spree is thought to have begun.The actors in the movie did a good job convincing the audience of their despair and fright. At times the characters’ actions seemed a bit aggravating, but they still displayed a realistic account of what the average person might have done if he or she was in that terrible situation.
The movie teaches its audience valuable lessons, including to treat others the way you would want to be treated, meaning you don’t tease others just because they are different, and to try and avoid dirt roads when on a road trip. Let’s try to take the main highways, even if the back roads may be a short cut.Because it would ruin your experience at the movies if the full synopsis were reveled, I will just leave you with the thought that the movie is worth your $7.50 if you enjoyed the first “Chainsaw.”
Rated R for strong horror, violence/gore, language and some sexual content, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2: The Beginning” puts the pieces together, but only if you saw the first chapter. During the movie you will find all your questions from the first movie answered.
Though the movie was scary, it didn’t have me walking out of the theatre talking about it on my way home. Neither was I scared to walk down my hallways or staircase when I got home. I did catch other patrons in the audience jumping, screaming and talking to the screen during the movie, though.
Grossing a little over $19 million on its opening weekend, covering the $16 million it cost to make the movie, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2: The Beginning” deserves a B+.