Review
As the 2013 movie season opened up, horror fans didn’t have to wait long before they got their first slasher film. Here director John Luessenhop tries his hand at horror movies by giving fans the newest addition in the long running line of Texas Chainsaw Massacre films. Admittedly, I was hesitant about this movie for various reasons, one including the fact that it was specifically shot for 3D, meaning more than likely lots of pop-out gags. I went into this movie with my expectations rather low, however that didn’t stop me from being optimistic that Texas Chainsaw 3D would impress me in some small way. It was a mistake to think that.
Texas Chainsaw 3D tells the story of an adopted young woman, Heather Miller (Alexandra Daddario) who sets off with her three friends to claim the estate left to her by her recently deceased biological grandmother. The house, located in the faux small town of Newt, Texas, and unbeknownst to Heather, carries with it unexpected family secrets and a chainsaw-wielding, developmentally-delayed relative in the basement.
Let me go ahead and get the pros of this film out of the way. The film opens up in a very reminiscent way, with scenes from Tobe Hooper’s 1974 original version of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It then picks up directly where the original left off, and I must say I was amazed at how seamless the transition from the original clips to the start of the new film was. With the exception of a bit more picture clarity, the opening scene of this film looked like it could have easily belonged to the first Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The house was recreated in spot on fashion and the characters carried on the first scene of the movie, just as if it were an extended scene from the original. At this point, I was grinning from ear to ear, because I figured that if the movie kept this pace, there was no way it wasn’t going to set the bar high for horror movies in the upcoming year. After the opening scene, the film picks up in modern day where the story continues. This is also where the several negatives of this film begin to seep in…
With the exception of the opening scene, there was absolutely nothing unexpected about this film except for how bad the acting was and how much they made Leatherface look like Freddy Krueger on steroids. The movie transitioned from a great opening scene into your typical modern day horror movie. With an overly simplistic storyline that was fueled by partying, guts, and cleavage, the movie seemed aimed at attracting high school and college aged males, as opposed than fervent and loyal fans of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise. The movie relies on a slew of awful one-liners and forced 3D shots in attempt to give the audience something to rave about. Daddario’s portrayal of somebody who just went through a traumatic event was laughable and the rest of the lackluster casting didn’t help either. This movie not only fell short of being an acceptable addition to the line of Texas Chainsaw Massacre films, but fell short of being an acceptable film in general.
Overall, I would say the best part of this movie was the opening scene, which as I said before was very well-done. Though the casting suffered greatly, I felt that the casting of Marilyn Burns (Who played Sally in the original T.C.M) as Heather’s Grandmother was great. This was one of the few aspects of this movie which I felt actually appealed to fans of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. As for the worst part of the movie, just assume it was everything else that made it on film.
You can also check out our YouTube page for exclusive footage with Alexandra Daddario & Trey Songz…
