In the summer of 1969 two brothers and their girlfriends are heading to California, one last road trip before the brothers head off to Vietnam. Taking in the sites and last moments of freedom along the way, the carefree group have nothing but good times on their minds. On the highway just up ahead, something has begun that they are going to become the first victims of. It is the end of the road for some and the beginning of journey for others in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.

Just in time for the fall movie season comes the prequel to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake. Leaving the Sawyers behind, this film stays with the Hewitt version of the cannibal clan and gives some insight on how all things came to be.

After the success of the remake you knew that there was going to be a sequel, but the filmmakers decided to go with a prequel instead, which depending on what you thought of the first film is either a good idea or a bad one. I didn’t mind the remake that much and since they went with the prequel idea, I was a bit more interested I have to admit.

I liked this flick but didn’t love it, but it does have it’s good points. Number one, and best of all, they finally make Leatherface not only scary, but a walking badass as well. Andrew Bryniarski does a great job as the disfigured Thomas Hewitt. He is imposing, demented, dangerous, and animalistic and his presence is amazing throughout the film. This isn’t the retarded whipping boy we have seen in the other TCMs, this is a walking being of rage and chaos and it is what Leatherface has needed to be since the beginning in my opinion. If this version of the character was in the original movie, it would have been a hell of a different flick. Bryniarski has done a tremendous job in his second outing under the mask.

Number two, R. Lee Ermey steals nearly every scene he is in. From Full Metal Jacket, to brief cameos in films like Se7en, Ermey is truly a great actor and watching him strut around as Sheriff Hoyt is a blast, especially after you learn how he became sheriff in the first place. Most of the cast of cannibalistic country folk from the remake turn up again in this one and as you would expect you get all of the back story you need on how the characters got where they are in the remake. Ermey also, and finally, gives a reason on how the whole cannibal thing started, well at least with the Hewitt family anyway, it’s not huge, but it works and makes sense, which is all you can ask for. Leatherface’s origin is pretty much exactly what we were told in the remake, they go into a little more detail, but not a whole lot.

There are also lots of familiar sites and sounds from all the TCMs throughout this flick, as we revisit the slaughter house, get that funky camera noise, and even John Laroquette shows up for a little narration in the end and most importantly, THEY FINALLY HAVE A DINNER SCENE! Still no grandpa, but hey there is always the chance of another sequel. And of course there is a chainsaw; I mean what would a TCM movie be without a chainsaw?

That leads to the gore and effects section of the review, don’t get me wrong it’s good and it flows, but as I watched I just couldn’t help but think, “Well they pulled back a little early on that scene/shot, but I bet in the SPECIAL EDITION DVD they’ll have it all in there.”, maybe it’s me, but I think this is the theory of many horror movies any more, go light get the easy R rating or god forbid PG-13, then let the flood gates open on the DVD.

I didn’t care for any of the victims and the storyline had a few minor holes in it, but all and all this is a pretty decent flick, with some good gore and torture and two great performances thanks to R. Lee and Bryniarski, it’s well worth the price of admission.

6.5 of 10

Good review Prime, though I have to strenuously disagree on the gore. I felt this was the goriest TCM outside of TCM 2, but that movie was more of mordant comedy. In this film, the scares come fast, furiously and drenched in rivers of blood. It makes all the difference.

I didn't think TCM: The Beginning was necessarily all that original, but overall I was unexpectedly surprised by a hardcore, mean and sadistic bit of backroads dementia which adequately honored the traditions of this legendary franchise.

I also have to agree on Ermy and Bryniarski. Ermy has never failed to enterain me, and after this film he still hasn't. And Bryniarski? A few years ago I wrote a review of the TCM remake which addressed my preference for this actor's interpretation of Leatherface over Gunnar Hansen's. I realize it's considered heresy to say anyone could top Hansen as Leatherface, but I always felt that the Leatherface in the remake has an undercurrent of sheer rage fueling his actions which was missing from the original. That anger is expounded upon and amplified to terrifying proportions in TCM: The Beginning.

Bottom line-- I was impressed,and though I feel it might be time to let the franchise rest (what else can be done that already hasn't been?), I think this film was a fitting and effective coda to the cinematic carnage of Leatherface and his twisted kin. I strongly recommend that all horror fans check this rough and tumble little number out in theaters while they have the opportunity.

Nine out of Ten Sadistic Sheriffs

This is a damn fine flick, I was also somewhat surprised at the cruelty and brutality going on before me. I think the disagreement over gore needs for us to make a distinction between realistic gore and movie gore, this one's full of the first but not the second. Really has more in common with Hostel than Evil Dead in that respect.

There were actually shades of Hostel throughout, The Beginning was clearly not meant to be a lighthearted slasher, it actually pushes the bounderies of what I define as a slasher. This one's pretty much humorless except for some seriously dark amputation wit. The main point here is that this film is part of the trend to make horror movies truly horrifying.

When I read Prime's review I was worried, I didn't think Leatherface was supposed to be a being of rage (chaos, definitely), because rage and hate is Jason. Leatherface wasn't evil, he was just a product of his environment. The glee he exhibited while butchering a victim was no different than a farmer's kid giggling at how a pig gurgles and twitches once it's throat's cut. Clearly a lack of empathy and intellect, but not evil.

But there is a shift here toward rage fueled by a lifetime of frustration and resentment, and being raised by one of the most evil bastards in all the world.

A good flick, for fans of Leatherface a great flick. When you see him just walking down the road holding his chainsaw, you can't help but appreciate him.

8 out of 10 examples of Bush not being the only Texan who thinks torture is a Christian value

I sat through the 1 hour and 24 minutes of this flick, most of the time in pure discomfort. Probably the longest hour-and-a-half-or so of my life (and not in a bad way). I cringed, I jumped, I gasped, I winced. These are all actions that don't come on a regular basis to me and I was diggin' it to say the least.

Definitely not lighthearted horror fare that Hollywood's been cranking out lately. The Beginning was shocking, brutal and disturbing in this reviewers opinion. I'll have to continue the sentiments of the reviews before me and say the performance given by Andrew Bryniarski was nothing short of masterful. I liked his character much more in this incarnation of the TCM mythos than as the somewhat lovable simpleton in the originals.

My only beef with the flick was that it was completely and totally gore driven. Now don't get me wrong, I'm a card carryin' gorehound from the word "go" but I do like some substance to go along with the gore. This was your basic TCM tale that we've already seen 4 or 5 times now. Late teens / twentysomethings on a road trip through Texas wreck/stop/detour through the wrong part of the state, meet up / get caught by the Sawyer / Hewitt clan and mayhem ensues. I don't think we were filled in on any plot items that we didn't already know or assume by now. And as Prime lamented, where exactly IN THE HELL is Grandpa?

As a gore flick I'd say 9 out of 10 Exploding cows
As a whole I'll give it 6 out of 10 really stupid places to lie face down on the floor.

If you’re looking for something original, then look elsewhere. Oh wait… you wanted to see a slasher flick. Well in that case, pull up a chair and enjoy TCM: The Beginning.

For a prequel, I thought it was pretty light on the backstory. There really isn’t much to how the Hewitt clan became the infamous Hewitt clan. But it’s all plausible, and nothing far-fetched or overly dramatic.

Like the other reviewers have noted before me, there isn’t really anything original in this flick. It’s pretty much the same stuff that happened in the remake (and all the other TCM movies), just with different kids. But if you are a fan of the original remake (oxymoron) then that’s not a bad thing.

Actually there were some improvements on the remake. First, there was a little bit more gore and a lotta bit more pain. You could actually empathize with the pain some of the victims were going through. Second, R. Lee Ermey and Andrew Bryniarski give much stronger performances this time around.

This may sound like blasphemy to fans of the original, but Bryniarski does for Leatherface in this installment what Kane Hodder did for Jason Voorhees in Friday The 13th part VII. He is the antithesis of what Leatherface had become in TCM II (in other words, he’s not a wuss). This Leatherface is filled with a bottled-up rage and frustration and is ready to snap at any given moment… and he does… rather frequently… with very bloody results. In other words: UPGRADE!

Another plus for the movie is that most of the cast who portrayed the Hewitt clan in the remake returned for the prequel. I think there were only two missing characters. But to be fair, one of them hadn’t even been born yet.

All in all, this was a solid film. If you liked the remake, then you should definitely check this one out. I give it 7.5 of 10 very painful ways of “restoring balance.”