During the first cycle of horror remakes during the early 2000s genre fans were quietly blessed with a duo of Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies.
The reboot of Chainsaw proved a box office hit, so three years later we had Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, the prequel no one really asked for it but are glad exists.
Following Arrow’s recent release of the TCM reboot, The Beginning is now getting the 4K treatment; and it looks spectacular.
I have to say on rewatch, The Beginning is a mean-spirited slasher movie, that really goes there.
While Leatherface’s origins, and the Sawyer family’s beginnings are fully explored, it doesn’t feel too much like a tickbox outside of our chainsaw wielding killer getting his first signature mask.
The cast is solid too, with Jordana Brewster leading the pack, with able backup from Matt Bomer, Taylor Handley and Diora Baird, but these films belong to R. Lee Ermey, who exudes pervy menace as the patriarch of the Sawyer clan, almost guiding Leatherface and co. to their cannibalistic destiny.
Andrew Bryniarski brings a little more pathos to the manchild Thomas Sawyer aka Leatherface, and we really see him crafted into a monster almost by design, whilst also carrying a silent rage that simmers under the surface. Case and point, his final days at the closing slaughterhouse where he finally does away with his abusive boss.
There is a dirty hew over the lens from director Jonathan Liebesman, who takes over the reins behind the camera from Marcus Nispel.
The disc is loaded with extras too, with two audio commentaries, archival features such as deleted scenes and a making of featurette plus interviews with DOP Lukas Ettlin, SFX artists Jake Garber and Kevin Wasner.
If you’re craving some no-holds-barred, early 2000s slasher chaos, you can’t go wrong with Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning is available on Blu-Ray and 4K now from Arrow Video.
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