Texas Chainsaw Massacre (remake; 2-disc)
The first Texas Chainsaw Massacre was gruesome without being overly bloody. It's probably one of my top ten favorites. Something about the film has always stuck with me, and when I look at some of the things I've written, I can see bits and pieces (pardon the pun) of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre in my own work. Needless to say, I couldn't wait to see the remake. In fact, I'm not sure when the last time was I waited to see a remake as eagerly as I waited for this one. Too often the remakes don't equal the original, but there are times we get lucky and the remake outdoes the original. The new Texas Chainsaw Massacre isn't better than the original, but it's excellent in its own right.The remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre follows a similar plot to the original, but there are a number of new elements added, as well as significant alterations in the progression of the story. Lots more gore too, and at least three classic jump scenes that made my wife even scream. Anyway, there are a lot of great features on the two-disc version. I especially liked the documentary on Ed Gein, the psychopath Leatherface was based upon. Watching the documentary sent chill up my spine. Its inclusion here is a nice little bonus.A couple of the deleted scenes are gems as well. There's a scene in the movie where Leatherface runs the chainsaw between one guy's legs. The ratings board made them tone it down for the final cut, but the deleted scene pulls no punches, and what you actually see gives you an understanding of what the ratings board does.The original opening and ending for the film are included as well, and honestly, I'm not so sure they wouldn't have worked a little better than the opening and ending that appeared in the final cut. You be the judge. The film is available in a single-disc version or a two-disc special edition. The two-disc version is a New Line Platinum edition. It retails for $29.95, but damn, there's some killer (oops, another one) stuff on it. Check out the features:
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