Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)

12% of critics liked it
(82 reviews)
64% of users liked it
(467,916 ratings)

Bear witness to the birth of the most horrifying legend in the history of cinema as director Jonathan Liebesman explores the nightmarish origins of the psychotic Hewitt family in this sequel to director Marcus Nispel's 2003 hit The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The year is 1969, and despite the fact that… More Bear witness to the birth of the most horrifying legend in the history of cinema as director Jonathan Liebesman explores the nightmarish origins of the psychotic Hewitt family in this sequel to director Marcus Nispel's 2003 hit The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The year is 1969, and despite the fact that the Vietnam War is raging halfway across the globe, all is ominously quiet on the back roads of America. Eighteen-year-old Dean Hill (Taylor Handley) has just received his draft notice, and his older brother, Eric (Matthew Bomer), is determined to watch out for his younger sibling by ensuring that Dean enroll in the Marine Corps rather than risking his luck at the local induction center. Dean has other plans, though, and as soon as the pair and their girlfriends, Bailey (Diora Baird) and Chrissie (Jordana Brewster), return from their final fling in sunny Texas, he plans to confront his brother with the prospect of dodging the draft. When an unsettling encounter with malevolent bikers Holden (Lee Tergesen) and Alex (Cyia Batten) results in a serious car accident in which Chrissie is thrown from the vehicle, the arrival of Sheriff Hoyt (R. Lee Ermey) at first appears to be a moment of divine intervention. However, when Sheriff Hoyt murders thieving Alex in cold blood and then shepherds her friends into the back of his police cruiser as Chrissie watches from the brush, their momentary reprieve soon gives way to an unimaginable terror. As Hoyt transports her ailing friends to the Hewitt home, where a childlike man named Thomas is currently undergoing the transformation into cannibalistic madman Leatherface (Andrew Bryniarski), a desperate Chrissie attempts to enlist the aid of Holden in rescuing her friends from a fate worse than death. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 24 min.
Directed By: Jonathan Liebesman
Written By: Sheldon Turner
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Horror

In Theaters: Oct 6, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Jan 16, 2007
Studio: New Line Cinema

Critic Reviews

Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic
Gross and sadistic but never scary.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Attention sadists: Demand more from your gorefests than this pro forma return to the well. Has mass murder ever been this dull?
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
The story's been played out so many times.
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
All you need to know about the character is he's really crazy and carries a chain saw. And he's got an even crazier uncle who all but steals the film.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
It's as remorseless and disheartening as any of the others, more gory and less scary.
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger
No character, no commentary. Just slice-and-dice, pare-and-scare, scream-and-run and fall-and-die.
Joshua Starnes, ComingSoon.net
It's actually closer to the original Chainsaw than its immediate predecessor, but it still relies on more on physical torture than the psychological terror that made the original - or any genuinely scary movie - so effective.
Nick Rogers, Suite101.com
This is the Texas chainsaw massacre, not the Texas chainsaw misunderstanding. Nothing castrates a bogeyman like cheap-Freud psychology, and Leatherface possesses no greater power than a hulking professional-wrestling heel. A low point in American horror.
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
Much less at the beginning, and much more a remake of the remake...
Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media
Bloody gore fest retreads old gruesome ground.
Rossiter Drake, San Francisco Examiner
The original "Chain Saw Massacre" spoke, in unsettling terms, to middle America's growing contempt for the '60s counter-culture, but no deeper meaning can be ascribed to this mayhem. It's just a joyless technical exercise.
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
A rote latter-day slasher film with barely anything worth recommending.
David Keyes, Cinemaphile.org
...an ugly film, overwhelmed by transparent shock value, short-sighted storytelling and nihilistic undertones.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...unsightly, pointless, and thoroughly mean-spirited...
Jette Kernion, Cinematical
A garden-variety horror movie that provides no innovation on the old "kids stranded in the woods with a scary monster" plot.
Brian Tallerico, UGO
Audiences will start playing the 'Who's Next' game as people run, scream and die, and the whole thing loses the power that this horrific creation once had over cinema.
Mark Palermo, Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
The focus in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning isn't on the confrontation of demons, moral reckoning, or terror. It's an unimaginative exercise in suffering.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Michael M

The making of: A bunch of bank managers got together and stripped a classic horror film (almost) entirely of it's pride. They then decided after stealing 51 million dollars that they wanted more. So they then took a classic movie with an inspired story and made a pointless… More
The making of: A bunch of bank managers got together and stripped a classic horror film (almost) entirely of it's pride. They then decided after stealing 51 million dollars that they wanted more. So they then took a classic movie with an inspired story and made a pointless prequel with a storyline probably made up on the spot. This so called storyline was the back story of one of the most iconic and terrifying horror characters in history and destroyed his reputation by explaining why he's the way he is and why he brutally murders people. Is that in any way scary? Hell no.
Jeff "

Prequel to the 2003, this prequel tells the story of the infamous Texas clan and how they got their start in chainsaw murdering business. As far as sequels are concerned, I found that this sequel was pretty good considering that this was a sequel to a remake. Usually sequels to… More
Prequel to the 2003, this prequel tells the story of the infamous Texas clan and how they got their start in chainsaw murdering business. As far as sequels are concerned, I found that this sequel was pretty good considering that this was a sequel to a remake. Usually sequels to remakes loose their vigor, and are uninspired, but this one isn't too bad. This prequel has plenty of carnage going on, and will definitely appeal to the new generation of horror fans. I thought it was a fairly decent horror film with good kills. The film was very disturbing as it should be. But it also lacked in many other areas as well. I felt that the script could have been better, and though the idea for the story was interesting, I felt it could have been a lot more elaborate. For what it is, TCM: The Beginning is an interesting horror flick, but it never gets very thrilling or exciting. But like I said, it's disturbing, and eerie, and that should be enough to satisfy today's weaker horror fans, unlike the old school horror fans that feel like there's something missing after watching it. There are some good ideas on screen, but it could have been a lot better. If you're expecting something totally insane, you might find it here, but if you're looking for atmosphere and steady, horrifying buildup, then you'll be disappointed.
Bethany M

Very scary. The guy really petrifys me and it's a film that will keep you on the edge of your seat. A must see!
Ken S

Just terrible and stupid
Coxxie M

aw man i would go to every show Dane Cook does for 2009 to sleep with Jordana Brewster
KJ P

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: the beginning, is now, in my head, the beginning of the end of film. This is probably the worst horror film I have ever seen in my life. I apologize to the filmmakers for being so harsh, but I don't have any other word to use other than DREADFUL!
Creep F

Extremely violent sequel to the remake. Much more extreme this time around. The sheriff plays a more serious, demented role in this one. This is one fu*ked up movie. One of the most violent mainstream rated "R" films to come out in quite some time. Again, this one is highly… More
Extremely violent sequel to the remake. Much more extreme this time around. The sheriff plays a more serious, demented role in this one. This is one fu*ked up movie. One of the most violent mainstream rated "R" films to come out in quite some time. Again, this one is highly entertaining. Great performances and great direction. A solid and gory frightfest. Highly recommended. (watch the UNRATED version) <a href="http://s294.photobucket.com/albums/mm89/JDHallowEEn/HorrorQf/?action=view&current=TCM5.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm89/JDHallowEEn/HorrorQf/TCM5.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Wahida K

There are about 5 Movies based upon the events Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I liked this one.
Conner R

While it is nowhere near the perfection of the first remake, it definitely kept the style and the characters from it. It's a far simpler plot this time around, but it does answer a lot of questions about Leatherface and the rest of the Hewitt family that I found to be very… More
While it is nowhere near the perfection of the first remake, it definitely kept the style and the characters from it. It's a far simpler plot this time around, but it does answer a lot of questions about Leatherface and the rest of the Hewitt family that I found to be very interesting. It's an extremely fun movie and fans of the series won't be disappointed.
Anthony L

It doesn't really achieve what it sets out to do. The beginning was supposed to explain why the family descended into their horrific madness. This is just another bog standard chapter in a franchise that's past it. Nice cinematography, OK acting, plenty of gore but… More
It doesn't really achieve what it sets out to do. The beginning was supposed to explain why the family descended into their horrific madness. This is just another bog standard chapter in a franchise that's past it. Nice cinematography, OK acting, plenty of gore but unnecessary and unsubtle. I know it?s a horror but this film is too violent and shares none of the real terror of the original.
Lorenzo v

"Witness The Birth Of Fear" On one last road trip before they're sent to serve in Vietnam, two brothers and their girlfriends get into an accident that calls their local sheriff to the scene. Thus begins a terrifying experience where the teens are… More
"Witness The Birth Of Fear" On one last road trip before they're sent to serve in Vietnam, two brothers and their girlfriends get into an accident that calls their local sheriff to the scene. Thus begins a terrifying experience where the teens are taken to a secluded house of horrors, where a young, would-be killer is being nurtured. <center>REVIEW</center> A pointless film that presents an unnecessary and trite "beginning" story of one of horror's most infamous monsters, Leatherface and his cannibalistic clan. The reason they are cannibals: they can't afford food? Come on, what about that cow the kids hit? In all fairness though is any reason for cannibalism in this film's world a real good reason? No, but they could've tried harder. This film is also drained of all tension, since it is a prequel and since we know the police don't discover the Hewitt clan's deeds until Aug. 1973 we know that every person we are supposed to root for is going to die. That said (and believe me I could go on) there are some great moments in the film. The push-up scene is gruesomely delightful in all its manic glee and the scene where we discover why Old Monty has no legs in the first film is one of those classic moments. R. Lee Ermey continues his self-righteous rant that he so perfected in "Full Metal Jacket" (for you who may not know he was in fact a real life Marine Drill Sergeant before that film). And lastly the scene with the Tea Lady is perfectly macabre. This film was unnecessary and feels forced and completely out of sync with the decent enough for what it was 2003 remake. Last comment, This film is completely devoid of any real timeline connection to the 2003 film though. Supposedly the meat packing plant closed down in 1969, yet at the end of the remake Erin fights Thomas and cuts off his arm in a fully functional meat packing plant in August 1973. I guess it is possible for a new meat packing plant to have been built in that time, but based on the weariness of this film's story, I think it's an oversight.
Chris G

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning is the terrible prequel to 2003's remake of the original TCM. This film is basically a remake of that film with the twist that everything gets explained in this one. TCM:TB is not a scary film. It's main goal is to try to disgust you… More
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning is the terrible prequel to 2003's remake of the original TCM. This film is basically a remake of that film with the twist that everything gets explained in this one. TCM:TB is not a scary film. It's main goal is to try to disgust you with some gory visuals that fails on impact. This is your typical coattails sequel to cash in on its predecessor. If you have ever wondered why films like Halloween and the original TCM are considered classics is that the villains in those films have no explanation. They are there stalking and killing. The mystery is what makes the films scary. Explaining everything is just like a magician revealing how he pulled the rabbit out of his hat.
_kelly .

could have been longer and less identical (more like less of a carbon copy) to its 2003 predecessor
A.D. V

Better than the remake but marred by a stupid, telegraphed, unbelievable ending.
Taylor B

If you paid to see this, go find a rope in your backyard. Now, make a little knot/circle with the rope. Hang it on your door, then put the rope around your neck.
Lanning :

This is a perfect example of what's wrong with the horror genre these days: not enough fresh ideas anymore. If there's anything truly horrifying about this movie, I missed it. Pretty stale stuff, like almost every "horror" movie coming out. I give Ermey credit… More
This is a perfect example of what's wrong with the horror genre these days: not enough fresh ideas anymore. If there's anything truly horrifying about this movie, I missed it. Pretty stale stuff, like almost every "horror" movie coming out. I give Ermey credit for being a great a-hole, but he definitely ain't scary. Think Sergi López in Pan's Labyrinth if you want to see someone who's really scary. Now that character is far and away more terrifying than anything you'll see here. I do, however, have to give this way below-average movie one big star because: Hey! It's Jordana Brewster : ) If it weren't for good old Jordana, Walter, I might not have been able to sit through the whole thing.
Michael G

Uhg. This movie was so painful. The contrived and gimmicky plot elements were awful. The connections with the other Chainsaw Massacre were completely lackluster and I was really hoping to give a shit. Instead all I got was a sorry rehash (namely R. Lee Ermey) of the original and the… More
Uhg. This movie was so painful. The contrived and gimmicky plot elements were awful. The connections with the other Chainsaw Massacre were completely lackluster and I was really hoping to give a shit. Instead all I got was a sorry rehash (namely R. Lee Ermey) of the original and the remake. Admittedly it was a good-looking movie and it began to pick up about 10 minutes before it ended, but it was an all too common case of too little too late. Not even numerous shots of Jordana Brewster's ass crack made me care about this one. And that supposed to be shocking ending made me pray that the beginning is the end. (Cymbal crashes)
Cassandra M

Texas Chainsaw Massacre:The Beginning is a fantastic slasher film that brings us back to the classic era of 1970's slashers.I loved this chainsaw film simply because it answers all the whys and provides you with leatherface's history.Definitely gorier than the previous film… More
Texas Chainsaw Massacre:The Beginning is a fantastic slasher film that brings us back to the classic era of 1970's slashers.I loved this chainsaw film simply because it answers all the whys and provides you with leatherface's history.Definitely gorier than the previous film and far more cringe inducing.This is first non cheesy slasher i've seen in ages which is a very nice change for me personally. The acting in the film is very good there are some very intense performances and some graphic scenes.It's shot very 70's slasherseque which overall gives it a creepy aura.The storyline is very easy to follow yet very disturbing and depressing at the same time.Overall fans of The Devil's Rejects and The Hills Have Eyes see Texas Chainsaw Massacre:The Beginning it's well worth the admission fee
Dean !

A very good horror but almost identical to the recent remake version. Doesn't go indepth at all to show "The beginning"
Lafe F

This was a prequel to the remake - get it? I would have preferred the beginning to the classic Texas Chainsaw Massacre series instead. And what a stupid beginning; Leatherface goes from baby to adult in a minute; we don't get to see him growing up and teenaged years; which… More
This was a prequel to the remake - get it? I would have preferred the beginning to the classic Texas Chainsaw Massacre series instead. And what a stupid beginning; Leatherface goes from baby to adult in a minute; we don't get to see him growing up and teenaged years; which would've been hilarious. It's almost a remake of the 2003 remake, with similar plot, characters and setting. A lot of the camera is shaky and blurred, with music-video editing. It felt like a cheap retread of the same territory to cash in with us eager horror fans. Bad movie experience.