I still swear by Jessica Biel’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre 21 years on

Jessica Biel whitethorn not number her role successful The Texas Chainsaw Massacre arsenic a vocation highlight, but it definite is simply a fearfulness staple for maine astatine least. 

The 2003 remake of the slasher classical had a batch riding against it fixed the cult popularity of the original film, released successful 1974. 

Leatherface – the human-mask-wearing, chainsaw-wielding, recluse inbred serial slayer (yes, there’s a batch to unpack there) – entered himself into the Boogeyman Hall of Fame 50 years agone and past was written. 

After all, determination are fewer things much frightening than a antheral wearing an existent quality look charging astatine you with a unrecorded chainsaw from down a washing line. 

The archetypal Texas Chain Saw was truthful thrilling and caller successful the fearfulness scenery that fans apt thought it couldn’t beryllium topped. It is besides 1 of the aboriginal OGs of the genre with its rival classic, Halloween, coming 4 years later. 

Well, I’m present to reason that the 2003 remake is conscionable arsenic good, if not better. 

When it was released, we were coming disconnected the backmost of a booming slasher epoch acknowledgment to the likes of Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer and the grossly underrated Valentine. Then, the Texas Chainsaw remake entered the chat and held its ain successful a precise competitory space.

With a somewhat caller title, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre – the archetypal is The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, spot the quality – it precise overmuch followed the look of the archetypal movie but with a modern twist. Even erstwhile a remake follows its archetypal root adjacent to the vein, it tin inactive spell horribly incorrect (Psycho with Vince Vaughn, consciousness escaped to instrumentality that arsenic a subliminal). 

Biel, past successful her aboriginal 20s and caller to Hollywood, was the cleanable casting prime arsenic Erin, our remake Final Girl. Her endurance decisions were *mostly* astute and she has that charming, acquainted girl-next-door look astir her that makes it casual to basal for her until the end. 

One of the things I admit the astir astir the 2003 mentation is that it simply delivers everything you privation from a coagulated slasher. The pacing is perfect, with each country and section meaningful and it nails the hard equilibrium of ramping up hostility without overdoing it. 

The suspense hits you close successful the opening conception from the infinitesimal they prime up a hitchhiker successful the car, to the radical pulling up to the creepy aged farmhouse successful the mediate of the desolate Texas fields. The formulaic yet satisfying slasher feels similar adjacent much of a marvel present erstwhile we’ve go truthful accustomed to newer subgenres specified arsenic recovered footage, supernatural and adjacent elevated horror. 

Sometimes, each you privation is simply a bully ol’ villain picking disconnected a radical of young adults and a hide-and-seek pursuit gathering up to a ceremonious finale wherever our Final Girl gets to live, and Texas Chainsaw (2003) had each spot of that. 

It’s go a well-known trope that pistillate protagonists are often sexualised and objectified successful horror, a trope truthful prevalent that it became a celebrated gag successful the spoof fearfulness franchise Scary Movie. Who tin hide Drew Barrymore’s iconic opening series successful Scream being fixed a remix with Ghostface stabbing his bra-clad victim’s bosom implant? 

However, what I’ve ever recovered refreshing astir Biel’s crook arsenic Erin is that her femininity wasn’t overtly reliant connected her being half-naked. Her outfit for the full movie was beauteous humble by fearfulness standards – a brace of bootcut jeans and a achromatic vessel apical that lone showed a information of her midriff. I ever thought the quality looked much badass than sexy and it wasn’t mislaid connected maine that she remained afloat clothed for the astir part. 

Overall, Texas Chainsaw is 1 of the fewer remakes executed to a precocious modular but, naturally, not everyone agrees with me. 

For immoderate frankly outrageous reason, the 2003 slasher has a disappointing 37% connected Rotten Tomatoes compared to the glowing 84% of the original. However, connected Google reviews, it’s close up determination with 4.1 stars so, y’know, swings and roundabouts. 

Even extracurricular of horror, determination aren’t galore remakes you tin genuinely accidental were conscionable arsenic bully oregon amended than the archetypal but, for me, Texas Chainsaw is decidedly up determination with the best. 

If you deliberation the 70s vibe of the archetypal movie volition enactment you off, Biel’s mentation perfectly honours what made the archetypal truthful breathtaking yet modernised capable to inactive bask it 21 years later.

Just possibly skip immoderate of the different sequels similar Netflix’s introduction into the franchise successful 2022 because not each remake gets it right.

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