Gore Takes Center Stage Over Psychological Insight

Read Time:7 Minute, 6 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning [Limited Edition]
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Genre: Horror
Year Released: 2006, Arrow Video 4K 2025
Runtime: 1h 31m
Director(s): Jonathan Liebesman
Writer(s): Sheldon Turner, David J. Schow
Cast: Jordana Brewster, Taylor Handley, Diora Baird, Matt Bomer, R. Lee Ermey, Andrew Bryniarski, Lee Tergesen, John Larroquette
Where to Watch: available August 26, 2025, pre-order your copy here: www.arrowvideo.com, www.mvdshop.com, or www.amazon.com

RAVING REVIEW: When Platinum Dunes rebooted THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE in 2003, the film split audiences but proved the franchise still had teeth at the box office. Only three years later, the studio doubled down with THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING, a prequel meant to show how Leatherface and the Hewitt family’s reign of terror began. Directed by Jonathan Liebesman and written by Sheldon Turner and David J. Schow, the result is a relentlessly grim entry that aims to be the nastiest of the Chainsaw films yet. Whether that approach works depends entirely on what you want from this series.

Unlike the surreal, almost documentary-like grit of Tobe Hooper’s 1974 original, THE BEGINNING favors excess. Every scene seems designed to outdo the last in terms of cruelty. It’s not a film that wants to unnerve so much as bludgeon the viewer into submission. For fans who found the 2003 remake too tidy, this film’s stripped-down aesthetic — all dust, sweat, and rot — might feel closer to the source. But the relentlessness also makes it exhausting.

Set in 1969, the story follows two brothers, Eric (Matt Bomer) and Dean (Taylor Handley), along with their girlfriends, Chrissie (Jordana Brewster) and Bailey (Diora Baird). On their road trip, they encounter bikers, crash their car, and are ultimately “rescued” by Sheriff Hoyt (R. Lee Ermey). What follows is less a narrative than a drawn-out gauntlet of torment, as the group is dragged to the Hewitt homestead and systematically broken down by the family. The film quickly makes clear that no one is safe, stripping away the idea that final girls or narrative conventions will offer relief.

The biggest asset remains R. Lee Ermey. Having already left his mark in the 2003 remake, his Sheriff Hoyt here is a sadistic tyrant who revels in cruelty. If Leatherface is the blunt instrument, Hoyt is the calculating manipulator, making the dynamic between the two characters far more frightening. It’s Ermey’s performance that holds the film together; he’s terrifyingly believable, a force of nature that never breaks character. Andrew Bryniarski returns as Leatherface, given an origin story that explains his mask and monstrous demeanor. Yet, as many critics have pointed out, the psychological insights offered are thin, little more than excuses to layer on more gore.

Brewster takes center stage as Chrissie, offering a determined and sympathetic presence amid the carnage. Bomer, Handley, and Baird also give credible performances, but the film’s script offers them little beyond suffering. One of the few strengths here is how likable the central group is, which only makes their inevitable fates more uncomfortable.

The film employs muted colors and a washed-out, almost sepia-like look. Cinematographer Lukas Ettlin emphasizes grime, capturing the sweaty darkness of backwoods Texas. The aesthetic choice is effective, although it contributes to the film’s unrelenting bleakness. There’s no comic relief, no moments of levity, just a constant barrage of violence. This is, in many ways, the film’s defining trait: it doesn’t let up. For some, that makes it one of the rawest horror prequels of the 2000s. For others, it makes it nearly unwatchable.

Arrow Video’s 2025 4K UHD release helps reframe the film, offering both the theatrical and uncut versions with Dolby Vision and a host of supplements. These include new interviews with cast and crew, commentary tracks, and archival featurettes. For collectors and completists, it’s the best way to revisit the prequel, and the set makes a strong case that even divisive entries in the franchise are worthy of preservation.

Where THE BEGINNING falters is in its insistence on shock over substance. The 2003 remake, while divisive, had a certain style and tension. This film trades that for brutality. The script, written by Sheldon Turner and David J. Schow, doesn’t add new dimensions to the mythology. Instead, it doubles down on violence as the primary storytelling device. If you’re looking for an exploration of Leatherface’s psyche or the twisted family dynamics that birthed him, the film delivers only surface-level answers. If, however, you’re here for unrelenting carnage, it satisfies in spades.

One of the most interesting aspects of watching THE BEGINNING nearly two decades later is seeing how it fits into the horror landscape of the mid-2000s. This was the height of so-called “torture porn,” when films like SAW and HOSTEL dominated. In that context, THE BEGINNING feels right at home, a studio-backed attempt to push mainstream horror into darker territory. Today, its impact feels more muted, but its willingness to go to extremes still makes it stand out within the Chainsaw lineage.

In the end, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING is a film of extremes — extreme violence, extreme nihilism, and extreme divisiveness among audiences. At its best, it offers an uncompromising vision of horror that refuses to soften its edges. At its worst, it feels like a sadistic endurance test that confuses suffering with storytelling. Your mileage will depend entirely on whether you think the franchise benefits from being this merciless. For me, it lands somewhere in the middle: a grim, technically well-made, but ultimately draining prequel that earns its rating by delivering exactly what it promises — and nothing more.

Bonus Materials:
4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of both the Theatrical Version and the Uncut Version
Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 audio on the Theatrical Version and DTS-HD MA 7.1, 5.1, and 2.0 audio on the Uncut Version
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing on both cuts
Brand new audio commentary on the Uncut Version with Dread Central co-founder Steve “Uncle Creepy” Barton and co-host of The Spooky Picture Show podcast Chris MacGibbon
Archival audio commentary on the Uncut Version with director Jonathan Liebesman and producers Andrew Form and Brad Fuller
Hoyt, Actually, a brand new interview with actor Lew Temple
Original Skins: KNB FX, a brand new interview with special effects makeup artist Jake Garber and special effects makeup technician Kevin Wasner
Light and Sawdust, a brand new interview with the director of photography, Lukas Ettlin
Down to the Bone: Anatomy of a Prequel, an archival making-of documentary featuring many interviews with cast and crew members
Deleted and extended scenes with optional commentary from director Jonathan Liebesman and producers Andrew Form and Brad Fuller
Theatrical trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Aaron Lea
Double-sided foldout poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Aaron Lea
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Michael Gingold

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[photo courtesy of ARROW VIDEO, MVD ENTERTAINMENT]

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