The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
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A group of young adults traveling through rural Texas encounter a murderous family and a terrifying figure known as Leatherface.
The story
On August 18, 1973, five young adults—Erin, Kemper, Morgan, Andy, and Pepper—travel through rural Texas toward a concert after a trip to Mexico. While driving, they pick up a traumatized hitchhiker who warns them of a 'bad man' before taking her own life. Seeking help, the group stops at a local gas station and is directed to a nearby mill. As they navigate the rural landscape, they find themselves increasingly isolated and confronted by the mysterious and menacing presence of Leatherface and his family, forcing them into a desperate struggle for survival against a looming, violent threat.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After picking up a hitchhiker who dies of suicide, five friends find themselves in rural Texas. They encounter a gas station and are told to meet a sheriff at a mill, but instead find a young boy. Erin and Kemper go to a nearby plantation house where they are separated from the others. Kemper is captured by Leatherface and hidden in a basement. Meanwhile, the others are at the mill where they are confronted by Sheriff Hoyt, who discovers their marijuana and forces them into a terrifying situation. Erin and Andy eventually find the house where Kemper is held. During a chaotic sequence, Andy is captured and mutilated by Leatherface. Erin eventually reunites with the others, and they attempt to escape in a van, but are hunted by Leatherface, who is wearing Kem1000's face as a mask. After a series of violent encounters, including a confrontation in a slaughterhouse where Erin manages to maim Leatherface, she eventually manages to escape. In the final moments, she finds a baby hidden by the family, steals it, and manages to run over Sheriff Hoyt before escaping into the night. Two days later, the house is found abandoned by police.
- First release year
- 2003
- Runtime (minutes)
- 98
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Marcus Nispel
- Writers
- Scott Kosar · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jessica Biel · Erin; Jonathan Tucker · Kemper; Erica Leerhsen · Pepper; Mike Vogel · Luda Mae; Eric Balfour · Morgan; R. Lee Ermey · Hoyt
- Genres
- slasher; horror
- Themes
- survival; isolation
- Tone and mood
- violent; tense
- Setting
- Rural Texas in 1973
- Premise and plot tags
- slasher; remake; horror
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
- Franchise connections
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but was a commercial success, grossing over $100 million on a $9.5 million budget.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 38 · scale: 100 · review count: 33; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The film was the first produced by Platinum Dunes.; The film is loosely inspired by the real-life crimes of Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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