This film, as do most Hollywood productions, makes it somewhat difficult to decipher if you should be impressed by the efficiency of the technical side of the direction/effects, or if you should remain idle on the opinion that Hollywood productions are and will remain 'good films' for an immature and lightminded viewer. If you want to scare the kids, this is it. If you want to watch another teenage horror movie, then you'll like this one. But if you're looking for something that will stimulate your mind, then I strongly suggest you leave this on the shelf.

It is directed in a way that actually does make the viewer jump a couple of times. But then again, aren't all Hollywood horror/adventure films like that?

Most of the movie's marketing was reliant on the fact that it is based on the true story of Ed Gein, a man who lost his mind due to his restrictive and psychotically religious mother, driving him to kill 2 people, dig up numerous stiffs and remove certain body parts in attempt to make a body suit out of them. Yet upon reading about Ed Gein's life I realised that the Texas Chainsaw Massacre has absolutely nothing to do with the actual story, except perhaps a few characteristics that were given to the serial killer & his family to enrich the plot. The definition of a serial killer is "A person who attacks and kills 3 or more victims one by one in a series of incidents", therefore obviously Gein has absolutely nothing to do with his Hollywood version in this film. So if you go to the video store of your neighbourhood and they try to sell you the whole 'this is a true story' parade, dont buy it.

Surprisingly enough, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre was a low budget film which totally opposes all of Michael Bay's previous productions (as are Pearl Harbour, Bad Boys & Bad Boys 2, Armaggedon... well, you get the picture) and yet it is well done technically speaking, excluding the photography which, in my opinion always, should have been a bit more graphic.

Eveyone knows the basic storyline.. 5 teens driving through the middle of nowhere, smoking weed and generally being American come across this girl walking down the street. She is obviously in an atrocious mental state and they take her aboard, only for her to kill herself in the van like 10 minutes later. That's when Erin (Jessica Biel) and Pepper (Erica Leehrsen) make Kemper (Eric Balfour), Erin's boyfriend and proud owner of the van to go into town, call the police and give the girl's body in to the proper authorities. Little did they know that they were about to enter psycho hickville - how scintillating.

Soon enough the shocking killing and traumatising dismembering begins. The rest is known.

If you've watched this movie and for whatever obtuse reason have decided to purchase the dvd, I suggest you pick the special edition by Alliance Atlantis, seeing as it offers an extra dvd containing a documentary about Ed Gein's life, actual footage and pictures of the real-life perpetraitor.