How did the characters become who they became? This movie shows us how the Hewitt family began their reign of terror. The question I keep asking is this,,, who's the bigger 'main' monster? Is it Leatherface,, or the psychotic sheriff?!? While LF is definitely a monster,,, I'd say the Sheriff is the mastermind,,, The 'kids' who find themselves in this living nightmare were cast perfectly,,,

Once again,,, if you are squeamish and can't differentiate the movie from reality,,, then this is not for you,,,

And so the cycle goes on. This time, the latest film in the Texas Chainsaw series (the sixth to date) is a prequel to the remake, claiming to reveal the origins behind Leatherface and show the viewer how this sadistic, inhuman killer and his mad family came to exist. That's the claim, anyway. In reality, the first twenty minutes are the 'prequel' bit, and then the film becomes just another formula movie with the same elements – a vehicle full of youths runs foul of the inhabitants of the remote farmhouse and are butchered one by one.

Those expecting enlightenment will come away sorely disappointed – but maybe that's the point. Leatherface has no origin: he's just a brutal, faceless killer, a hulking he-man with a taste for flesh. His 'family' are all crazy and have always been that way. However, THE BEGINNING does manage to capture some of the raw grittiness of the original film, something that the last few sequels and the remake were missing; perhaps it's the period setting or the bleached cinematography, but this is a film that has the right 'look' to it. It's just a shame that look is wasted in such a mundane and routine film.

You know, I'm getting mighty tired of these backwoods/rural/mutant/woodland killer films of late, because they're all the same: no story, just endless chases, captures and escapes. I'm thinking of the likes of WRONG TURN, MANHUNT; none of them are offering anything new, just more of the same. Jump scares and outrageous gore are no match for a good script and atmosphere, and THE BEGINNING is missing the latter two, although the gore is here in spades. In a film market saturated by the likes of HOSTEL and SAW, this is a film that goes all out to become the grisliest Texas Chainsaw movie yet. Skin is flayed off, people's faces are removed and the living are chainsawed into pieces, all shown in gritty, close-up detail. The blood flows freely and there's an emphasis on sadism and repellent torture and barbarity that makes this hard to watch; at the same time, you quickly become desensitised to it all, unlike in a film such as HOSTEL where my heart was pounding throughout.

The cast members are pretty predictable – the usual bunch of bland twentysomethings who you don't really care about or engage with as they get variously slaughtered in gruesome ways. Jordana Brewster, the skinny heroine, is particularly bland and unremarkable, and I think the buxom blonde Diora Baird would have made for a far better 'scream queen'. Bryniarski looks the part as Leatherface but lacks the hulking, quiet menace that Gunnar Hansen brought to the role, although R. Lee Ermey has a ball as an absolutely despicable bad guy. And so there you have it – more gore than before but no new ideas in another ultimately bland and pointless teen terror flick.

Thomas Hewitt/Leatherface grew up working in the Texas slaughterhouse despite being discarded as a baby by Uncle Charlie Hewitt (R. Lee Ermey). In 1969, the slaughterhouse is condemned. Thomas and Uncle Charlie kill the entire Sheriff's department and Uncle Charlie impersonates Sheriff Hoyt. Meanwhile, Dean (Taylor Handley) is on his way back to fight in Vietnam. His girlfriend Chrissie (Jordana Brewster) is concerned. He thinks his brother Eric (Matt Bomer) is joining him. Instead, Eric and his girlfriend Bailey (Diora Baird) intend to head for Mexico. After encountering a group of bikers, the foursome is pursued by biker Alex. The brothers fight about Eric burning his draft card. Dean is distracted by the gun waving and the fighting when they crash into a cow on the road. Hoyt arrives and kills Alex. He takes Dean, Eric, and Bailey prisoner while Chrissie remains hidden. Chrissie flags down Alex's biker boyfriend Holden.

This is a prequel of the 2003 remake. There is nothing new added to the franchise. With a prequel, the ending is pre-determined. They are mostly going through the motion here. It should explain why Alex is chasing the group waving a shotgun when its happening. The whole setup is weirdly unsatisfying. It's a lot blood and gore with nothing scary. There is no emotional intensity. The characters are not that compelling. It's basically a lesser repeat.