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LEATHERFACE: TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (New Line Home Entertainment) Director: Jeff Burr Hacktors: Kate Hodge, Viggo Mortensen, Ken Foree Rating: Tag-line: 'He Puts The Teeth In Terror'. Which, in all fairness, makes very little sense. Other tags have been 'The Saw Is Family' and 'There's Roadkill All Over Texas', both being lines from the movie. Death Toll: Eight. Which is, at least, more than the original. Cutting Remarks: Leatherface is one of those movies which spent years in the ether, seemingly having been forgotten by the majority of horror types. Now, fourteen years after its release - and due in no small part to the success of the recent Chainsaw remake - we not only get the movie on DVD, but an extras-laden one at that.          The worst thing you can say about Leatherface is that not quite enough seems to happen during its compact running time. Okay, so the original movie was hardly an action-fest, but this one seems to be over all too quickly. Furthermore, it's a little too slavish in its adherence to the traditional TCM touchstones - the polaroid camera, the freaky family and the hitchiker. Apart from these nagging factors, there's a fair deal to like here. The plot is threadbare, but functional: two college students take a roadtrip through the badlands of Texas and end up in trouble with a capital bzzzzzzzz. The acting's strong enough - particularly from Ken Foree (always a dependable supporting character) as weekend warrior Benny. Leatherface, the man, looks fairly impressive, despite not being played by Gunnar Hansen, and his Excalibur chainsaw is an undoubted thrill for hardware fans. Burr and his KNB team don't exactly stint on the gore here - especially if you're watching the unrated version, featured here alongside the rated version. There's five minutes difference in the running time, no less.          David Schow's rock 'n' roll script veers a little too close to painting Leatherface as a complete buffoon at times, but he still poses a distinct threat. Indeed, the first two times he pops up, post-credits, are genuine jolts. The action really hots up in the third act, as people get nailed to chairs, have their faces smashed in and parts of their body shot off. Like the first sequel, this one has its weaknesses, but certainly deserves to be seen. Most Memorable Demise: Getting hung upsidedown with meathooks through your ankles, then having your face dented with a swinging mallet. Ouch. Look Out For: A frustrated Leatherface struggling with a child's Speak And Spell machine. Bless. Killer Quote: "What's wrong with you people? Ever heard of pizza?" - Benny tries to figure the family out. DVD Details: Fans will understandably head straight for the Making Of documentary, titled The Saw Is Family. Well assembled, it sees various people associated with the movie being admirably honest about its troubled production and problems with the American ratings board (MPAA). Same goes for the film-maker audio commentary. There are also some deleted scenes, which show us some more gore which was planned but never made it into even the unrated cut. The alternative ending will have you thanking the Lord they didn't use it, even if the actual ending isn't exactly a stroke of genius, while all the usual classy audio options are present. Theatrical trailers and DVD-ROM content round off a handsomely stacked disc. Release Date: Out now in the States. [Check it out at Amazon UK] [Check it out at Amazon UK] [Reviews Menu] [Home] © Copyright Slasherama 2002-present