I think at this point, we’ve gotten used to the fact that almost all the classic horror films will be remade eventually. This year, we’ve had three or four alone. I’ve never had a huuuuuge problem with these remakes, though. If a director can take an old horror film, revive it and add their own twist to the mix, it’s worth a look. In fact, I can think of many horror remakes that were much, much better than their originals. I felt that way about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 2003, which is actually one of my favorite horror films. So yeah, I was a little excited for The Beginning. While it isn’t quite as good as the 2003 remake, The Beginning manages to be a great kick-off film to the horror season we’ve been waiting for.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning actually felt more like the remake of the 1974 version than what we saw in 2003. It takes ideas from both films, though. The set-up of The Beginning is pretty much the same as TCM '03 - four friends (played by Jordana Brewster, Taylor Handley, Diora Baird and Matthew Bomer) on a road trip during the time of the war in Vietnam. Two guys, Eric and Dean, are on their last road trip before heading off to fight; however, Dean has other plans, in which he doesn't go with Eric and instead goes with his girlfriend, Bailey, to Mexico to start a new life. In the midst of this little conflict between two friends, the story of the birth of Leatherface. Unfortunately for the young travelers, a freak accident wrecks their vehicle on the road, and good ol' Sherriff Hoyt (R. Lee Ermey) shows up to "escort" them to his lovely home to meet the family.

The fun begins here, of course. The one big reason I was skeptical about The Beginning was the man behind the camera - Jonathan Liebesman (Darkness Falls). I didn't really hate Darkness Falls like most people do, but it's definitely not a great piece of work. Having Michael Bay on the project is always a big plus, though. Liebesman surprised me, however. The film manages to be a non-stop roller coaster ride after the car crash early in the film, and never lets go. Granted, the running time is quite short, so there was no time to stop, but still, I had a lot of fun. And boy, the carnage reaches a new level here. This film is no-holds-barred. Straight-up massacre. At points in the film, even I had trouble watching this Texas family just brutally decimate four or five people in ways that you don't want to imagine. Bravo. And even if you know how it's going to end (being a prequel and all), you can't help but be a little excited throughout the film. It's even better if you haven't seen the original. The Beginning also included the famous “dinner scene” we saw in the original, and it’s quite excellent.

Performance-wise, you can’t ever ask for much. The characters aren’t well-developed in here like in the last film, but not a bad effort, overall. The lovely Jordana Brewster plays an effective female lead to the film, though I think Jessica Biel gave a clearly strong performance back in ’03. R. Lee Ermey still freaks me out, days after seeing this film. I can’t imagine a single other person playing the role of the Sherriff better than he does. And, of course, the star of the show, Leatherface… terrifying. The rest of the cast is just there, nothing more.

Is The Beginning a perfect film? Nah. In essence, a lot of the things we see here remind us of the 2003 version. The set-up, the scenes and the characters remind us a lot of what we saw in ’03, showing that not much extra thought was put into this film. However, from a horror fan point-of-view, the film is A+ in blood and gore. Texas Chainsaw: The Beginning is a fun, thrill ride that should get you back in the horror mood. It's the perfect film for the Halloween season.