Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III DVD Review

Written by SuperNova

Released by New Line Home Entertainment

Directed by Jeff Burr
Written by Kim Henkel (characters), Tobe Hooper (characters) and David J. Schow

1990, Region 1 (NTSC), 86 minutes, Unrated

DVD released on June 1st, 2004

Starring:
Jennifer Banko as Little girl
Ron Brooks as T.V. Newsman
William Butler as Ryan
Miriam Byrd-Nethery as Mama
David Cloud as Scott
Beth DePatie as Gina
Tom Everett as Alfredo
Ken Foree as Benny
Kate Hodge as Michelle
Toni Hudson as Sara
R.A. Mihailoff as Leatherface
Viggo Mortensen as Tex
Joe Unger as Tinker
Duane Whitaker as Kim
Michael Shamus Wiles as Checkpoint Officer

“When the idiom classic is thrown about, devotees of all genre‘s not just one particular seem to arise with passion, they feel a sense of knowing and can easily bring to mind the names of films which in their belief are held as high standard cinema. When aficionados of the horror genus are asked what is their favorite movie, the answers given can be quite vast. But when the combination of a chainsaw wielding maniac and a family full of cannibals comes into play, most would agree that Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is the emblem of the term masterpiece. A persistent assault of celluloid that leaves viewers breathless and emotionally distraught, a feeling even Tobe Hooper has never managed to capture again, and most likely will never be depicted quite like the original”

Movie:

It all begins on a desolate stretch of black top, in the middle of nowhere and running low on gas Michelle (Kate Hodge) and Ryan (William Butler) on a trip to Florida, make a sudden stop to fuel up their car. There stop at the gas station leads to a disturbing encounter with a crazed tenant of the company. His perverse minded self is caught spying on Michelle using the restroom by a local cowboy named Tex (Viggo Mortensen). Tex is just a drifter looking for a ride back to his home, but Ryan feeling inferior to his looks and presence resist any such scenario.

In an enraged state of mental delusion the gas station tenant runs inside and grabs a shotgun to scare away the weary travelers. Only his actions are more realistic then they seem, as he fires a shot into the air before putting a bullet through the cowboy’s chest. Michelle and Ryan franticly drive off only to be consumed by the silent darkness of the night. With the moon faintly peering down on the deserted desert road below, and the car lights dimly showing their way, a noise begins to arise. Oblivious to who or what it might be, they slow the car until a quick flash of florescent lights obscures Michelle’s rear view mirror.

The dust sweeps around the grisly behemoth of a truck on a steady crash course against their back bumper. Runned off the road, Michele and Ryan quickly exit the vehicle to repair their flat tire before the maniac comes back. In the distance the sound of metal turning against it’s rusted joints begins to grow more apparent. Franticly tightening the lug nuts, Ryan finishes his dirty task and calls for Michele to get back into the car. Only when she goes to turn around her flashlight absorbs a grisly creature who’s mask seeps the sorrows of human flesh and desiccated blood.

The menacing Leatherface doesn’t take long to disassemble and decimate the car to bits trying to get to Michele and Ryan. His errand doesn’t come easy as the two quickly drive off, loose tire and all. Unable to perceive what they just witnessed, petrified and insensible they accidentally crash into an on coming car in the opposite lane. As they are pulled from the dismantled wreckage by Benny (Ken Foree) the driver of the other car, they drowsily try to explain what has happened to them. It doesn’t take long before Leatherface and his band of misfits go on the prowl after their injured prey and make a believer out of Benny.

With traps aligned throughout the woods, and thick swampy pits of dismembered body parts, the group faces a hellish task of trying to escape with their limbs still intact. As they come upon a house in the middle of nowhere, they descend inside only to find it inhabitant by the very creatures stalking them. Now they succumb to the inevitable and are subjected to torturous routines all for the share enjoyment of pleasure. Who will survive, and what will be left of them? Find out in this third sequel that forever encrypted the phrase, The Saw Is Family.

Review:

Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III was that little film that never seemed to have a chance. Disowned by fan’s once it hit theaters in a staggering eleventh place on the opening weekend, betrayed by New Line and slashed consecutively by the MPAA it seemed everyone loathed over Leatherface and his new family. The blame cannot be placed upon one individual, as most would like to assume it’s all director’s Jeff Burrs fault, when in actuality it’s much more than that. The problem lies within New Line for wanting to turn Leatherface into a franchise, an iconic slasher character competing up with the ranks of Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger. It seemed as though a good idea as any, with both series having fairly successful theatrical runs. But Leatherface wasn’t meant to be watered down and thrust at adolescent teens all alike for the simple pleasure of sex equals death equals gore.

Leatherface and his family had a history, the same could be said with Freddy and Jason, but even their past memoirs seem clichéd and tried, none the less they had a story that vaulted the character into his cinematic rage, although lost overtime in the countless recycled sequels, the originals were truly works of art that took time, patience and a lot of dedicated hard work. The result of this film can be examined in short as new Line wanting to make a quick buck by trying to milk a franchise that never even got off the ground. They expected fan’s to immediately welcome Leatherface and his gargantuan saw, just like they welcomed Michael Myers and Freddy and Jason. Sadly it was not the case, for the limited and small cult following of people that carried the original into obscurity weren’t powerful enough to make a statement and even when they did, they treated the second sequel like a pile of human remains left at Ed Geins house for his disposal.

Despite the attention or lack thereof the film received, Leatherface managed to find a home deep inside the heart of any man or women who picked up a chainsaw and revved the motor just to feel the trembling vibration percolate their shaky palms. It’s an action that we’ve all done, and further more it states the connection that Leatherface has with his chainsaw. To him the saw is his toy, and in many ways Leatherface is like a child, one in which we see in all of us when we reach for our power tools. Once you get pass the negativity that’s been placed upon this film, you’ll truly understand and hopefully begin to appreciate the hard work and belief that was put into it. The atmosphere from the first film is lost, substituted by repulsive shock tactics and more gore and dark humor than the second film had. KNB did the special fx make-up which stands out in my mind as fairly common effects. There’s a lot of blood to be spilled, most of which ends up in the unrated version, thankfully seeing as this film could have very well ended up on the cutting room floor or in the garbage can for that matter.

For any aficionado of the original, you’ll find yourself divulging in recent past times and mourning over the loss of the Cook character played by Jim Siedow. He’s absence is certainly felt in this film, while there is a certain level of dark humor that is achieved here, no one can pull off his obscenities and corky ness with such style and grace quite like he did. Tex who was played by Viggo Mortensen (who would later go on to star in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.) immersed himself into his role completely and is the only character that comes to mind who actually might have been able to fill the shoes of the cook. R.A. Mihailoff who dawns the mask in this film, portrays a sadistic and vial Leatherface who’s empathy can easily be replaced by the fiery rage of his aggressing chainsaw in your face. Kate Hodge plays a wonderful strong female lead, who may not appear worthy of a scream queen title, but once the movie catches it’s second wind, she’s all over the emotional meter and hit’s the levels with such perfection. And of course Ken Foree is always a pleasure to watch on screen, his role seems a little underused, but he still manages to kick butt and take names all while stealing the screen time every second he appears.

Video and Audio:

New Line Home Entertainment released this film with an amazing transfer. The picture quality is far superior than the older VHS tapes. The color is quite rich presented here in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The nighttime shots owe a deed of gratitude to the early chainsaw films, thriving with blue tones that pulsate off from the screen. Flesh tones appear consistent and accurate and the overall colors are quite vibrant

We as fans of this film get the luxury treatment. The audio here is presented in an English Dolby Digital EX 5.1 and an English DTS 6.1 Surround Sound. There’s also a Stereo surround sound track and added English subtitles. The DTS track is quite astounding, the buzzing of the saw protrudes incalculably from the speakers sending shivers down your spine. The pops of the twigs as weary travelers embark into the mystic woods can be heard with the slightest of effort from the front speakers, and the cries and howls of hapless victims buries deep into sobering vibration echoing from your subwoofer. The soundtrack for the film is based upon various heavy metal artist. It’s not too much of a highlight to listen to, but some songs are quite enjoyable, like the opening title track. The score however consist of ambient sounds and low strings that add to the overall atmosphere of the film. It’s fairly generic, but Jim Manzie does a good job feeding off the tension. Overall the audio is crystal clear, and vastly superior than I would have certainly imagined it to be, especially the low key muttering of Alfredo (Tom Everett) who’s southern hackneyed accent makes for laughable dialogue.

Special Features:

• Rated and Unrated versions of the Film
• Filmmaker Commentary
• Theatrical Trailers
• Alternate Ending
• Deleted Scenes
• Making of Leatherface Documentary.

There’s been a lot of confusion about the Unrated cut presented here, and what footage was actually missing and still is. My perspective of the situation is the deleted scenes that are on this disc as a supplement are the only remaining cut footage still intact. You can view the alternate ending, which appears to be restored and host a gorgeous transfer just like the movie. The alternate ending is different from the original, as this time around Ken Foree’s character, Benny, remains dead from the blade of the saw grinding into his cranium. Kate Hodge’s character, Michelle, hits Leatherface with a rock consecutively, about eleven times, more than what was presented in the rated cut. The ending I wont reveal to you, you’ll just have to buy the disc and see it for yourself, but I thought it was fairly acceptable.

There’s a really unique making of the film featurette that adds immense insight on the hardships that occurred during filming and trying to get this movie past the MPAA. Jeff Burr really took a lot of heat from New Line, and on one occasion they even fired him, only to rehire him back. David Schow wrote the original screenplay which served as a more post apocalyptic chainsaw family than the backwoods inbreeding which we all were familiar with. It’s a comfortable welcome, but begs certain question to be answered in order for this story to even have a remotely solid and coherent plot.

The commentary on the disc isn't what you'd call official, or at least it's not your standard one where everyone gets together to reminisce about the film and the mental aspects of making it. This commentary focuses more so on the technical aspects of making the film, and adds background to how it was conceived and devolved. It features Mark Ordesky an executive producers of New Line, Jeff Burr the director, R.A. Mihailoff, special effects wizard Gregory Nicotero, and writer David J. Schow. Like I said it's not official in terms of what we all are used to, these are pre-recorded bits played over the movie, but don't let that discourage you, as the commentary is quite fascinating to hear.

And lastly the disc is rounded out with a couple of deleted scenes, which feature more gore that seemed to be scrapped from the film. The cast, director Jeff Burr mostly adds some insight on the deleted scenes, and is joined by Greg Nicotero and his funny encounter. If you are a fan of this movie, these extras are the icing on the cake, with animated menus and that trailer, you know it's enticing. There’s not a reason why you shouldn’t pick this DVD up, for fifteen dollars, it’s a great deal.

Grades:
Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Features:
Overall:

Conclusion:

I’ll try to sum this up the best way I know how, and that’s by adding my own perspective about the film and hope that you’ll abide by my knowledge and further yourselves by buying the movie and giving it the opportunity it deserves. It may not fill the expectations of those housed on TCM 101. Meat hooks and meat grinders are impossible to come by in this film, but there’s enough mallets and buzzing chainsaws to indulge yourself in. This film makes for a nice complementary piece right next to the original and the sequel.

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