* MAY CONTAIN SOME MINOR SPOILERS* Well kiddies, just got back from taking in an afternoon matinée of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre; The Beginning" & I got 4 words that best describe it: BRUTAL,GRUESOME and INTENSE! The film is gorier & more unrelenting than its predecessor from 2003. And actually we learn almost from the start, that Leatherface isn't the antagonist who got the whole grisly ball of wax rolling, it was his Uncle-the Sheriff wannabe (played of course by Lee Remey). We are shown the would-be mother of Thomas Hewitt (aka Leatherface) giving birth to the deformed child right on the floor of the slaughterhouse where she works. She abandons (well, we are led to believe it was her) said child in the dumpster behind the slaughterhouse where he is subsequently discovered by a hobo woman & taken to his permanent place of residence. From there, we are shown snapshot glimpses of his early childhood (I use this next term very loosely) "development." Fast forward to 1969, where little Tommy is now 30 years old, face covered virtually all the time with a dingy blue scarf, and of course he is employed at the local slaughterhouse where he's referred to in usually hush tones as "retard". All is "well" until the day when the place is shut down by the Texas Board of Health for obvious & serious health code violations. The little town down in Texas is now a ghostville USA because of the plant closing and the only inhabitants left are the deranged Hewitt clan (sounds just like Michigan under Governor Granholm-LOL). During the remainder of the film we see how dear old Uncle transforms little Tommy from a mere butcher of dead animals, into the chainsaw wielding maniac we've all come to know & love so well. And as a pleasant bonus, we also are given glimpses into why the "Sheriff" is such a twisted wacko. TCM for what it lacks in suspense, it more than makes up for with gruesome deaths, intensity, some gore & sheer madness. Wait till you see how the old dude in the wheelchair (from TCM 03) gets in that exact condition (both shocking & hilarious). Some of the scenes do mirror those from the original (dinner table scene from TCM 74) & others from TCM 03. So yes, a little of TCM the Beginning will feel like 'old hat' but then again we're not talking Shakesphere here. I also think many will be surprised at the ending of this film. Is "Texas Chainsaw Massacre; The Beginning" as good as TCM 74?-NO! But it does offer one thing I wish the original 74 version had done. We find out exactly why, the family are cannibals & it has nothing to do with having the best bar-b-que either. This film is a good (not great)installment in the series. My only real complaint outside of the lack of suspense, is that we are never really shown Leatherface's mug. I can't decide if that is a good thing or not or intentional on the directors part to perhaps keep the mysterious aura of Leatherface intact. Side note: I do hope this is the last of the TCM films because I feel there is nothing left of interest to do with this franchise that we haven't already seen.<br /><br />BloodStone's Recommendation: A good, noteworthy addition to the TCM legacy & definitely worth a look.<br /><br />BloodStone's Rating: 8.0