(IN THEATERS: OCT. 4)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
PLOT: Four friends (Taylor Handley, Matthew Bomer, Diora Baird, and Jordana Brewster) head across Texas for a final fling of serious fun in 1969. Soon after their journey begins, they are spooked by a menacing pair of bikers, Holden (Lee Tergesen) and his girlfriend, Alex (Cyia Batten). When Alex chases the group’s jeep, propelling them into a serious accident, one of the girls, Chrissie (Brewster), is thrown from the vehicle. As Alex attempts to rob the injured trio, Sherriff Hoyt (R. Lee Ermey) arrives and turns the tables on their would-be assassin. While Chrissie hides in the nearby brush, she watches as the sheriff kills Alex in cold blood and then taunts her friends before ordering them into the back of the patrol car. Unbeknownst to Chrissie, Hoyt is headed to the Hewitt family home, where Thomas, who is being groomed to become the terrifying monster known as Leatherface (Andrew Bryniarski), and the rest of the Hewitt clan await. Chrissie attempts to convince Holden to help her, but he is on a one-man rampage to avenge his girlfriend’s death. As Chrissie witnesses the horrors inflicted by the Hewitt family upon the people she loves, she realizes she is their only hope of survival.
BUZZ: 2003’s remake of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE was a brutal, tight horror film, full of genuine scares. And Jessica Biel in that tight white tank top was just icing on the cake. This prequel, directed by Jonathan Liebesman (DARKNESS FALLS), has a similar look and feel. It just remains to be seen if Liebesman can continue the last film’s intensity or if he drops another DARKNESS FALLS on an unwitting audience. Also be prepared to see Jordana Brewster in various skin-revealing clothing.
That creepy kid is back and he still isn’t wearing pants!
(OCTOBER 13)
The Grudge 2
PLOT: In Tokyo, a young woman (Amber Tamblyn) is exposed to the same mysterious curse that afflicted her sister (Sarah Michelle Gellar). The supernatural force, which fills a person with rage before spreading to its next victim, brings together a group of previously unrelated people who attempt to unlock its secret to save their lives.
BUZZ: Sarah Michelle Gellar is back, that creepy kid is back, and of course so is that mysterious grudge. The sequel to the 2004 hit seems like much of the same. And after the disappointment of RING 2, I’d wait for the DVD.
Will an extra dimension revitalize this Halloween classic?
(OCTOBER 20)
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D
PLOT: Tim Burton‘s holiday classic returns to the big screen in Disney Digital 3D (how is that different from regular 3D? We don’t know). The make-over was led by the musical-fantasy’s original filmmaking team of writer/producer Tim Burton and director Henry Selick as well as those technical wizards at Industrial Light + Magic. Audiences will get closer than ever to Halloweentown’s beloved Pumpkin King, Jack Skellington (voiced by Chris Sarandon), as he attempts to take over the Christmas holiday. Against the advice of Sally (voiced by Catherine O’Hara), a lonely rag doll who has feelings for him, Jack enlists three mischievous trick-or-treaters — Lock, Shock, and Barrel — to help him kidnap Santa Claus. Jack eventually realizes his mistake but has to contend with the evil Oogie Boogie before he can make things right and restore the Christmas holiday.
BUZZ: What’s the easiest way to repackage an old fim? Release it in 3D. It won’t make the bland musical numbers any better, but it should make the movie-watching experience more interesting.
More sick games are in store for the victims of Jigsaw
(OCTOBER 27)
Saw 3
PLOT: Jigsaw has disappeared. With his new apprentice Amanda (Shawnee Smith), the puppet-master behind the cruel, intricate games that have terrified a community and baffled police has once again eluded capture and vanished. While city detectives scramble to locate him, Doctor Lynn Denlon (Bahar Soomekh) is unaware that she is about to become the latest pawn on his vicious chessboard. One night, after finishing a shift at her hospital, Lynn is kidnapped and taken to an abandoned warehouse where she meets Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), bedridden and on the verge of death. She is told that she must keep the madman alive for as long as it takes Jeff (Angus Macfayden), another of his victims, to complete a game of his own. Racing against the ticking clock of Jigsaw’s own heartbeat, Lynn and Jeff struggle to make it through each of their vicious tests, unaware that he has a much bigger plan for both of them?
BUZZ: SAW is becoming a Halloween tradition. This is the third straight year the franchise has released the movie in late October, and once again it should rule the horror box office. It just remains to be seen when this franchise starts to wane. Is SAW: THE BEGINNING in the near future?
Written by Empress Eve and Dave3 of G.o.D. as well as Jimzarro and Jenn-X of Blogzarro.
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