The Sawyer Massacre

This is a fan film telling a prequel of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre .

The story starts off with a group of young adults on a road trip, a group on a camping trip, a couple passing through and a few bored women looking for some action. The couple passing through stops at a gas station looking for food and is greeted by and elderly man and a very greetful off set man named Rex who guides them to a farm and a house where Rex's grandfather has the food.

With hesitant upon arriving with Rex he says to go to the house while he fetches the food. The couple manages to go inside but what awaits them is more than doubts and creepiness.

This fan film follows the formula and roots of the classic, the less usage of a score adds the feeling creepiness and unease on its own through out each scene.

The story fixates on the characters emotions than just actions and invites the viewer to feel and even hope they live though this nightmare. It almost sets up that the old man sawyer of how he can't stand to see people killed but later enjoys watching as seen in TCM. The Hitchiker makes a cameo as a crazed kid working at the gas station than digging graves and making grotesque art.

Grandpa makes a large part of this story and even directs when and who to kill. Leatherface is straight to the kill and even changes faces almost as if he uses the faces he cuts as a different emotion. We are invited into Terrors home room by room. It can give the audience the suspense as to how much time the victims have before Leatherface gets them.

This fan film does fair well with good film shots, the acting performance fits the moments, the characters fit and Rex makes a chilling invitation for death to visit. For TCM fans you'll want to witness a more personal experience on this one.

...is obviously something that a TCM related film must have and there is one. The movie is set as a unofficial prequel to TCM 1974 and does a fairly decent job as such. The tone is set early on and the feel of a desolate rural area emerges along with the plot. Most of the characters are only there to satisfy the saw, except for Jimmy (Jordan O'Neal). There are a few inconsistencies and/or plot holes, but they can mostly be overlooked and disregarded. Now, Leatherface (Bubba) is played by Scotty Parkin and he does a fine job as the infantile, subdued killer. His facemask looks partly like the Hulk, partly like Lou Reed with a splash of Linda Perry. The FX are gory, but I guess that budget was an issue so they aren't very elaborate. All in all, the Sawyer Massacre holds its own and is well worth your time if you happen to enjoy low budget Horror that is connected to the TCM franchise.

I heard about The Sawyer Massacre before checking it out and had certain expectations. Although it started out slowly, the story was good. The "scary" parts were fewer and farther between than I expected and there were some mild gore parts. The scenery and cinematography were what I found most interesting. The acting is solid, some of the characters are developed nicely. You don't really care about anyone, except for Jimmy and Allison played by Jordan O'Neal and Nika Louw. For those looking for a diverting, low budget horror experience with a creepy and thrilling ending, this movie ain't half bad.

If you're a fan then prepared to be amazed by this outstanding film delivered by non other than Steve Merlo. It's really authentic to the 1970's original and brings a creepy atmosphere to Texas. The cast were magnificent in this, the main characters especially. I felt like they were the strongest part of the film. Supporting characters could have been chosen better, and I guess that's my only flaw in this. The Sawyer family were brilliantly cast for their iconic roles and stayed true to the original actors. This was definitely better than TCM: The Beginning, by any means. Tobe Hooper would be proud!

Well I am impressed! I tend to be very wary of "FAN FILMS" and indeed many disappoint, others don't get the source material but this one is a gem. You can see the love for the source material and honestly better than some low budget or Asylum films. Bravo! Exceptional for a fan film showing the professionals what it is like when you "get" and respect the ideas and concepts of the material. I was entertained and in the end that is what counts. I'll keep my eye on these guys to see what else they come up with. If you are a fan I recommend checking it out, don't expect HOLLYWOOD budget or production values but just an effort that shows the love.