With the question of sacrilege already dispatched in 2003 when Tobe Hooper's stark, primordial "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" was happily remade as an au courant pop gorefest, the question of whether a new prequel is in a class with its 1974 forebear is a non sequitur to anyone but hardcore fans (who nevertheless will nod approvingly at producer credits for Hooper and partner Kim Henkel). The film should hold its own at the boxoffice without attracting those beyond the baseline audience for such pictures. Unsurprisingly, "Beginning" is designed to leave room for other installments.

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