Texas Chainsaw Massacre

It seems like the modern horror trope is to go back to the original and do a sequel about 40 plus years having transpired since the original. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the latest film to receive this treatment as a new sequel came to Netflix earlier this week.

The latest film brings us back to a small town Texas where hell is unleashed when a group of business investors accidentally force an elderly woman out of her lifelong home. Leatherface quickly returns with brutal force and very little back story shown other than the events of the original film. The new cast is largely forgettable as they each throw away characters with very little depth added to them.

In the way of violence it does nothing really innovative because we have seen this type of film 100 times over now. There is only so much substance that can be given to the character that has no personality other than wielding a chainsaw which he doesn't even do for the first half and then they over do it. There was no death that made me feel much aside from the brutal bus sequence but that was honestly just because it was so over the top it seemed ridiculous. Leatherface is a very distinct killer and that sequence felt out of place even though the lighting and the shots were great.

Combining 2022 style with old school small town Texas failed to translate how the film makers thought it would. What makes Leatherface and the situation so terrifying is it happens away from mainstream culture. Its the idea that we never know what crazy is lurking that always made Leatherface ao terrifying. This felt eerily similar to Michael Myers and his connection to Haddonfield. The idea that always made sense was the randomness of it all. That the sadistic nature of the crimes could have happened to any travelling group of friends. This felt more like a home base being attacked and the return of Sally felt like a ripoff of Laurie Strode.

It is far from a bad movie but Netflix definitely saw a chance to jump on Halloweens bandwagon and do a sequel set in today's world. The thing is it didnt work as well because the violence has to be earned. It was on Halloween because we knew Michael would never stop looking for Laurie and the violence will continue to ensue until one or both are dead. There is no motivation here because Leatherface is just crazed at the end and a sequel would just be more of the same old tired thrills with nothing new.

Unless they can find a way to do something that has yet to be explored in The Texas Chainsaw lore this movie seems utterly pointless. The best kill in the movie is for straight shock value just when you think the two sisters are safe one gets ripped through the window. The kicker, a self-driving car drives through the middle of a Texas town where every resident is literally dead while the younger sister watches from the sunroof in horror. The movie had done very good with a creepy horror aesthetic until that very sappy daytime moment that showed us what we have seen a million times. The villain is never killable and yet here I didnt even think for one second that he was.

The only element they have really for a sequel is the whole world knows of the horror of Leatherface but even that does not lend to a viable plot. It is a really messy sequel that does very little to jump the series 40 plus years into modern times. Some things are timeless because of when they exist and I am starting to believe Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of them. That really is just a testament to how disturbing the original film truly is.