Reed Alexander's Horror Review of Netflix's 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (2022)

Yeah, anyone who complained about this extension of the TCM franchise clearly isn't a fan. It was everything it was supposed to fucking be. I mean, the second and third instalments of the franchise were fucking nuts. They were barely coherent. I could genuinely understand why people wouldn't like TCM 2 or TCM The Next Generation. They're simply not everyone's cup of horror tea. I fucking loved them, but that's the kind of bonkers nonsense I'm into. So sure, plenty of the TCM franchise isn't for everyone. But this had everything it should have. Violence, gore, and an undertone of social commentary. Like... what the fuck were people expecting? The damn franchise is about a guy who wears other people's faces and wields a chainsaw. When it's not going completely off the fucking rails like The Next Generation, it should just be about gore and violence.

Like... if this movie was literally just a plotless hour and a half of Leatherface cutting up people with a chainsaw it would have been the kind of senseless violence that we should be expecting. The fact that it had a plot and a little social commentary is second to what we came for. I literally do not understand why supposed fans spurned this installment.

Said social commentary was also actually pretty clever. It was a grim look at influencer culture and gentrification. I mean, the movie starts off with some northern city kids kicking an old lady out of her house. They're pretty unapologetic about it too. Sure they have later regrets, but that didn't slow them down when they were having the cops drag her out of her place. It's actually pretty smart commentary. Just as smart as the original, only the original was more subtle about it.

And the acting was pretty good too. Sure, it doesn't have that moment of genuine madness like the original, but the acting is actually a little better. The original I consider "good enough for horror." The acting in this was actually good.

Frankly, if you liked the TCM remake, you should like this as well. It's just the classic tale with a modern setting. Horror Heads, especially fans of the TCM franchise should absolutely love this installment.

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SPOILERS!!!

So, have we basically decided that Leatherface is like Michael Myers now? I mean, if this is a direct sequel to TCM 1974, and if we assume Bubba was 18 when the original happened, then he's what... 66 in this movie? Kinda spry for an older fellow. Now, I can believe that Leatherface could live on pure hatred long enough to hack and slash at the age of 66, but then he does take some serious damage in this movie. I mean, more than just a couple rounds of buckshot, and two that were directly to the chest. Last I checked, Bubba wasn't immortal. So are we saying he is now? Because I don't care how inbred, mongoloid tuff you are, that's two rounds of 12 gauge buckshot to the chest. That's dead, even for Leatherface.

Another thing that was mildly disappointing was the closeups of Leatherface's real face. While you never do get a clear look at it in the original, you can tell he's pretty fugly. Hell, the reason why he wears other people's faces is to cover his deformities. You never got the sense that this Leatherface was hideously deformed. Just typical Jethro ugly. It's a detail that bothered me as a fan of the franchise.

But aside from these minor issues, it's pretty fucking good. I definitely recommend. TCM 2 and The Next Generation will always kinda be my favorites after the original, but this one was at least as good, if not better than the remake. Go watch it.