Leatherface emerges from nearly fifty years of hiding after
a group of millennials cause the death of his adoptive mother. HORROR
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Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)Directed by David Blue Garcia
Written by Chris Thomas Devlin Starring Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham, Jacob Latimore, Moe Dunford, Olwen Fouéré, Alice Krige Sequel to 1974's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre |
In the entire nine-film run of this iconic franchise, this is the only time that, to me at least, Leatherface is completely justified in his murder rampage. It's also the only time in nine films that we've gotten a bona fide massacre, which is kind of ironic. With a franchise that boats one great film, a couple decent ones, and a whole lotta shit, expectations for the latest reboot were low. But holy shit, did Fede Alvarez and Netflix deliver. This is the best film in the franchise since the first one, does total justice to the original characters, and sports a level of unchecked brutality we have never seen before. Plus, every character is kind of an entitled piece of shit, and it's satisfying to see them take a chainsaw to the abdomen.
Netflix's Texas Chainsaw Massacre is intended to be a direct sequel to the 1974 original, with Leatherface (Burnham, who knocks it out of the park) having gone into hiding in the nearby town of Harlow after his initial killing spree. In that time, survivor Sally Hardesty (Fouéré) has been waiting for Leatherface to resurface so she can avenge her friends. Yes, this is ripped straight out of 2018's Halloween, but move past that and let it go. When a couple of millennial wannabe restaurant moguls (I think) buy the entire town of Harlow and bus in a group of investors, Leatherface finally has some fresh meat. Plus, they drag his adoptive mother out of her house, causing her accidental death in his arms. Like I said, completely justified. This film is a streamlined hour and 23 minutes. It's not trying to break new ground, make a political statement, or change the horror genre. It's here to make Leatherface scary again, which it totally accomplishes. The scene where he tears up the bus folk is astonishingly over the top in the best way. This is one of the best films in the franchise and a perfect way to continue the story without another reboot, and give Leatherface and the TCM franchise a permanent home in Netflix. |
When they first announced this film with Fede Alvarez onboard to produce, I was pretty intrigued. But then the bad news just kept rolling in. First, the original directors were fired a week into production. Then, there were the rumors of extremely negative test screenings. Alvarez would refute these rumors, but this leads to my next factor. His produced sequel, Don’t Breathe 2, came out and failed to latch on to audiences. Finally, it was announced the intended theatrical release would be skipped entirely in favor of a Netflix release instead. All of these came together to make me start to worry about the quality of this film. But then the trailer came out. And my hopes went back up. So, after such a troubled production followed by an impressive trailer; the question would ultimately be how people respond to it on release.
I want to get one thing out of the way and address the supposed “woke” ideas brought up in this film. While the film does feature characters of today’s generation, that’s all it is. Characters who reflect much of today’s young people. And, if I’m being honest, the filmmakers use this to their advantage to explore the original film’s theme and what happens when you go somewhere you don’t belong. Now, let’s talk two of the biggest returning characters: Leatherface and Sally Hardesty. The latter is brought back and utilized extremely well. For those worried about them copying the plotline from another big franchise and its well-known heroine, I promise this one does find a different route to go with it. The actress playing Sally in this installment does tremendous justice to both the character and the late Marilyn Burns. Now for the man himself, Leatherface. Mark Burnham plays him this time around and quickly proves himself to be the best one to play this character since Andrew Bryniarski in the remake. His portrayal of Leatherface displays a level of brutality and savagery we haven’t seen in this character before. Backing him up is some insanely good and brutal practical gore effects. I can fully admit it. I went into this film initially skeptical and finished pretty impressed. I haven’t been this happy with an installment in the franchise sine the 2003 remake. The filmmakers and actors involved clearly understand the importance and reverence for this franchise. In turn, they gave us a brutal and lean installment. The saw is family. |