Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)


REVIEWER RATING: 
6/10

DIRECTOR:

CAST:


In 1974, Tobe Hooper shocked the film industry with one of the most frightening movies ever made: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. His creation of “Leatherface” are what nightmares are truly made of…sheer terror.

After many follow-ups, and even a decent prelude to this legendary horror film, Netflix just released a true sequel that brings our beloved slasher into a modern world where narcissistic millennials focus on their entitlement through a town take over. Uh, I mean…investment venture. Silly me.

As four friends from Austin enter their new town-purchase of Harlow, TX the isolation blankets the main dirt road like an eerie storm brewing of maliciousness.

Garcia wastes no time in his new Leatherface introduction, which actually begins with an empathetic mask-less character that lives with complete devotion to his guardian mother. However, upon the arrival of these capitalistic youngins, things go very, very bad and Leatherface soon returns with a vengeance.

If you are expecting a very original script and rebirth of this monster, think again. For those who have seen Halloween 2018, you’ll notice the stolen scenes immediately. From the “oh, he’s putting the mask on!” to the “no, don’t lock them in the police car!”, the similarities aren’t just uncanny…they are insulting.

There was never a fear of losing fandom with a real sequel to the 1974 film, so screenwriter Devlin should have taken the time to think up a more sensical re-introduction rather than become labeled as a scene stealer.

But then again, I can’t say much about the script itself. Other than, blech. It is weak, ridiculous and offensive to the fanbase. This is 2022 – and yet, there are limited scenes with cell phones (except the hilarious live stream on the bus), and no instinct for these 20-something year olds to maybe…grab firearms from dead cops and sheriffs? I don’t get it. It’s like watching a screaming woman run BACK into the house where the killer is clearly waiting. Moronic.

What can I say that was good? The kill scenes. Gory, gruesome and oh-so-brutal. Just like Michael Meyers, Leatherface has no shame or discrimination against his killings. And when he gets his bloody hands on that every-loving chainsaw, let the fun begin!

OVERALL: 
The anticipation of watching this sequel was far more exceeding than my expectation of it being a grand return of my favorite villain. So, my disappointment wasn’t a shock. The backstory for young Lila was interesting as far as displaying a teen suffering from PTSD. Lila’s older sister Mel began with pretentious bureaucratic bullshit but soon shifted into Lila’s fearless protector with triumphant grit. Kudos to Yarkin for doing her best with lame lines. And finally, the return of Sally made up for the stupidity of watching pompous young adults believe that social media could take down a chainsaw-wielding monster with no conscious. On second thought, maybe that IS spot on in today’s society.


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