Rating: 2.5/5
‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ picks up 50 years after the events of the 1974 film ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’. It revolves around a new group of friends threatened by the infamous killer Leatherface.
Story
Melody (Sarah Yarkin), her sister Lila (Elsie Fisher), and their entrepreneur friends Dante (Jacob Latimore) and Ruth (Nell Hudson) come to the town of Harlow, in Texas, in hopes of renovating it and selling to investors.
When an old lady, Virginia (Alice Krige), claims that she has the deed to her house, which she runs as an orphanage in the town, and they can’t force her out, Dante calls the cops. Her health takes a turn for the worse, forcing the only resident of the house to rush her to the hospital.
When she dies midway, the resident is revealed to be Leatherface (Dan Burnham), who had been dormant for five decades. He kills the cops and Ruth, wears Virginia’s skin on his face and sets his eyes on those in Harlow.
The hunter is also being hunted by Sally (Olwen Fouéré), the only survivor from the events of the first movie.
Performances
These are standard horror film performances, except Yarkin and Fisher, who do manage to play two terrified sisters desperate to escape the town rather well.
Burnham brings a certain horrific aura to Leatherface due to his stature, but all that his character does is slash the entire film.
Most of the other characters are killed before they can be developed at all, giving the actors much less time to make a difference.
Positives
For those who love gory films, Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a fun ride that stays quite faithful to the ‘massacre part’. One after the other, the bodies fall and you wonder if anybody will survive this.
The runtime isn’t stretched. As soon as Leatherface is introduced, the film picks up the pace that lasts the entire movie.
A few scenes are well-executed for horror films. When Leatherface enters the bus, it’s an absolute bloodfest. His introduction is also hair-raising, as he wears the face of the woman he was trying to save just moments ago.
Negatives
The same gore that some enjoy might make it unwatchable for others. The violence is quite graphic and won’t appeal to everybody.
Some parts of the premise are questionable. How do impaled individuals still manage to stay alive? It’s hardly believable. And how do Leatherface and Sally, who must be senior citizens at this point, are so spritely and tough?
There is not enough context to Leatherface in this film. How did he end up at the orphanage? What happened to him after the first film?
Verdict
For lovers of gory horror films, Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a decent watch. However, it doesn’t really offer much else.
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