The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) Review
Spoiler-free so you can read before you watch
Horrorific content by Ted By Dawn on March 02nd, 2022 | Movie Review | Slasher, Survival, Cannibalism, Dysfunctional Family
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It's about a group of young adults who aim to escape the city by populating a rural ghost town, only for their impulsiveness to incur the violent wrath of Leatherface.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was directed by David Blue Garcia and stars Moe Dunford (from The Lodgers), Sarah Yarkin (from Happy Death Day 2U) and Jacob Latimore (from Vanishing On 7th Street).
In 1974, the world witnessed one of the most bizarre crimes in the annals of American history. In 2021, the face of madness returns.
Leatherface (everyone's favorite cannibal butcher/horny radio enthusiast/WWE reject/government plant/good boy who did nothing wrong/southern gentlemen with an aggressive streak, depending on who you ask) is back! But this time the reins have been handed to both Netflix and Fede Alvarez, which is quite the veritable dream team if you haven't seen a movie since 2013.
Yes, this movie certainly had the odds stacked against it. From early reports that the original directors left the production a week in due to creative differences, to the looming shadows of Halloween (2018) and Scream (2022) bringing their series leads back to near-universal acclaim, to a trailer in which a hulking maniac wearing a human face and brandishing a chainsaw was threatened with "getting cancelled", to an unceremonious release on Netflix; Texas Chainsaw Massacre was placed on a meat hook and hacked to death by horror fans and critics alike upon release.
And yet, I can see this movie having a resurgence in the next few years. Perhaps it's that I found the movie's brief exploration of the many different faces of American violence to be a fresh idea that was really compelling, resulting in a cast of characters I was interested in watching before they got their shit royally wrecked by Leatherface. Or, it could have been that I thought the set up was effective, with the story thematically building on the original in all kinds of subtle ways. Maybe I just really enjoyed the kills, from a fantastic set-piece in a field to a bus scene that really puts the chainsaw massacre in Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Sure, the shoe-horning of Sally Hardesty into the plot reeked of desperation and didn't pay off at all. Sure, the cancelled line wasn't removed before the film's release. Sure, you have to contend with some unconvincing CGI at times. But, let's not kid ourselves, this movie does not deserve the sheer torrent of hatred that the internet is so eager to give it.
Is this a masterpiece? No, but the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise in general has scant few of those. Leatherface has always had an uphill battle when it comes to reclaiming his own dignity after absolute duds like Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, and Texas Chainsaw 3D. At this point, a Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie has to be okay to clear the bar, and this movie is certainly more than okay.
Worth Watching?
If you're a slasher fan looking for some Leather, then this slightly-better-than-mid movie should tide you over. It fails to reach the heights of the original (obviously), Part 2, or the remake, but it has some interesting ideas and some great kills, so it certainly holds its own.
