Texas Chainsaw Massacre review: A gory, over-the-top sequel longtime franchise fans can certainly enjoy

3/5

Story:

A group of young entrepreneurs makes their way to the desolate town of Harlow, Texas, with the object of turning the ghost town into a place of new beginnings. But their plans soon turn awry with the arrival of Leatherface, who starts off on a new killing spree after decades. When news of the chainsaw-wielding killer’s re-emergence surfaces, Sally Hardesty, an old survivor of his mass-murdering spree in the 1970s decides to avenge the deaths of her loved ones, caused by Leatherface.

Review:

It serves as testimony to the success of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre film franchise that its mass-murdering protagonist, Leatherface, has figured among some of the most iconic serial killers in horror film history. With his weapon of choice adding to his killer flair, the upcoming film certainly had high expectations from die-hard fans, who had waited for almost three years to hear the skies echo with the reeves of his franchise yet again. And Texas Chainsaw Massacre managed to deliver on that to a certain extent, sort of.

The film serves as a direct sequel to the 1974 film, ignoring the events of the seven films in between, and follows a new group of young people who make their way to Harlow, a ghost town and Leatherface’s home, to ‘repackage’ it as a hot new hub for new businesses. From the very first scene, these new characters are introduced, anyone with a half-decent knowledge of horror film tropes can guess who the ‘final girl’ will be.

The ‘chain’ of gory events are set in motion when the group comes across an elderly woman, who is the owner of the town’s orphanage and Leatherface’s carer, and kick her out of her home, inadvertently stoking the killer’s rage, he had kept at bay for all these decades. He handles his frustration the only way he knows how, and starts dusting off his long-forgotten chainsaw.

To call what follows a bloodbath would be an understatement. The film certainly makes good its promise of gore and bloodshed, as we see Leatherface and his trusty weapon take lives in some inventive new ways, and the way some victims meet their gruesome ends is hard to stomach even for seasoned slasher fans. The film also offers a lot of easter eggs for fans of the Texas Massacre Film franchise, with many gasp-worthy moments to placate fans such as the first time, the killer dons his custom-made ‘face’ and the moment when he finally takes up his hidden away murder weapon. Although at times, these attempts at paying homage to a much-loved franchise come across as tacky, it nonetheless can get away with them. The post-credits scene at the end is also guaranteed to whisk viewers away to a place of horror nostalgia. The film also does a splendid job of including some high tension sequences that genuinely can make viewers hold their breath in anticipation.

The downfall of the film comes with the implausibility and at times, eye roll-worthy instances of incredulity. And as in many horror films that fall short, in this film too, it comes in the form of dense characters who seem so dull-witted. It’s clear, they were written with the express purpose of becoming killer chowder. And the writer’s attempts at making Sally Hardesty, Leatherface’s old nemesis out for blood, a slasher movie version of Terminator’s Sarah Conner, feels so incredibly forced that it looms on the edge of being laughable.

A film that starts weak, ends with a final over-the-top, face-off that could have been phenomenal if it hadn’t tried too hard to make it take the hues of a showdown, rather than a desperate attempt at survival of some traumatised victims. It’s confusing whether the makers had deliberately attempted to make it ‘campy’ or if they genuinely believed such an overblown third act could really win over viewers.

Verdict:

Texas Chainsaw Massacre offers nothing extraordinary to make it stand out from the rest of the franchise, and even looms into the tacky and over-the-top territory at times. But it has enough gore to keep slasher fans interested, and how it pays homage to the franchise definitely won’t go unnoticed by longtime fans.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre is available to stream on Netflix.