Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1974-1995 🍖

THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE (1974) Perhaps the perfect American horror film of its generation, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre not only took the slasher movie to terrifying new levels, it gave birth to one of cinema’s most memorable (and horrifying) villains: Leatherface. A seemingly carefree summer afternoon turns into a nightmare for friends driving down some Texas backroads when they encounter a family of sadistic, grave robbing cannibals. The simple premise is made all the more horrific thanks to Tobe Hooper’s handling of the material—the film utilizes sound, disorienting music, and extreme close-ups to create a claustrophobic environment that makes the whole ordeal feel authentically brutal. The cast is amateur but good, especially Marilyn Burns who became a benchmark for future Final Girls. Unrelentingly suspenseful and unforgivingly grim, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a masterpiece in horror filmmaking. A (Currently streaming on Pluto TV and Tubi.)

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 (1986) This 12-years-later sequel got a bad rap when it was originally released, but on second viewing it’s not half bad. Actually, compared to the later entries in the long-running series, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is quite good. The Sawyer clan, now relocated to Dallas and owners of an award-winning food truck (“The secret’s in the meat”), is hunted by a disgruntled former Texas marshal (Dennis Hopper) whose nephew was murdered in the first movie. A string of corpses—including a couple of frat boys Leatherface (Bill Johnson) slices up with his chainsaw in one of the film’s most elaborate sequences—leads Hopper to the cannibal family, who’ve made home underneath an abandoned theme park. Tobe Hooper returned to the director’s chair and injected the story with humor to balance out the outrageous violence, which includes the ultimate chainsaw battle that ends in a disemboweling. Tom Savini’s gore effects will make you swear off eating meat for a few days. B+ (Currently streaming on Pluto TV and Tubi.)

LEATHERFACE: THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE III (1990) As the film opens, our heroine drives down a dusty patch of Texas road and passes a sign which reads, “Don’t mess with Texas.” Wiser words were never written within the context of a horror movie. The woman in question, Michelle (Kate Hodge)—a pacifist who can’t stomach the sight of roadkill—turns off the main highway and runs smack into Leatherface (R.A. Mihailoff) and his shiny chainsaw, which is nearly as big as he is. Returning to the gruesome nature of the original, Chainsaw Massacre III ignores the events of the satirical Part 2 and acts as a direct sequel to Hooper’s 1974 film. Leatherface lives with a new family of demented cannibals—they mostly refer to him as “Junior,” suggesting these characters could be extended family from those in the first movie. Grandpa is long dead, but that doesn’t stop the family’s little girl (Jennifer Banko) from feeding the desiccated corpse blood collected from fresh victims. Not many liked this third Chainsaw outing when it was released. True, it lacks the suspense and intelligence of its predecessors—but Texas Chainsaw III is a decent entry in the series and offers good acting, a couple of scares, and a lightning-quick pace. Dawn of the Dead‘s Ken Foree is excellent as a survivalist who steps in and gives the Leatherface clan a taste of their own medicine, so to speak. B (Currently not streaming.)

TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE NEXT GENERATION (1995) (AKA: The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre) A quartet of high schoolers on their way to prom wreck their car in the middle of Nowhere, Texas, and become victims of Leatherface and his predictably deranged family in this semi-sequel/remake. Clad in his signature yellow apron, Bubba (Robert Jacks) stores one of the teens in deep freeze while his tow truck-driving brother (Matthew McConaughey) terrorizes Renee Zellweger by forcing her to watch her date become a food source for the clan of redneck cannibals. The plot is essentially a repeat of Part III but with more of an emphasis on characterization than on-screen bloodletting—although the film has its share of gory moments. The screenplay is infused with humor, including a scene where Leatherface and gang sit down to a pizza dinner. Leatherface is more of a Jame Gumb/Buffalo Bill cross-dressing-type and is often overshadowed by the more flamboyant McConaughey, whose performance is quite frightening at times. Offbeat and scattershot, but with an undeniably bleak atmosphere and truly grimy aesthetic. Look for a cameo by the original’s Marilyn Burns. C+ (Currently not available.)