“Do anything and you’re canceled bro,” a Gen Z character tells Leatherface, as the latter approaches his group of friends with a revved-up chainsaw. His friends, also same-age, take out their smartphones and start live broadcasts, probably thinking the ‘freak show’ will not do anything to them so long as he is on camera. But how wrong are they! Leatherface massacres the whole bunch, without breaking a sweat.
Netflix’s latest “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is yet another sequel to the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre from 1974. The American slasher film is the ninth installment of the TCM franchise and picks up almost five decades after a group of teens are brutally murdered in Texas by an unknown gigantic killer later named Leatherface, with just one survivor left to tell the horrid tale.
The story now moves to Harlow, an almost deserted town in Texas. A group of young entrepreneurs—Melody, Dante, Lila, and Ruth—have bought the rights to most of the town’s houses, which they want to rebuild and auction off at better prices. While they visit the town for inspection, they find that an elderly woman and her son still ‘illegally’ occupy one of the houses.
They call the police on the sick woman to evacuate her and unknowingly unleash the wrath of her son—Leatherface. For Leatherface, this time the number of targets increases as the group of entrepreneurs invites a bus full of young colleagues to showcase their project.
The premise and physical setting for the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre film is almost the same as its predecessors but there is some change in the context. While Leatherface has massacred boomers and millennials in the past, his encounter with Gen Z is a bit different.
Also, for the first time, Leatherface is not only a predator but also a prey. Sally, the last remaining victim of the original Texas massacre from 1973, is now a retired Ranger, hardened with time and pursuit of vengeance. She wants to get rid of Leatherface once and for all and now that he has emerged from his hiding, this is her chance.
Directed by David Blue Garcia and co-written by Fede Álvarez and Rodo Sayagues, Texas Chainsaw Massacre continues on the tradition of the classic out-and-out slasher movies. There is violence, blood, and gore throughout with only a few other scenes contributing to the story.
But what makes this edition noticeably different are the slight political and social contexts underlying the movie’s plot. For instance, an old Confederate flag becomes a pivotal object to create conflict in the story. Also, some dialogues indicate racism that is still prevalent in the US.
As a standalone film, the new TCM is not up to par with previous editions. Yes, there is the sub-plot of Sally and her revenge, but it feels forced. Her character does not actually get the justice it deserves or nearly enough screen-time.
On these lines, there’s something amiss in the film. Modern-day technology has allowed the makers to insert some extreme scenes, but even they seem to lack the ferocity expected from a film in the TCM franchise. For lack of better words, in TCM 2022, you can watch the brutality but cannot really feel it. Maybe the filmmakers wanted to appease the newer generation audience than old school slasher fans.
On Netflix
Rating: 2 stars
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Actors: Mark Burnham, Elsie Fisher
Director: David Blue Garcia
Run time: 1hr 21mins
Who should watch it?
Texas Chainsaw Massacre is bloody and cruel. So obviously, it’s not intended for the general audience. But even if you love extreme movies, you’ll not enjoy this one much. This TCM will probably cater to an audience looking for slasher-lite. More like regular action movies with slasher themes.
