Texas Chainsaw Massacre is now streaming only on Netflix. Reader beware, spoilers ahead!
Netflix and Legendary released the reboot of Texas Chainsaw Massacre this past Friday. The film featured the return of Leatherface and his first final girl, Sally Hardesty. The script was penned by Chris Thomas Devlin based on a story by Fede Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues, the writing team behind Don’t Breathe 2, and Evil Dead (2013).
Even though this film connects to the original in many ways, ultimately the story centers around Melody (Sarah Yarkin) and her sister Lila (Elsie Fisher). They, along with their friends Dante (Jacob Latimore) and Ruth (Nell Hudson), head to the remote town of Harlow, Texas to start an idealistic new business venture.
However, after arriving they discover one resident still inhabiting a house on main street. Much like the many unsuspecting teens before them, they accidentally disrupt the home of Leatherface, which causes him to pick up the chainsaw once again. When the sole survivor of his infamous 1973 massacre Sally Hardesty (Olwen Fouéré), hears of the bloodshed she heads to Harlow to finally put an end to his blood-soaked legacy.
The set up of the story is quick and effective, we jump right into this journey as the group is on the road to Harlow. Viewers get the classic ominous gas station scene as we also get a glimpse of what the unsolved murders have done to the area. Fans also got the sweet sounds of John Larroquette, who has been the voice of the franchise since the beginning. As they arrive to the town of Harlow, the altruistic group is excited about the gentrification they can bring. There are many homages to Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel, who created the franchise, placed all over Harlow.
Things go wrong for them as soon as they begin to explore the town. They discover an old orphanage ran by old Mrs. Mc (Alice Krige–Gretel & Hansel, Sleepwalkers), who has been taking care of a rather large man. Krige performs a master class with just a few short scenes but after her untimely death, her ward is hellbent on revenge.
I did miss the ‘gross meat’ theme that usually accompanies the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, but the pure brutality was everywhere. When the blood starts flowing, it doesn’t stop. By stabbing people with their own limbs, throwing hammers and of course, using the chainsaw makes easy work for the masked villain. When he meets a bus full of phone holding investors, Leatherface shows just how much he has missed his weapon of choice during his time at the orphanage.
The filmmakers did a great job of mixing in classic and modern horror tropes for this film. The clash between old and new has always been a reoccurring theme of horror. This film is no different, while there are lots of the old clichés they have updated ever so slightly to be relevant. The best use of this is just before the credits roll. I won’t give away the final climax but I found it to be effective, and so quick it almost surprised me.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre does connect the story back to the original storyline with Sally’s character but this plot line felt like an afterthought at times. What I appreciated the most from this film was the tension, gore and pure brutality of Leatherface. With the pacing, gallons of blood, and fun kills Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a fun look at classic horror colliding with modern culture much like the genre did in the 80s. 3.5/5
You can check out the trailer for Texas Chainsaw Massacre below and the film is now streaming only on Netflix. Be sure to follow ScaryNerd for all things horror, sci-fi and more.
