When people think about famous horror franchises, many faces come to mind. One of which is the iconic Leatherface character in the 1973 classic, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Since the debut film, eight installments of the franchise have been made, spanning from 1986 to 2022. How do these prequels, sequels, and reboots hold up? Let’s take a thorough look at this horror icon and its franchise. *Links are on titles*
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 1986 (6.3/10)
It is extremely sad to say, but this film is the closest to the original we have seen. In the first sequel, almost every character of the Sawyer family returns, besides the hitchhiker, whose body is played around with by his twin brother Chop Top. The setting is what changes as an underground mansion replaces the Sawyer farmhouse. This change actually works well for its dark comedy writing style. The switch between horror and dark comedy is smooth and fits well in the 80’s-time switch. If gore and actual storytelling are what you want, then this movie is not up your alley, but it’s not trying to be that which I can respect. The film follows a radio reporter called Stretch, who ends up in the Sawyers’ underground tunnels after she records one of the family’s killings. She is accompanied by Cowboy Lefty Enright, the uncle of Sally and Franklin Hardesty, who are victims of the first movie’s events. Stretch tries to find her way out of the nightmare as Lefty is in pursuit of tearing the place down. Overall, it is a fun sequel to watch if you want to remove the masterpiece storytelling of the first installment.
Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III 1990 (2.8/10)
This movie disregards the events of the first two films and introduces an entirely new Sawyer family, featuring a mother figure and a daughter who is presumably Leatherface’s. It strays far from what made the original installment so great. The plot follows an unhappy couple whose relationship is on the brink of collapse. As they navigate familiar horror tropes, the couple ends up lost in the woods after a car accident involving a survival expert. After the group runs into the unstable Leatherface and company, they must work together to escape the Sawyers. The lack of exploration into the family’s backstory and the unengaging protagonists make it difficult to invest in the film. Overall, it is a challenging experience to get through.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre IV: The Next Generation 1994 (3.2/10)
You know a movie is good when it needs to be released twice. The film once again replaces the previous family with new members surrounding Leatherface, one of whom is the family’s leader, Vilmer, played by Matthew McConaughey. Renee Zellweger, as Jenny, carries an awful group of teenagers on prom night. The teens are stranded in the woods, looking for help after getting into an accident. Despite seeking help, the group only found terror as the Sawyers tracked them down. Sadly, a headache is all I got while watching, as the movie is filled with meaningless yelling and furniture breaking. The acting is unbearable, and there is an abundance of storylines that are just left hanging. If it weren’t for McConaughey’s unintentional deliveries of humor, this film would have put me to sleep.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2003 (4.2/10)
The only remake of the original, this 2003 film fails to reimagine the charm of the first installment. While calling it a reboot, the movie loosely keeps the first film’s plot, adding multiple new characters and motives. The remake follows a group of five young adults who, after having a terrible experience with a hitchhiker, find themselves in search of a sheriff. They eventually succeed in finding him. However, it turns out that the sheriff is, in fact, a part of the blood-thirsty Hewitt family. The film misses many crucial points of the original, like the house’s interior. It’s a strange dynamic where you dislike the villains but feel no sympathy for the heroes. The film strips Leatherface of his unique conscience and emotions, leaving him a soulless hunk of meat with a chainsaw. While the film is a remake, its concepts diverge significantly from the original, cherry-picking ideas from the first installment. This results in a movie that seems unclear about its identity. The best way to describe it is as if you took the 1973 Texas Chainsaw Massacre and ran it through a generic horror movie generator.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning 2006 (4.8/10)
The prequel to the 2003 remake is an improvement to the previous film despite still lacking in some aspects. The movie introduces two brothers with their respected partners on the way to being enlisted in the Vietnam War. The trip quickly goes sour as the brothers come into a major disagreement about the war and whether they should fight in it. After an unrelated shootout, the young adults find themselves being held captive by the Hewitt family. Although it gives much-needed clarification and background to the characters, the film doesn’t improve in storytelling or character growth. The film explores why the Hewitt family acts the way they do, which is a nice closure. However, the reason for this seems too drastic in terms of how the characters are portrayed earlier in the films. Overall, the film plays better in alignment with the original installment than the remake but still struggles in fundamental ways.
Texas Chainsaw 3D 2013 (4.9/10)
Despite the name, this movie is a sequel to the original film, disregarding all previous installments. This timeline introduces a new aspect of the Sawyers, a rival family with connections within the police force. The additional drama works well for the most part. The movie starts right after the first film’s events, presenting the rival Hartman family, who kills almost the entirety of the Sawyer family in a brutal housefire/ shootout, leaving the sole survivor being a baby who a Hartman couple raises as their own. Jump forward 40 years later, and the baby is fully grown under the name Heather Miller. In the mail, Heather discovers that she has inherited a mansion from a previously unknown grandmother. After reading the news, she packs up with her friends to visit the newly acquired house. Once there, the group quickly discovers that Leatherface also lives in the house, creating a chase involving the Hartman-led police force. Excluding the awkward dialogue and actions taken in the film’s last moments, and the awful timeline issue, the sequel isn’t that bad and honestly brings back the family aspect, which has been missing for quite a while.
Probably the most different film in the franchise, the 2017 installment actually works the smoothest. Although the plot twist seems forced, and the family dynamic isn’t all the greatest, the acting and development of the characters are remarkable. This film is in the same timeline as the 2013 account, connecting the Sawyer / Hartman drama. After the Sawyer family loses a young Leatherface (Jed) in custody, the soon-to-be killer is put into a children’s medical center for the insane. After being denied custody once again by the center, the Sawyers cause a jailbreak in the hospital, letting Jed and four others, including a nurse, out into the open road. The deliveries of Jessica Madsen and James Bloor, as Clarice and Ike, are incredible. These two lead this unhinged group through the fields of Texas on their way to Mexico, chasing much-wanted freedom. The explanation and pure feud between these two families is put to the max with Sherrif Hartman doing whatever means necessary to find Leatherface. The distinct characteristics of each character blends well, and the switch to Leatherface is well thought-out.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022 (6.1/10)
In 2022, Leatherface is now living in an almost abandoned orphanage in a deserted town, presumably coming to the facility after the first film’s events. A group of youthful adults plans on buying the town and its buildings in hopes of transforming the location into a trendy, heavily gentrified area. While visiting their new town, they run into the elderly caretaker of the orphanage, who disagrees with the ownership of the building. During the dispute, the woman passes out due to the stress, leaving a mature Leatherface in a frenzy. Although considered controversial for some modern aspects, the film has meaning, motives, and reasons, which many past installments did not. With the advance in effects in the current age, the gore is fantastic and really brings the word “Massacre” to life. Capturing the franchises’ fourth timeline, this movie is projected to continue the legacy of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which I am all for.
