Melody (Sarah Yarkin) and Dante (Jacob Latimore), along with Lila (Elsie Fisher) and Ruth (Nell Hudson), travel to Harlow, Texas to pitch to a group of investors the remote town they want to gentrify. The town has been abandoned for a long time, and the group intends to sell the properties through an auction.
Upon their arrival, they are welcomed by the local mechanic and the group’s contractor, Richter (Moe Dunford). He had conflicting ideas about selling the town, but he didn’t try to intervene with their venture.
In one of the houses, an old woman lives with her adopted son. Dante and Melody try to persuade her that they have already brought every establishment in the area. But during their argument, the woman experiences a heart attack and dies.
Her quiet and towering son is enraged by the death of his mother. So, in retaliation, he picks up his Texas Chainsaw and goes on a killing spree, specifically targeting Dante and Melody.
The legacy sequel to Tobe Hooper's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," simply titled "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," was recently released on Netflix, and it's gory.
But was it good? Nope!
To be fair, the majority of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" sequels are neither bad or good. But they fall under the film category of "so bad they’re good." The only exception, though, is this 2022 David Blue Garcia "modernized" version.
It's a complete disaster. The acting is weak, the villain is one-dimensional, and the scare is drab. Perhaps midway, it realizes how bad things are and decides to go all out with the gore and insanity in the hopes of becoming memorable in the end. Its offense stems from its unwillingness to be inventive and creative. At least "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation," starring Matthew McConaughey and Renee Zellweger, is ambitious and recursive enough in its pursuit to revitalize the story. This film just follows the same formula as any other slasher film in existence, without even amending the weaknesses the structure has.
"Texas Chainsaw Massacre" also sends a very backward message on important issues. Lila is a survivor of a school shooting, and her role in the film is to open the discussion on gun control. However, it all starts to go haywire when the film teases her interest in guns and her resorting to gun violence to fend off Leatherface. The film also made references to slavery and racism. But, as expected, it vanished with the wind.
Legacy sequels are always exciting; just look at "Scream," which sees the franchise return to the formula created by Wes Craven. Unlike "Scream," though, there isn't a trace of Tobe Hooper's DNA in this film. Not even his signature low-angle shot or indie feel and look is present.
This movie also does a disservice to Leatherface. The original film's chainsaw-wielding murderer is actually a grounded character who is more of a pawn of a deranged family than an evil monster. The treatment of Leatherface in Garcia's "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is miles away from the original. He's ridiculously strong and purely evil, robbing him of all the realism that makes him terrifying in the first place. He can withstand gunshots and stab wounds with ease. And he mindlessly cut everyone in his path for no apparent reason.
"Texas Chainsaw Massacre" by David Blue Garcia is not the ideal legacy sequel fans of the franchise will like. Yes, it’s gory, but all of the important elements that made the original memorable and terrifying were washed away completely. It also gives the impression that it wants to be relevant by nodding to important issues, but these are all baits. As the credits begin to roll, it turns off everything it claims to stand for.
0.5/5
