Netflix’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre – A Stupid Yet Brutal Watch

There’s just very little original IP nowadays therefore reboots, remakes, and things in between are merely an inevitability. When it seemed like we were done with the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, another films has now popped up seemingly out of nowhere. For those wondering where this film fits in, it is a sequel to the original 1974 film. As with most modern horror reboots, this film is simply (or not) Texas Chainsaw Massacre. That being said, the film does very little new whatsoever for the horror genre as absolutely nothing that happens here should come as much of a surprise to anyone who has ever seen a horror film. In fact, it does very little whatsoever in general. Bringing a surprising amount of brutality to the table within its relatively short 80+ minute running time, it leaves quite the body count in its bloody and gory wake with some creative kills but brings literally nothing else to the table. Though that brutality will surely be a selling point, the utter lack of a story and the stupid and paper thin characters tied together by an utterly horrendous script that goes out of its way to make the most unsubtle jabs at today’s society.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre basically saw a group of young people shake up a small Texas town and wake up the sleeping giant that was the infamous Leatherface (Burnham). Why they are there essentially doesn’t matter as the film also goes out of its way to make them the most unlikable characters, contrasting their Gen Z personalities with that of southern rural Texas folk who rolled their eyes at them as they went about revitalizing the mostly-abandoned town. Ultimately, those plans were cast aside for the most part as they found themselves in the crosshairs of Leatherface who did not appreciate what they were doing to his home. Most viewers will find themselves waiting for the young people to be mowed down. Their self-righteousness and naivety as well as their questionable decision making proved to be their downfall.

Horror film plots being driven by questionable character decisions is not a new thing by any means as one can’t help but yell at the screen as a result of all the predictable bad decisions. In the end, these decisions were just a means to facilitate the film’s kills and for that, Texas Chainsaw Massacre certainly doesn’t disappoint. When it comes to kills, it does go about it in some creative ways and is perhaps one of the most brutal films in recent memory. However, the mindlessness of it all would take away some of the fun outside of the satisfaction of watching insufferable characters get killed. Meanwhile, a legacy character would make an appearance in Sally Hardesty (Olwen Fouéré) though instead of giving that character some closure, the film found a way to even fumble that. The goal was clearly to extend this franchise beyond this film which only made the ending the cherry on top.

Beyond the somewhat entertaining kills, Texas Chainsaw Massacre also boasted some nice cinematography but that could only take the film so far. In terms of performances, they were fine though the material and direction did not do them any favors. Yarkin, Fisher, Jacob Latimore, and Nell Hudson as the paper thin Melody, Lila, Dante, and Ruth respectively were nothing more than fodder. Fisher’s Lila at least attempted to make an impression.

At the end of the day, Texas Chainsaw Massacre is just a massacre of ideas that never fully materialized.

still courtesy of Netflix

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.