TEXAS CHAINSAW

Director: John Luessenhop

Screenplay: Adam Marcus, Debra Sullivan, Kirtsen Elms
Starring: Alexandra Daddario, Scott Eastwood
Evil has many faces

The Texas Chainsaw movie franchise is one of the most convoluted and scatter-shot series of films in the genre. Similar to the “Halloween” franchise there have been sequels and reboots, and also (uniquely) a prequel to a remake! Like its hulking protagonist, this is a cinematic offering that refuses  to lie down and play dead. It’s undeniable that the 1974 movie is an original and a classic, with a gruesome core and a perfect atmosphere of madness and terror. This is all the more impressive when you realise, that for all its reputation, there is hardly any blood-letting in the film at all. Which makes it all the more ridiculous that the original film was subjected to a long and unnecessary ban on the UK shores. Since then we’ve had the (hit-and-miss) “Chainsaw Part 2”, the (hit-and-miss) “Chainsaw 3: Leatherface”, the (shit-and-piss) “Chainsaw: The Next Generation”, the (actually quite impressive) 2003 remake “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, and the (meh) prequel to the remake “The Beginning”. Phew!

Now we have a new entry. It’s minus the “massacre”, but it’s got added 3D. Before we get to the film itself, there are a number of kudos that need to be acknowledged. The director (John Luessenhop) has shown some backbone, and insisted on a serious approach to the subject matter, and actively stated that this would be a direct sequel to the 1974 classic. Forget about the previous sequels and remakes, the storyline deals with the ramifications of what happened to the farm and the hideous Sawyer family, after Marilyn Burns hitched a lift on a truck, and Leatherface was left furiously dancing with his chainsaw against the backdrop of a burning sun. Also, there has been an absolute blitzkrieg of advertising and paraphernalia around the release, which I find pretty darn exciting and encouraging for what could have been seen to be a “niche” genre film, alongside “Les Mis” and “Jack Reacher”. This is true of both the US and the UK shores, nice going Liongate dudes!

Anyway … the film itself. (*drum roll*).
“Texas Chainsaw” (3D or otherwise) opens with a montage of the original iconic scenes, rendered in (sort of) 3D. It then kicks off with a pre-story scenario with the local police onsite at the Sawyer residence and ready to take “Leatherface” (His name is Jed Sawyer folks!! No! Really!) into custody, but this is interrupted by a large gang of local hicks, who turn out to be the 20th Century’s equivalent of peasants with pitchforks and flaming torches. It all kicks off, and Molotov’s make short work of the house and the Sawyer family. Something that is made instantly clear is that the Sawyer family is more extended than small gang of nutters that the 1974 film showed. It’s a hillbilly brood and one little baby survives, along with another member of the family … guess who!

Roll forward twenty years or so … Incidentally, the eras depicted aren’t made clear until we see a gravestone which confirms that the film is set in 2012. As one character has aged about twenty years or so, this means that the original film took place in the 1990’s. Tobe Hooper was more forward thinking than we knew! It also means that Leatherface is not sixty years old, as some wise asses have been complaining about on film forums. I digress … Heather Miller (Alexandra Daddario) learns that she is adopted. Her stepfather drops this bombshell on her lap with the words “You came from a shit-heap” … Nice. An Aunt has left her a mansion in her will, and so she travels to Texas with her friends, and a hitchhiker picked up along the way, until she arrives in the sleepy town of Newt. The mansion is beyond her wildest dreams, and within a few hours she soon settles into the extravagant gaff. Unbeknownst to her, there are secrets in the mansion, and she will soon have to face the truth about her history and her bloodline. It’s at this point on viewing the film that you might inwardly groan, and think you know where the plot is going. They’re a group of archetypal teenagers (the douche-bag boyfriend, the slutty girlfriend, the virginal “final girl”, etc.). They’re going to be gradually picked off by Leatherface, whilst searching through the mansion and chased through the woods. But, hold on thar Jethro! To Luessenhop’s credit, that isn’t where the film goes. Not at all. Halfway during the film, there have been some shock murders and bloodletting (which homage some of the scenes in the original), but it then turns into a genuinely tense chase sequence, and the plot goes into a completely different direction. I won’t elaborate further, so as not to spoiler-alert any potential viewers…

I actually admire what Luessenhop and his crew have done here. It could have been a straightforward slasher, but they’ve tried to put a different spin on the fable. Whether you agree with what happens in the plot and the directions it takes are down to your personal preference, but at least it’s not groaningly formulaic. I will admit that there are plot-holes that you could ride a stilt-walking Elephant through (Why the hell does she never read her Aunt’s letter? Why has Heather never heard of the Sawyer clan?), and some characters simply disappear from the film at some points. Most of all, you may find your credibility stretched by decisions made by the main characters, namely the leading lady and the town Sheriff. The script is also a little on the clunky side. “Chainsaws don’t make yer bulletproof” says one copper. No, but some common sense and sharp-shooting lessons would help in your favour. Those last few points are the only reasons why I haven’t rated it higher, because this IS an enjoyable film folks.

I know that mainstream critics and horror purists are never going to rate this very highly, but it clicks so many buttons that I had a great time with it. For once, the 3D is used to huge advantage for horror purposes. Yes… you do get a chainsaw in the face … several times in fact. In one bravura sequence a character hides in a coffin and Leatherface sticks the saw through the lid … and into the audience, about 6 rows in fact! Great stuff! Blood and OTT gore is also present. One character is bisected horizontally whilst hanging from a meat hook, with no (arf!) cut-away by the camera. CGI is also kept to a minimum. Practical effects here! Yayyy! There are nice and knowing cameos for Gunnar Hansen, Marilyn Burns, and Bill Moseley as well.
Oh … and stay for the small post-credit sequence where an annoying couple get their come-uppance!

So, if you can live with the plot-holes, and some questionable characterisations, you have a solid and enjoyable addition to the franchise. I would personally put it below the 1974 classic, and probably the 2003 remake (which I still have a soft spot for), but way above the other sequels and “The Beginning”, and to be honest that is far more than I was expecting.

It’ll be interesting to see what direction a sequel would take (if it makes enough to keep Liongate happy).