We have a vision for this place. All it needs is young blood, people like us, tired of the big city, looking for a fresh start
Another week, another legacy sequel.
A group of influencers arrive in the dilapidated town of Harlow, Texas, the site of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 1973, which they want to turn into a modern, sustainable Utopia. Unsurprisingly, Leatherface turns up and starts murdering people with his chainsaw.
The film ignores all films after the original and is somewhat confused about whether it wants to be a new take or a direct sequel. For most of the film this has absolutely nothing to do with the original film at all and I don't think that's a bad thing- after all, Leatherface and the franchise in general isn't as iconic and well-known as other slasher properties. The decision then to have Sally, the survivor of the original film, return here feels at odds with the rest of the film. Her role is small and is shamelessly inspired by Laurie Strode in the 2018 Halloween.
There's certainly an element of social commentary included here from the decline of rural American towns to the generation Z gentrifies who are clueless of the struggles of communities other than their own yet have a genuine desire to help. There's also a fun moment when Leatherface is live-streamed which works really well.
The highlight of the film is unquestionably the moment Leatherface arrives on a bus full of people sheltering from a storm. There's no-where for them to run and the chainsaw is really put to use. The film elects to largely use practical effects rather than digital ones and this works really well and delivers the gore you'd expect from this franchise.
There are plenty of things which don't make a great deal of logical sense. It's pretty unlikely the chainsaw would run for as long as it does here. The identity of Leatherface is somewhat confused, it's never clear if this is supposed to be the same person as the original film or not. The concept doesn't work so well in the modern age- though the only two police officers in the area are killed early on, you'd have thought somebody would have phoned for the police and they'd have sent some people in. Surely by the end of the film someone else would have turned up to investigate, especially given that people were literally murdered on multiple live-streams!
I thought this was a well-made film with some decent ideas but the script wasn't especially strong. I think the biggest issue is that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was a good one-off film but there's not really anything in it to suggest it would make a strong franchise.
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