The new trend in the horror genre seems to be one of retconning the entirety of sequels that came after a classic original, so that a new story can be told as a direct, legacy sequel to the first film. Such is the case with the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which dropped earlier this month (February 2022) on Netflix. The difference here, is that this approach has already been tried once before - and failed - with 2013’s Texas Chainsaw 3D.
Fortunately, this second go at revitalising the franchise is a little more successful, picking up five decades after the massacre that took place at the hands of the brutal and violent Leatherface.
In this timeline, the killer has remained under the watch of his adoptive mother who has done everything in her power to ensure he doesn’t unleash terror upon any innocent victims once more. When a group of fresh-faced youngsters turn up in his ghost town of a home however, their actions lead to him picking up his iconic weaponry once more.
Harlow, Texas has been left in the dust. It's a forgotten and dormant location, with just a couple of buildings occupied; the perfect place for entrepreneurs and investors to try and breathe new life into the community, profiting from the revitalisation in doing so. It’s almost a metaphor for the filmmakers bringing this series back from the dead…
Whilst we do have a returning survivor from the first film make a return, the unfortunate passing of Marilyn Burns, who played the role of Sally Hardesty, means that she has had to be replaced. Olwen Fouéré steps in, delivering a good performance but, not one that lands the same killer blow as the return of Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween, for example.
Though the story is a little flimsy because of the movie’s short run-time, that compact nature also works in its favour. There aren’t any over-conflated scenes; instead, it’s rip-roaring action from the moment Leatherface makes his violent comeback, gripping the audience by the throat and never letting up, right up to the dramatic finale. There’s one scene in particular, up on the bus that brought the investors into the town, that will bring joy to any horror junkie.
Netflix’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a worthwhile watch for anybody who’s a fan of the genre and, the franchise as a whole. Will it go down in history as one of the best sequels of all time? Absolutely not, but nobody expected it to. It’s fun, gory and genuinely scary at times. Bring on the next one.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre is available now, exclusively on Netflix.
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