Evil wears many faces…
In 1974, a film was released that was so disturbingly
grotesque and horrifying that it was subsequently banned in over 10 countries,
some for as long as 23 years before the film saw the light of day. It’s opening
crawl, voiced by John Larroquette, has gone on to become one of the most
recognizable and chill inducing moments in the history of horror.
It is The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
This film serves as the backdrop of my horror history. It is
one of the few films that will continually send shivers down my spine, even just
thinking about it. Unfortunately this review is not focusing on the 1974
classic, however on the direct sequel that was released in January of 2013. I
held off on watching it, not based on any reviews, but because it didn’t look
very good to me (based on trailers and promotional materials). However, due to
its recent release on Netflix I decided to give it a go and see if it really is as bad as everyone seems to
think it is. Let’s take a look at Texas Chainsaw (3D).
Title: Texas Chainsaw
Director(s): John Luessenhop
Writer(s): Kirsten Elms, Adam Marcus, Debra Sullivan
Producer(s): Carl Mazzacone
Starring: Alexandra Daddario, Dan Yeager, Trey Songz, Tania Raymonde,
Thom Barry, Paul Rae, Bill Moseley
Studio: Twisted Pictures, Lionsgate (distribution)
Running Time: 92 minutes
Release Date: January 4th, 2013
“After the first massacre in
1974, the townspeople suspected that the Sawyer family were responsible. A
vigilante mob of enraged locals surrounded the Sawyer house, burning it to the
ground and killing every last member of the family. Decades later a young woman
named Heather learns that she has inherited a Texas estate from her
grandmother. she decides to bring her friends along on the road trip to
invesitgate her inheritance. On arrival she uncovers she has inherited a
mansion but is yet to uncover the terrors that lurk in the basement below it.” –
synopsis courtesy of IMDB
One of the biggest horror remakes of the past 10 years has been the
Marcus Nispel directed The Texas Chainsaw Massacre starring
Jessica Biel and Andrew Bryniarski as Leatherface. It was a spectacle; it successfully
revived interest in the franchise and even if most horror fans seemed to hate
it, it was handled pretty damn well in my opinion. However, when I first heard
that the franchise was yet again
being revisited, this time as a direct sequel to the 1974 masterpiece, I became
a bit leery.
I think it’s best in this situation to start with taking a look at the
director, John Luessenhop (Takers, Lockdown). Now, this is
Luessenhop’s first time in the horror ring and it absolutely shows. The Chainsaw
franchise has certain elements that set it apart from any of the
others, the first one being it’s grimy and chilling atmosphere. This film
failed to capture very much of that. The mere fact that Leatherface is now living
beneath a beautifully decorated and well maintained mansion (of-sorts) seemed
to come off strange to me and as an interesting deviation from the original
rules set down by Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel. I think that the main point to
make about Luessenhop is that he does not seem to be a fan of the horror genre,
much less of the Chainsaw franchise and I think that may have been his biggest
downfall. Diehard fans of the franchise were able to see right through the factory
line, main stream appeal that Luessenhop tried so very hard to create in this
film.
That very same mainstream appeal permeated the casting decisions as
well, with the inclusion of Alexandra Daddaria (Percy Jackson series) in
the lead role of Heather Mills, supported by Trey Songz and Tania Raymonde (LOST).
Aside from Daddaria’s rather mediocre performance in the third act of the film,
and Raymonde’s mediocre performance in general, I had a hard time trying to
decipher if I was having trouble with their performances or the material they
were given to work with. I mean, in all reality, if it takes three people to write
a slasher film (and someone else to help come up with the story) then there is
something seriously wrong.
While the film starts off with a fun intro depicting the events
directly following Sally Hardesty’s escape at the conclusion of the original
(and some surprise appearances by Gunnar Hansen and Bill Moseley), the story
was sloppy at best and filled with plot holes. In a rather unimaginative
attempt to turn Leatherface into a horror anti-hero, the writers sacrificed all
logic and common sense in the final act of the film turning it into an amalgamation
of confusion, blood and downright stupidity. While the 2006 addition to the
franchise, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, placed a bit of
emphasis on Leatherface’s destructive upbringing, ultimately giving him a kind
of sympathy-vote, they made no attempt to have characters in the film directly
(and vocally) sympathize with him to the point that they were justifying his
actions. The final 20 minutes of the film were just that, and it ultimately
changed the dynamic of the character in such a way that I can’t help but
understand the outrage that the film sparked. While trying to give Leatherface
more of a backstory and a deeper dynamic, Luessenhop and his band of merry
writers completely altered the character, depriving him of the pure and carnal
terror that he once was capable of. I actually found that in the first and
second act, the film was actually quite effective and I was thoroughly enjoying
it. It wasn’t until we began to really see Leatherface, his methods and his mannerisms,
that my eyebrow began to rise. Once again, I feel that these people were not
fans of the film, and if they were… well… I have to wonder if we’re fans of the
same film.
As I mentioned before, there are certain dynamics that make a Chainsaw
film a Chainsaw film and this film lacked the vast majority of them.
If it wasn’t for the mask of skin and a chainsaw, you would hardly be able to
tell that it was a part of the franchise. From the atmosphere, to the polished
cinematography and soundtrack, it just didn’t feel like it had a proper place in this franchise. In that way, I
feel that it would have been better, and probably would have been more of a
success, had they branded this film under a different name.
While I don’t necessarily think the film was as bad as people made it out to be in the months following its
release, I don’t think that I can justify it all that much either. Albeit, I
have to completely put aside my love and admiration for this franchise aside
(which is not easy to do) as this was a factory line film that took complete
advantage of the recognition of the Texas Chainsaw name to draw in a
quick buck. Either way, it’s safe to assume that there will not be another
addition to the franchise anytime soon.
OVERALL RATING: 3.5/10
- Rg Lovecraft
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