The Texas Chainsaw Massacare (2022) is the ninth installment in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise and serves as a direct sequel to the original 1974 film.
I should add that even though it is listed as a direct sequel, the producer of the movie, Fede Alvarez, said it is only being referred to as a direct sequel to the original and clarified that this term means the movie will continue the story fifty years after the events of the original film, rather than erasing the previous sequels.
It isn't a direct follow on sequel.
The film is directed by David Blue Garcia and the cast includes Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham, Moe Dunford, Nell Hudson, Jessica Allain, Olwen Fouéré, Jacob Latimore and Alice Krige.
In TCM 2022, we have Dante and Melody, who are are two social media stars who are trying to convince people to buy some land in Harlow, a small town, to make it all a bit fancier.
But the locals aren't happy about it, and they get into a fight with an old lady who says she's being kicked out of her home, who then ends up having a heart attack landing herself in the hospital with her son by her side.
But here's the twist: her son is Leatherface. and when his mom dies, he goes on a killing spree as an act of revenge.
While my expectations were low going into this movie (And I was proved right), I will mention the visuals and some of the stunning shots you see throughout the film though.
From the opening scene to the climactic moments, the cinematography is pretty good, and one standout moment is when Leatherface emerges from the sunflower field, creating a visually striking image that perfectly captures the character's menacing presence.
And the direction by David Blue Garcia isn't too shabby either.
He handles the violent and deadly scenes pretty well overall, and the movie doesn't hold back on the blood and guts, especially when Leatherface goes wild (literally!) attacking a bus full of possible people.
And instead of running away from a guy with a chainsaw, they choose to livestream it on their phones. (More on that below).
That scene might be the best commentary on modern society this movie has.
Some of the kills were enjoyable though it has to be said, I think they did a good job with that!
It satisfied my gore houndary. (Is that even a word?)
It just failed at everything else.
The dialogue feels very clunky and preachy, often telling rather than showing and the characters motivations and interactions all just feel very forced and pretty unnatural..
There are also inconsistencies and oddities in the script that are distracting.
From changing floorboards that only creak when seemingly convenient to characters making illogical decisions even by horror movie standards, these inconsistencies don't help at all with the immersion side of things when watching it.
Certain character choices, particularly those of Sally, the returning final girl, deserve criticism too, and despite being portrayed as a seasoned survivor, she makes some questionable decisions throughout the film to say the least...
The movie also attempts to contrast rural and city life, with characters from the city judging the locals and vice versa but this plot point doesn't seem to go anywhere and lacks development and is all a bit pointless.
It’s like the writers thought, Let’s add some depth, then promptly forgot about it.
Overall I felt it was all just clunky and not put together very well at all, and I just didn't enjoy much of what was going on.
It's also worth noting and mentioning how the movie aimed to include meta and social commentary throughout the film, attempting to emulate the original's layers of messages and themes.
References to cancel culture, brutality, and late-stage capitalism are incorporated into the story line, providing social commentary on contemporary issues.
One notable scene, as mentioned above, is when the people on the bus live stream Leatherface, with one individual threatening him with cancel culture.
The film attempts to make a connection between the horrors of Leatherface and the real-world horrors we face in society, but, the effectiveness of the social commentary is poor in my opinion for a movie like this, but of course that is debatable.
Some of you may appreciate the attempt to address these issues, while others may feel that it is heavy-handed and just not needed. (Like me)
Overall, if you're familiar with the franchise and love some gore, you might get something out watching this one, but even then, that is still not enough to save this film.
If you want to see a proper Texas Chainsaw Massacre film, just go back to the original, as this one feels like they threw Leatherface into 2022 and hoped nostalgia would carry it.
Spoiler: it doesn’t.
[Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022 on IMDB] [Where to watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022]
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