Oldman Leatherface gets Brutal!

After nearly 50 years of hiding, Leatherface returns to terrorize a group of idealistic young friends who accidentally disrupt his carefully shielded world in a remote Texas town.

Director - David Blue Garcia / Writers - Chris Thomas Devlin, Rodo Sayagues, Fede Alvarez (Based on Characters by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper)

Stars - Mark Burnham, Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Jacob Latimore, Nell Hudson

So, here we are, only 2 months into 2022 and we are given another Horror Legend's Return! We are very lucky Horror Fans indeed.

Most horror fans have all seen the previous 8 entries, so we all know what we're here for - and I'm sure there's a low-key agreement that low expectations and The Texas Chainsaw franchise go hand in hand.

#TexasChainsawMassacre2022 (Or #TCM50 as I like to refer to it as) is a fast paced, no holds barred brutal thrillride with pretty exceptional gory setpieces. We're here for LeatherFace, and his savage presence viciously delivers with barbaric glee.

'Cancelled Bro' - BEST FUCKING SCENE! This little snippet in the trailer caused uproar amongst fans, and yet it's the most brutal scene in the entire franchise - it was quite literally, a massacre.

Let's be honest - WHO DOESN'T wanna see a bunch of Gen Z's ripped and slashed apart by a chainsaw?

If this latest incarnation is a Texas Gen Z Massacre, then for 2022 it's an obvious choice to follow on from the Texas Hippie Massacre of '74.

Now I could discuss its problematic themes of mishandled racism, gun control and cancel culture, or I could delve into the weak plot points and inconsistent connective tissue to 74's original source that this movie is marketed to follow, but... this is a CHAINSAW movie, so what's the point? The franchise is a chaotic mess - we certainly aren't tuning in each time for the story, right!? Texas Chainsaw The Next Generation fool me once, Texas 3D fool me twice - I'm here for a massacre, nothing more.

But to touch on my most aggravated issue - Sally Hardesty (played by Mandy's Olwen Fouéré). In over four decades no filmmaker has even attempted to bring back Final Girl Sally, originally played by Marilyn Burns - who cameoed in Next Gen and played a new character in 3D.

Unfortunately her character is completely mishandled and quite frankly felt tacked on, despite being used as a major selling point for the film. An obvious comparison of the character is Jamie Lee Curtis' Laurie Strode in the new Halloween timeline - but honestly, I felt Sally '22 was giving me more Sarah Connor vibes - it's just a shame the writing behind her character was so weak.

Similar to the inferior Texas 3D, this version did have a sexy gloss to the production, it wasn't sweaty, gritty and dirty, I did not feel the need to shower afterwards (like with most TCM movies) - however, the cinematography and aesthetic were STUN-NING. Who knew you could look at a TCM entry and say 'That looked fucking gorgeous'!?

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre '22 doesn't seem interested in breaking new ground but only delivering a mean-spirited, fun and grisly LeatherFace film; honestly it was difficult not to joyfully have a bloody good time.

TCM50 gave me some Wrong Turn 2021 meets H40 vibes and will be just as polarizing as both films, within the diverse #HorrorCommunity.

Despite all its flaws, I am totally down for another Oldman Leatherface Film.

SideNote - #JusticeForAliceKrige - I was expecting a LeatherFace 2017 Lily Taylor kind of role - but she was unfortunately underused 😭

Like any franchise, my Horror Rankings change each decade, each time there's a new entry or each time I binge everything, but my 2022 current state of mind has me ranking The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Franchise in this order -

A Review By Craig Fisher - Come FOLLOW ME on Letterboxd as I make my way through the HORRORS OF 2022 - FISHERFILMS82