Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) Review
Well, another fresh installment of a horror classic is here. But unlike Halloween 2018 and Scream 2022, the latest entry of this Chainsaw-wielding franchise was a bit of a bust. When I saw the trailer, I wasn’t blown away, but I was still pretty excited. I love the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and even really, really enjoyed the 2003 remake. The first sequel is a cult classic and the rest of the sequels…exist. This franchise isn’t exactly known for actually being a franchise. The first movie was a masterpiece and others simply exist out there in the universe.
With the success of Halloween 2018 and the excitement of the newest Scream, it wasn’t surprising to hear of a new version of Texas Chainsaw. Unfortunately, it fails on almost every level.
I’ll start with the GOOD.
Leatherface: He was actually really solid in this film. He was scary and looked amazing. By amazing I mean terrifying. I loved Mark Burnham’s performances and he was far and away one of the few highlights of the movie.
Mrs. MC: This was one of the few characters that evoked any sort of emotional reaction from me as a viewer. Despite her little screen time, I was invested in her well-being and wanted to learn more about her. On the flip side, she was underutilized and was much more interesting than a majority of the other characters we had to spend time with.
Sally (sort of): Although it was great seeing the character of Sally, it still feels like they fumbled it. They were trying way too hard to make her a badass ( like Jamie Lee in Halloween 2018) and I was sad to see her die. But her death scene was pretty cool and she did get to have a few awesome and pivotal moments.
The Gore: The kills were cool and there was a ton of blood. I had to look away several times, which for me is a good thing. I still think they were trying too hard to make it gory, but considering everything else that was happening in the movie, I’m not going to complain about it.
The Third Act: I am only including this to let it be known that I love when third acts go off the rails. This one didn’t really, but everything that happened was so over the top that I have to do a tiny tip of the hat. It was outrageous, but I didn’t mind it.
Now, let’s cover the BAD.
Most of the Characters: They just weren’t very likable. The last one standing was by far the best character, but even she had some eye-rolling moments.
The set-up: The ghost-town? A bus of investors? Internet influencers? The fancy car they were driving? No thanks.
The plot: The original movie was a masterclass in simplicity. This movie was a mess with mixed messages, forgotten plot points, and cringe-worthy dialogue. The plot wasn’t complex and was extremely non-effective.
The Visuals: Again, the original was RAW and GRITTY. This one had the typical Netflix /Gen Z gloss which really takes away from the spirit of the franchise.
The Bus Scene: I disliked everything about it.
I don’t like to be too negative, so all leave it at that.
Was this move good??? NO. It just wasn’t. HOWEVER, I would totally watch it again. It didn’t drag on and didn’t have any stand-out slow points. It managed to be a terrible, yet very watchable movie. If someone asks me if this movie is good, I’ll say NO. But if someone asks me if I want to watch it with them, I’m gonna say YES. Why not? I can grit my teeth through the cringeworthy humor and the attempts to make half-hearted political statements in order to enjoy these characters get chased by a scary man with a chainsaw. Sure, I’ll do it.
Written by: Chris Tomlin Devlin
Directed by: David Blue Garcia
If you want to watch the latest installment of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, you can catch it on NETFLIX. ( sadly, not sponsored)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre Trailer #1 (2022) | Movieclips Trailers
