Acting as a direct sequel to the 1974 original, this film begins by showing a bunch of redneck vigilantes breaking into, and killing, everyone in the Sawyer household, much to the dismay of the police. During this massacre, a little baby is found near the house. One of the rednecks kills the baby's mother and takes the child to a safer place. The little baby found near the Sawyer house is the main character of the film, Heather. We flash forward, and Heather is all grown up. Heather learns that She's inherited a house form a distant relative in Texas. She decides to check out the house, and she takes a few of her friends along for the ride. Little does Heather know that the house isn't the only thing she's inherited. Lurking in the dark basement of her new home is Leatherface still alive and kicking, and aching for some practice with his chainsaw.
I felt like this was a very clever story, but I really wished it would have been a true direct sequel set in the 70's. I just feel like it could've gone in a lot of other really cool directions. What we got was pretty good, but this doesn't really feel like a true sequel to the original. The film moves at a great pace, and never really lets up (even during the crazy third act). I really enjoyed the twist at the end because it showed a certain aspect of the family, especially Leatherface, that I've never thought of before. I mean, who's to say Leatherface hasn't been a "good guy" this whole time just looking out for his family?
The acting in this film is serviceable, and there are some great cameos from Bill Moseley (sadly not playing Chop Top), Gunner Hansen, Marilyn Burns, and a fun small role from Richard Riehle. Everyone does a good job, for a slasher film anyway. But the best part of this film for me was Dan Yeager's portrayal of Leatherface. It's the best Bubba Sawyer I've seen in a while, and you could tell he was having a great time. He really made the character his own without taking too many cues from previous versions. He's brutal, unrelenting, and you actually feel for him by the end of the film.
The gore by KNB is very well done. It's quick, brutal, and provides enough splatter to satisfy any gore hound. We have people being chainsawed clean in half, multiple heads being caved in with a mallet, faces being cut off/worn, and other little bloody gags sprinkled throughout. While it doesn't reach the gore levels of The Texas Chainsaw Maccacre: The Beginning, it's definitely one of the bloodier entries. This film reminded me of the original in the sense that the violence happens very quick and in increasingly gruesome ways. This may be a personal preference, but I've always loved watching Leatherface do what he does best, and this film definitely delivers in that department.Let's talk about some of the complaints about Texas Chainsaw. First, and most importantly, is the blaring continuity error of the time frame. If the original film took place in 1974, and Heather is (clearly) in her 20's and not her 40's, then the film should be set in the mid 1990's, not present day. This error really made me quite mad, and actually made me not want to even see this film in it's initial release. All I could do was look past it and enjoy the film for what it was. Another complaint is the twist ending, but I didn't mind it and like I said, I thought it was clever and well done. Also, some of the dialogue is atrocious, but I overlooked that as well. It's a slasher film, and nobody should expect amazing dialogue. There are some iffy parts in this film, but the good outweigh the bad for me.
Overall, Texas Chainsaw is just a fun film. If you just switch your brain off and watch, I think there's a lot to enjoy about it. The gore is great, I thought the story was clever, and the acting is solid. Watch it to see Leatherface do his thing, and not much more. ...But what more would you want?
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