The formidable Leatherface and his surrounding The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise continues surviving to this day, even if it’s hard to say it’s thrived in quite some time. The past three movies have been very different attempts to reboot the property and not one of the three pulled that off. But that’s not enough to put the franchise down, as yet another Texas Chainsaw reboot is en route. Even still, out of all four big-time slasher IPs (TCM, Halloween, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street), the Sawyer family saga has easily proved the least consistent, both financially and in terms of quality.
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There’s a very strong argument to be made that 1974’s classic wasn’t really the type of movie that naturally led into follow-ups. But we did get follow-ups. Eight of them, in fact, including a remake and a sequel to that remake. Results, most certainly, have varied.
9) Leatherface
2017’s Leatherface is a Leatherface movies with hardly any Leatherface. So, it basically checks none of the boxes fans like to see checked.
It’s an origin story, similar to 2007’s Hannibal Rising, but at least that film was benefitted by the committed work from the late Gaspard Ulliel (Moon Knight). And while it’s hard to fault the film for trying something new with the property, it’s still a dull viewing experience and best left skipped.
Stream Leatherface on Peacock.
8) Texas Chainsaw
In horror movies it’s okay to have logic leaps every now and then. It’s just that the unspoken agreement is that those logic leaps exist to heighten tension. For instance, in the original Halloween, as Michael is pursuing Laurie, she finds that an exit from the house is blocked by a rake up against the door. She shakes the door repeatedly to no avail and, once Michael is nearly in stabbing distance, that is when she punches through the glass, knocks over the rake, and exits the home. That works, because you can feel the hairs on your neck stand up.
What doesn’t work is having a flashback sequence in 1973, in which we see the Sawyer family killed by law enforcement and locals, and then we cut to 2012. Why? Because the woman we follow in 2012, Heather (Alexandra Daddario), was seen in that 1973 sequence as an infant. Daddario was 25 in 2011, when Texas Chainsaw 3D (or just Texas Chainsaw at this point) came out. Daddario is talented, but no one outside a makeup artist can make an individual look 14 years older than they actually are. Texas Chainsaw starts out with that reality-breaking logic leap and, while the long-lost relative teams up with Leatherface direction was an interesting one, the movie doesn’t quite pull it off.
Stream Texas Chainsaw on Peacock.
7) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Like Texas Chainsaw 3D, 2022’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre plays with the IP’s timeline a little bit. The difference is, here, it makes at least some sense. The film takes place 50 years after the events of the original film. Sally Hardesty is now a grizzled Texas Ranger who takes it upon herself to try to bring down Leatherface once and for all.
Unfortunately, she’s not the film’s protagonist. Instead, it’s a group of very irritating young people who are trying to gentrify Harlow, which apparently is fairly close to where the original film’s farmhouse is located. It’s not the fault of the actors so much as it is in the writing. Elsie Fisher, who was fantastic in 2018’s Eighth Grade (and voiced Agnes in the first two Despicable Me films), gives it her all, but is let down by a strange character arc. She survived a school shooting, and then the big moment for her character is when she picks up a gun herself in the third act. Definitely a case of filmmakers not reading the modern day room. Even still, this one is better than Leatherface or Texas Chainsaw 3D because it assuredly delivers on Leatherface carnage and has a timeline that makes a shred of sense.
Stream Texas Chainsaw Massacre on Netflix.
6) The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Like the film that preceded it, The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (released as Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation) was cut to ribbons by a major studio who then, according to the legal dispute filed by director Kim Henkel and co-producer Robert Kuhn, didn’t even intend to release it. The reasoning? Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey were seeing their stars rise considerably thanks to, respectively, Jerry Maguire and Dazed and Confused.
At first, it was the original intended (and far more satirical and effective) version that debuted. However, it was only in 27 theaters in test market cities. The re-cut, mostly incomprehensible version was then released two years later, in just 23 theaters. In other words, this movie never had a chance financially. But it’s also easy to see why those in charge of distributing it didn’t think it would do well as a wide release. Even if watching the better original cut, some of the film’s bigger swings are present. For instance, the exaggerated nature of the characters, Leatherface donning drag for the first and last time, and the world-expanding subplot of the Sawyer clan really just being tools of an Illuminati-type secret society that intends to give homicide spree survivors a life-changing experience. It’s bizarre stuff, but every now and then there’s a flash of something refreshingly different.
5) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
Like the 2003 remake, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning has a desaturated color palette that works for it. The issue is that there’s really nothing here that Platinum Dunes didn’t already do well the first time out the gate.
Even still, there’s more bad than good. There’s a talented cast (Jordana Brewster, Matt Bomer, Diora Baird), R. Lee Ermey gets even more screentime, and it conveys an unsettling brutality. Not to mention, it has the most unexpected ending of the entire franchise.
4) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Marcus Nispel’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre proved that the original story could be slightly revised and still work nearly 30 years later. It even captures that natural light visual aesthetic that Hooper’s original dove deep into, though unfortunately (and predictably) it still looks far more like a big studio project as opposed to a faux documentary, which was a big part of why the 1974 still works perfectly today.
The Platinum Dunes era of remakes was an interesting time in horror history. This was the very first movie the company (co-founded by Michael Bay) released and it was such a financial success that they later also updated both Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Quality-wise, it worked out admirably well for both Leatherface and Jason, not so much for Freddy. They managed to get quite a few things right about this IP, most notably the terrifying nature of Leatherface’s absolute brute force. Furthermore, it has one of the scariest moments of the entire franchise, when we see Leatherface wearing poor Kemper’s face.
3) Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III
An underrated and underseen little ’90s horror treasure, Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III is still a pretty substantial step down from the first two films. However, it’s still a return to straight horror tone, just like the original film and, more often than not, that works for it.
Like the film that followed it, this one was cut to shreds by its studio, New Line Cinema. However, they had to because, for whatever reason, this film was given an X rating. No matter which version you watch (both are available on the Blu-ray and DVD releases), there’s nothing even close to being worthy of an X rating. So, if one were to watch Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III for the first time, go for the unrated cut. The only thing that was added to it was stuff that helps make what little plot there is more coherent. For the most part, TCM III feels like a very straightforward entry in the canon. It doesn’t add much new to the lore as much as it thrives on its tone, personality, and darkness-in-the-woods scenes as well as an early performance by Viggo Mortensen. And those factors are enough to help it rank towards the top (the presence of Dawn of the Dead‘s Ken Foree helps as well).
2) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
With some great practical effects, a far more effective comedic tone than the one seen in The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and iconic horror performances by Caroline Williams and Bill Moseley, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 is woefully underrated. And that’s even accounting the substantial cult following it’s developed over the years.
Released 12 years after Hooper’s own original film, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 wasn’t quite what fans were hoping for, but it’s not as if it forgoes scares entirely. The mood is foreboding, just like in the original, Dennis Hopper’s character occasionally seems as dangerous as the Sawyers, and the opening scene on the highway is tense as can be. This is the best a TCM sequel could ever be, and if the franchise stopped here, it very well may have been better off.
Stream The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 on Prime Video.
1) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Tobe Hooper’s original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre remains one of the seminal entries of horror film history. Terrifying, unsettling, and coated in a visual and tonal aura that feels incredibly lifelike, it’s a nightmare come to life. And, because it feels not at all far removed from reality, it wraps the viewer up in its arm and bear hugs them until the credits roll.
Few horror films of the 1970s came even close to replicating its power. Springing to mind are The Exorcist and Halloween and those are assuredly artful and profound company to keep. In short, Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre doesn’t have a false note, and it remains scary as can be to this day, with its subtlety serving as a factor that never ages.
Stream The Texas Chain Saw Massacre on Netflix.
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