‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (2022) Review: A Thematically Incoherent Mess

Perhaps, the most frustrating aspect of the film is that all the right kinds of tools are in front of the filmmakers to craft something worthwhile or meaningful: convincing leads, a potential modern twist on generational conflict (more on this later), and

★½

R - Horror (81 minutes)

dir. David Blue Garcia

Starring: Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Jacob Latimore, Olwen Fouéré, and Mark Burnham

“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.”

— Official Synopsis

The Fede Álvarez produced Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) attempts to capitalize on the successes of David Gordan Green’s Halloween (2018) and others like it. Serving as a direct sequel to Tobe Hooper’s 1974 classic, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, it establishes the kind of local lore for its Texas natives that is prevalent in many slashers; Michael Myers has a hold over Haddonfield, IL, and Ghostface stalks the quaint neighborhoods of Woodsboro, CA. We learn in this film that the Texans are all at once terrified and captivated by the events of the original, much like fans of the series itself. Texas Chainsaw Massacre had the opportunity to be the fresh start the franchise needed to keep Leatherface in the mainstream. It’s been 50 years since initial string of murders and no one knows where the iconic menace ended up—but after watching this movie, that’s probably for the best.

Perhaps, the most frustrating aspect of the film is that all the right kinds of tools are in front of the filmmakers to craft something worthwhile or meaningful: convincing leads, a potential modern twist on generational conflict (more on this later), and a villain who is by far one of the more frightening horror icons. None of it comes together in a satisfying way. If you’re a fan of raw, mindless gore, this might just hit the sweet spot for you. Unless, of course, you’re unable to forgive the carelessness in storytelling and morality. Case-and-point, there’s a scene in the trailer where Leatherface crashes a bus party and one of the characters claims that he will get Leatherface—who is wielding a big ass, bloody chainsaw—cancelled if he tries anything. On face value, this mediocrity in writing could be humorous. In fact, I was among a few that defended that kind of obscurity when the trailer released. In context of the film though, there’s no hidden message among the chaos. In fact, most of it feels needlessly problematic.

Let’s move onto the generation conflict. The original is a tale of changing times, and this sequel tries to build upon this concept. Our main characters are a bunch of young adults looking to leave the city life and move into a more peaceful, secluded environment. By simply scouting the town of Harlow, Texas, as a potential haven, they unknowingly unroot Leatherface’s existence in the dark. In this regard, it is very similar to the original—an entire generation of rural, working class individuals lashing out at the youth for “disturbing the natural order,” or something to that effect. Albeit, it’s not clear where the film stands on any of the issues it raises from an audience perspective. And frankly, I’m not even sure it wants to make a point of taking a stance on any single one of them. Instead, it actively avoids confronting its own existence by way of being passive.

To be clear, there is no right or wrong morality in the original outside of the obvious: murdering people is bad. Instead, the original serves as a way to explore the politics of the seventies. Here, I’m not sure the film is providing much in terms of thematic exploration, but it does provide plenty brutality which fans of horror will appreciate. So the filmmakers got the “massacre” part right, anyhow. What’s missing outside clear narrative direction from a script perspective is proper character treatment. Sally Hardesty is back and being played by Olwen Fouéré (Mandy, This Must Be the Place). Though, Sally has been reduced to a gimmick: there to serve as a reminder of how much we love a redemption arc in horror. Fouéré isn’t given the proper material to really sink her teeth into the role and explore the character in more intimate ways. She just wants to kill Leatherface herself and that’s it. In fact, none of the characters really make an impact and often just feel like second-hand thoughts. Sure, Sarah Yarkin (Melody) and Elsie Fisher (Lila) have real chemistry as the two leading sisters, but that only goes so far in terms of cultivating real stakes.

As mentioned, if you’re simply looking to throw on a mindless slasher with a group of your friends, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) might just be for you. There are some genuinely frightening kills and set pieces littered among the muddled themes. However, if you are interested in furthering legacy character development, the nuanced politics of Hooper’s classic, or meaningful direction, you might just consider streaming something else.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) is now available to stream on Netflix, and released on February 18th, 2022.