Literally picking up moments after the 1965 classic, ‘Texas Chainsaw’ opens with a gunfight at the ranch that sees the Sawyers protecting their own against the vigilantes seeking revenge after the events of the original and intend to leave the farmhouse with nothing less than the head of Jed, or more prominently known as… Leatherface.

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Fast forward several years and the sole survivor of the shootout finds herself inherent of a mansion that brings back memories for the locals but not Heather (Alexandra Daddario). Taking  the news that she was adopted badly and turns away from her trailer trash parents Gavin (David Born) and Arlene (Sue Rock) and heads into the homeland of Leatherface with her friends seeking her true identity.

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A town that has buried its history and wants it to remain that way, they’re not welcoming to the news that the Sawyer family have a descendent. Least of all, Officer Marvin (James MacDonald) and a few conspicuous locals. The only people who seem to welcome the group are veteran sheriff Hooper (Thom Barry) and deputy Carl Hartman (Scott Eastwood).

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But some secrets don’t stay buried forever and what lies in the basement of the manor loves the sound of a chainsaw.

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Rev up those saws, as Leatherface makes a welcome return and he’s back with a vengeance. From the opening credits, the tone of ‘Texas Chainsaw’ sets out to not only reinvent the franchise (for the 5th time) but to take in what made the original such a success.

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Driving a narrative and story that hasn’t been seen yet in the franchise and making the senseless violence meaningful and a sympathy for the devil as evil wears many faces and the enemy does not always run across the woods with an apron, mask and chainsaw.



And perhaps that’s both the saviour and the curse of Texas Chainsaw. Creating a deeper story makes this one of the more memorable sequels but by turning the roles the fear that made Tobe Hooper a household name gets lost.

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Blood and guts are spilt but the violence pales in comparison to some other entries into the franchise and cameos from favourites Bill Moseley, Gunnar Hansen and John Dugan can’t save the cardboard stereotypes (including singer-turned-actor Trey Songz, Tania Raymond and Keram Malicki-Sanchez) on board to a grissly death.

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As perfectly crafted as the opening ten minutes are, it quickly descends into generic Hollywood horror that does nothing to break any boundaries as Hooper had 28 years earlier. The heroine who fights against her own demons, the friends who have the Grim Reaper stalking them throughout and then there’s the locals who make Royston Valley look homely.





Texas isn't short of comedy either. References to, and pussifying the Saw films and in jokes with Leatherface's array of Chainsaws but all of which feel out of place with the straight laced leads.

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With a new entry, comes the closest to a true sequel to the original as any of its predecessors but unlike ‘Friday the 13th’, ‘Halloween’ and ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ the saga of Leatherface just has no linear story and just as the series takes a direction, the studios press the rewind button. The word continuity seems something the franchise has forgotten and somehow dilutes the films and characters in the process.

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While Texas Chainsaw may have watered down the shocks, it’s story and continuation from the ‘…Massacre’ of ’76 make this one the better sequels and more memorable than the likes of ‘…Leatherface’ and ‘…The Beginning’.