My History With the Film:
I really liked the 2003 remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and its follow-up, 2006’s The Beginning, so when I heard that a new sequel was being made that wouldn’t follow in that timeline, I was a little bummed. The trailer didn’t do much for me, so I didn’t bother with the film. I’ve already wasted enough time with bad TCM sequels.
After writing an article about the horror films of Alexandra Daddario, I decided it was time to check this one off my list.
What The Film Is About (Non-Spoiler):
An adopted girl and her friends head to Texas to accept an inheritance from her biological grandmother.
What I Liked About It:
-I have to give the screenwriters respect for going “there”. I don’t want to ruin anything, but they flipped the script on the Sawyer family and while I’m not sure it worked 100%, it was ballsy and made for an interesting ending.
-Alexandra Daddario was fantastic, as always. The rest of the cast played their parts well with Dan Yeager (Leatherface) doing a fantastic, visceral job. Tania Raymonde (Nikki) played the slut perfectly, and Paul Rae (Burt Hartman) was wonderfully cruel.
-The movie didn’t shy from the gore, which worked out well for the most part. They definitely didn’t leave anything to the imagination and the only complaint I truly have is the ending because the CGI just didn’t work all that well.
-I didn’t watch this film in 3D, but I give the filmmakers credit for the restraint. There were only a few overt 3D scenes and when 3D really kicked off in the early 2010’s, filmmakers were going nuts with the gimmick shots.
-I loved the cinematography at times, which really was a throw back to the original. The low shot of the short shorts comes to mind immediately.
What I Didn’t Like About It:
-This is the first modern horror film I’ve watched in a long time where the characters are just stupid. Several times I caught myself thinking, “What the hell are you thinking? Don’t do that!” and I don’t do that too often with movies made after 1996. Scream kinda killed off the overly stupid characters, but TCM 3D decided to bring them back.
-CGI has no place in a film like this and the final kill is ruined because of it.
-Movies live and die by their endings and this ending left me feeling conflicted. I remember hearing about it back when the movie was released, so I was somewhat prepared and that made it not nearly as startling.
Additional Notes:
-Gunnar Hansen’s final film.
Several members of the original 1974 cast had parts in this follow up:
-Gunnar Hansen (Leatherface in the original film) portrays Boss Sawyer.
-Marilyn Burns (Sally in the original film) portrays Verna Sawyer.
-John Dugan (Grandpa in the original film) portrays his character again in the opening scene.
-Marilyn Burns (Sally in the original film) portrays Verna Sawyer.
-John Dugan (Grandpa in the original film) portrays his character again in the opening scene.
Rating:
Watching this reminded me of Halloween (2018). It was a direct follow up to the original that ignored all the sequels, had members of the original cast (although not in their old characters), paid homage to the original with cinematography, and was a great way to reboot a franchise. Still, it’s not nearly as effective as Halloween (2018). The film just wasn’t handled with the love and care that the Halloween filmmakers brought and that disappoints me.
I enjoyed my TCM 3D watch through, but its not a movie I see myself revisiting. It’s one of the stronger sequels in the franchise, but it ultimately falls short behind the original, the 2003 remake, and TCM The Beginning, at least in my eyes.
I’d rate TCM 3D a three out of five and say its worth a rental.