‘TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE’ DELIVERS A VERY 2022 BLOODBATH

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) gives audiences another entry into the Leatherface-loving franchise, and it is very much set in the present day. Melody (Sarah Yarkin), Lila (Elsie Fisher), Dante (Jacob Latimore), and Ruth (Nell Hudson) are your quintessential hipster crew leaving the Portland of the South (Austin, Texas) to set up their own indie mecca in the (not-so) abandoned town of Harlow, Texas. Melody and Dante are chefs, Ruth (Dante’s romantic partner) is an artist, and Lila (Melody’s younger sister) is just along for the ride.

The film takes place within a single day; the crew is in Harlow to finalize the paperwork and woo a group of investors (“artsy” 20-somethings just like them)…who arrive on a boozed-up party bus. Naïve young people plus alcohol–hello, slasher territory. And that’s precisely what this movie delivers: it is a very predictable, yet thoroughly enjoyable, chainsaw-ripping ride.

Are the characters complex? Nope. Do we care if they live or die? Nope. In predictable slasher fashion, the characters are more stock than anything–which is precisely what you want in a film like this. It keeps the gratuitous violence–however kitschy it might be–from being too effecting. That said, there are a few scenes that caused me to flinch, so consider yourself warned if gore is not your thing.

Ultimately, aside from a few confusing scenes, Texas Chainsaw Massacre is just plain fun, and fans of the original 1974 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre will appreciate the appearance of final girl Sally Hardesty (Olwen Fouéré). Don’t go into it expecting anything profound, but I was pleasantly surprised by the critique of a certain subset of our generation–there is something way too cathartic about Leatherface killing his way through that party bus.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

9

Slasher Fun

10.0/10

Death to influencer culture...literally

10.0/10

The Wisdom of Richter

10.0/10

Gore, gore, and gore (i.e. not for the squeamish)

8.0/10

A few confusing scenes

7.0/10

Credits

• Stars: Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham
• Director: David Blue Garcia
• Writers: Chris Thomas Devlin, Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues
• Producers: Fede Alvarez, Pat Cassidy, Ian Henkel, et al.
• Musician: Colin Stetson

Credits (cont)

• Cinematographer: Ricardo Diaz
• Film Editor: Christopher S. Capp
• Streaming Platform: Netflix