Directed by: John Luessenhop
Starring: Alexandra Daddario, Dan Yeager, Tremaine Neverson, Tania Raymonde, Thom Barry, Paul Rae
MPAA Rating: R
Distributed by: Lionsgate
Running time: 92 minutes
Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars
When I first saw 1974’s “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, I believe I wasn’t able to sleep for weeks. Leatherface is overall one of my favorite horror icons. He has changed so much over the years within the various sequels, remakes and prequels – some for the better and some not. “Texas Chainsaw 3D” is a direct sequel to the original 1974 film and literally picks up in the same day after the original’s events. I was especially excited about this creative twist to this franchise but unfortunately the thrill of keeping this sequel with the same feel of the first wares off quick. Still though, I can’t say that I didn’t have fun watching this film. It is not perfect but the 3D effects are sharp and really add a lot to the film. Also for those that need a refresher on the original, there is quick recap of the original film’s keys scenes in the opening credits.
If you are a fan of the franchise, then you will be excited for the fact that this film brings back actors from past films in the franchise. Bill Moseley who played Chop Top Sawyer in “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2”, came back to portray Drayton “The Cook” Sawyer (taking over for the late Jim Siedow). Marilyn Burns who played Sally Hardesty in the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, returns as a character named Verna. John Dugan who played Grandpa in the 1974 film comes back to reprise his role. Lastly, Gunnar Hansen who portrayed Leatherface in the 1974 film also has a brief cameo. Brief is the key word for all of this though. I was extremely excited about this but was left thinking…”That was all?”. You barely don’t even get a glimpse of John Dugan as Grandpa, blink and you miss it. Overall, I still like the ode but wish it was incorporated a little more.
The story picks up after hours of first film with an angry mob going after the house of the Sawyer family to get revenge after the confession of the young girl Sally that escaped. The mob ends up burning the house and the family, supposedly killing every last member – or so they thought. The story picks up years later where a girl named Heather (who has the hardest time not showing off her stomach and very tiny waist) finds out that she has a grandmother that she never knew and has inherited the family house. After realizing that her life has been a lie and she was the only one who escaped the night of the massacre. [Note: the original took place in 1974 and this is suppose to place about 20 years later but ends up being present day with iPhone’s etc., so I think there is an issue with the timeline]. The girl and her friends take a road trip to check out the house. Of course they find that they are not alone in this house and the reign of the Sawyer family is far from over.
Now back to the 3D! Since the film was heavily marketed for its use of 3D, I was excited to experience the horror in this format. There are a lot of in-your-face chainsaw scenes, which are a lot of fun and expected. The best though (which I am not going to divulge) involves a skin mask. If you see this film then 3D is definitely the way to go. The film was also very gory, in parts. Is it bad that I wanted more though? Maybe we are just too desensitized since 1974, don’t get me wrong though since the film definitely rocks in the gore department. In fact, it had to be re-cut before release, since it originally received an NC-17 rating. So hopefully we will get an unrated Blu-ray (boo-ya!). Of course I have a feeling that we have seen the last of Leatherface and the Sawyer family.