As a longtime horror enthusiast with a soft spot for the Texas Chainsaw Massacre series, I’ve seen my fair share of Leatherface’s mayhem and madness over the years. So when Texas Chainsaw 3D came out, I was intrigued by its attempt to carve a new path in the franchise’s blood-soaked woods.
The ongoing saga of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise is rather convoluted, even compared to other horror genres. Since Leatherface and his kin first appeared on screen over four decades ago, there’s been a remake, two prequels, and three distinct storylines spanning nine movies. It can be quite confusing for both viewers and filmmakers alike, as an excessive number of reboots might only serve to complicate matters and leave everyone perplexed.
In 2013, Texas Chainsaw 3D, the seventh movie in the series, made its appearance as a slight departure from the usual franchise flow, arriving at the tail end of one of several dry spells in the production of new Chainsaw films. The Platinum Dunes era, which included the much-loved remake from 2003, had concluded, and a seven-year gap had passed. This offered the new film an opportunity to forge its own path due to new producers and some distance from previous installments. Essentially, the movie adopted a strategy that many modern horror fans might recognize more readily today, but may not have immediately grasped back then: it became a sequel carrying on the legacy of the original series.
Is it effective? Although not always, when it delves particularly deeply into its unique playground, “Texas Chainsaw 3D” – currently available for streaming on Peacock – turns out to be one of the most gratifying adventures within the entire series.
Why Now Is a Great Time to Revisit Texas Chainsaw 3D, Now Streaming on Peacock
In 1974, the townspeople brutally murdered the Sawyer family due to their wrongdoings, torching their farmhouse where Leatherface perpetrated his gruesome acts. Afterward, they left without a second glance, saving only one infant from the slaughter. Many years later, a butcher named Heather (played by Alexandra Daddario) receives a letter revealing that she was adopted and her late grandmother bequeathed her a vast countryside estate. Eager to explore this newfound inheritance, Heather and her friends embark on a road trip, oblivious to the fact that Leatherface, who had been living undetected in the house’s basement for decades, is very much alive.
Already, the legacy sequel setup is pretty prominent, and I’ll bet you can guess where the rest of it is going once the film starts to unpack the strange history of Heather’s inheritance. It’s a solid setup for this kind of film, ignoring the other sequels and just driving straight ahead with a story that imagines Leatherface as a kind of lost legend, buried by time and by the locals to become something whispered about. Then the film reveals that he’s not lost. He’s waiting, and when he’s unleashed, he’ll pick up right where he left off.
The movie creatively explores a profound concept by setting it within a storyline that initially mirrors its original version. It begins with a group of friends enjoying a road trip, followed by a countryside party. However, the familiarity is intentional yet doesn’t lessen the impact of the plot. The ensemble cast relishes in this setup as tension builds and the horror of the slasher unfolds. The key to the movie’s success lies in Daddario’s performance. She delves into the madness of the horrifying experience, gradually transforming Heather’s perception of the cruel world she’s born into. This shift eventually leads her to empathize with Leatherface and perhaps even contemplate accepting his fate.
To put it simply, while Texas Chainsaw 3D has some elements of a great legacy sequel, such as maintaining the atmosphere, it falls short in several areas. The characters aren’t fully developed, with Heather being the exception, and attempts to mirror the original sometimes highlight the superior versions of the story available elsewhere. However, this film was made before the wave of legacy sequels in horror, making it unique within its subgenre. Despite its flaws, Texas Chainsaw 3D is still worth watching due to its intriguing commentary on the strange world of horror sequels and the enjoyment it offers.
Texas Chainsaw 3DÂ is now streaming on Peacock.
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2024-09-30 18:31