TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE

This requel is visually more stylish than most other reboots of horror franchises yet it adds nothing to the classic original.

If a legacy reboot that ignores all the sequels works for Halloween, why wouldn't it work for Texas Chainsaw Massacre as well? That seems to be the driving force behind this new Netflix 'requel' that once again pits Leatherface against a group of unfortunate teens visiting the abandoned town of Harlow, Texas.

Especially in its first half the movie succeeds in capturing the grittiness and wily surprises of Tobe Hooper's original, thanks to some fine cinematography and a well-chosen bunch of central teens. But once Laurie Strode stand-in Sally Hardesty appears, the lone survivor of Leatherface's first killing spree, Texas Chainsaw Massacre indulges in fan service and backstory, and the momentum gradually is sapped from the picture.

For genre enthusiasts there still are some gory, at times inventive kills to be enjoyed and Texas Chainsaw Massacre is definitely a much more visually stylish affair than many other reboots of horror franchises have been.

In the end, the movie doesn't give a satisfying answer to the main question however: what exactly does this story add to the classic original?

release: 2022

director: David Blue Garcia

starring: Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham, Jacob Latimore