Leatherface (2017)
Directed by Julien Muary & Alexandre Bustillo
Earlier this year I did a ranking of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies and I legit forgot that this one existed. Does that say something about its quality? Or does it say something about the marketing behind it? If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, then you know my feelings on Texas Chainsaw 3D, it’s a steaming pile of shit IMO. This was initially meant to be a sequel, but that idea was canned and they made a prequel instead.
This revolves around the Sawyer family and their son Jedidiah. I’ll give spoilers on this, because it is a really basic movie. Jed is quickly put into an asylum after he and his family murder a girl in their barn. While in the asylum and renamed Jackson he befriends a large slow inmate named Bud, and acts as a kind of caretaker. Soon a riot happens and Bud, Jackson, and two other inmates escape named Ike and Clarice with a nurse named Elizabeth (?). Now the group alludes the police and go on a killing spree, mostly instigated by the deranged Ike and Clarice. They hold up in a trailer after Bud is shot by a guy at a diner, after a massacre. The cops come along and find Clarice wandering the woods looking for Ike, whom unbeknownst to her was bludgeoned to death by Bud. The police end up killing Clarice and hunt for the others. Jackson, Bud, and Elizabeth hide in a bull carcass, making them untraceable by search dogs. Once the cops go by they make their break for it. Elizabeth tries to run to a cop for help, the cop calls for backup and fires shots. He kills Bud which sends Jackson into a rage. Jackson kills the cop and forces Elizabeth to steal the car and drive. In pursuit the cops chase the remaining two in the car. Jackson is shot in the face, and it tears his face open ear to ear. Elizabeth crashes and passes out. When they come to Elizabeth and the sheriff are in the barn and Mrs. Sawyer is stitching up Jackson’s face. Mrs. Sawyer gives Jackson a chainsaw which he uses to cut the sheriff in half. Elizabeth escapes until she’s caught in a bear trap. Jackson catches up and lops her head off. The family disposes of the bodies and in the end, you see Jackson crafting their faces into a mask that he applies lipstick to, and smashes the mirror he’s looking in.
The special effects were pretty good. There are a few gruesome parts in this, especially the scene with the bull carcass and the maggots wriggling on it. Lots of blood, lots of lost limbs, all the stuff you’d want from a TCM movie. The end scene with Jackson fabricating the mask is pretty cool, and well done. I watched this on the Syfy app, so I’m assuming some of it was pulled back a little, I guess it could be even more graphic on DVD or Bluray.
All the cast does a fair job acting. Jackson was alright, he came off as a sympathetic character early on and evolved into a monster after the loss of his friend and the gunshot to the face. Ike and Clarice were deranged as hell, they did a great job. Ike was a complete sociopath and obviously didn’t have one once of empathy, unlike Jackson and Bud. Elizabeth the nurse was a little annoying but it could have been how they wrote her. I’m not sure why she tried to run for help, Jackson was keeping her safe and it was obvious that the sheriff was crazy too. The Sheriff was played by Stephen Dourff from the movie The Gate (probably a lot more but I love the Gate) he did a great job.
Was this a great movie? No. It was however WAY better than Texas Chainsaw 3D. I had a good time watching it. My only issue is that it didn’t feel like a Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie, more like a crime drama. It spends most of the time following the insane asylum inmates fleeing the authorities, I enjoyed that but it took away from the TCM feel. The acting is pretty good and the gore will satisfy the gore hounds. Will I ever watch it again? Not sure, but I did enjoy it the first time around at least. I give this a C+. Fun, and entertaining, but lacking the feel the rest of the series has.
