The 1974 cult classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre spawned a decade of similar films, until its first official sequel eleven years later. Here’s how each of the sequels/remakes rank so far.
Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre shook audiences in 1974 who were looking for the latest cinematic thrill ride. Loosely inspired by the crimes of notorious Wisconsin murderer Ed Gein, Hooper and cinematographer Daniel Pearl created an intense, though surprisingly restrained, film that helped influence an entire subgenre. Selling more tickets than Chinatown and The Man with the Golden Gun the year it was released, its success can’t be denied. What is remarkable is the long period of time between the original film and the franchise it spawned.
While Hooper’s film, along with Bob Clark’s Black Christmas ('74) and John Carpenter’s Halloween ('78), helped create the slasher boom in the early 80s, it took eleven years before a follow-up was released. Produced by Cannon Films, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2, also helmed by Hooper, was not the instant success of the original. Released in 1986, during the waning years of the slasher film, it performed modestly at the box office. However, the sequel’s commercial success on video prompted further follow-ups, though without the participation of Hooper. To date, there have been seven Chainsaw-inspired films; either direct sequels or remakes. With talk of yet another reboot in the works from Legendary Pictures, it seems like a good time to look back on the uneven track record of the franchise – from worst to best.
8. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1995/97)
Originally released as The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre in '95, this unambitious follow-up is the third direct sequel. Written and directed by Kim Henkel, the co-writer of the original, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation works essentially as a loose remake of the '74 film. It follows two teenage couples who wander into Leatherface territory after taking a detour on their way back from the prom. A car accident eventually leads them to a farmhouse where the action definitely shifts into déjà vu – a mallet, a meat hook and a meat freezer are all incorporated into the poorly-shot mayhem. Early performances by Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey precipitated a re-release complete with a new edit and title change. Even with cameos from some of the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre performers, this fourth cannibal outing was unable to interest horror fans.
7. Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013)
Similar to the Blumhouse Halloween 2018 sequel, this film acts as direct follow-up to the original, ignoring all of the previous entries. It begins promisingly, with an impressive flashback to the original farmhouse – and the events that followed after final girl Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns) fled the Sawyer home. When the film jumps ahead to the present day and we are introduced to lost Sawyer heir Heather (Alexandra Daddario), it becomes a by-the-numbers slasher film. When her grandmother dies, Heather and three of her friends travel to the deceased woman’s home to collect her inheritance. A neglected letter, revealing Heather’s connection to the Sawyer family, ensures that several people end up on the wrong end of a chainsaw. Decent 3-D effects and several familiar faces from previous installments do little to hold interest.
6. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)
Platinum Dunes' follow-up to their successful 2003 reboot works as a direct prequel/origin story for the Hewitt clan. The first few minutes are spent explaining how Leatherface (Andrew Bryniarski), named Thomas in this iteration, came to be. However, the film isn’t interested in telling his story – it merely wants to tie up a few story threads before cutting more faces off. Matt Bomer and Taylor Handley play brothers on their way to enlist in the Vietnam War. Along for the ride are their girlfriends played by Diora Baird and Jordana Brewster – none of whom garner much sympathy from the viewer. The best thing about the film is the return of R. Lee Ermey as Charlie Hewitt – who takes the identity of the murdered Sheriff Hoyt. His intense performance adds some needed unease to the shrill proceedings.
5. Leatherface (2017)
Visionary French directors Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, who made a memorable debut with the brutal Inside (À l'intérieur) were hired to create yet another Texas Chainsaw Massacre prequel. This time it’s a a direct prequel to the Hooper film - and once again attempts to shed light on how the deranged family was formed. Unlike The Beginning, which only lightly covered the origin of Leatherface, this at least made an attempt to add a psychological dimension to his madness. A great cast including Lili Taylor, as the Sawyer matriarch, and Stephen Dorph, as a Texas Ranger, manage to ground the film. While technically impressive, Leatherface plays out more as a violent action film than a prequel to the nightmarish original.
4. Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990)
After the darkly humorous second film, TCM III takes a more serious approach to the subject matter. Abandoning any continuity from Hooper’s sequel, the David Schow script attempts to recreate the original through the lens of an 80s slasher movie. Director Jeff Burr manages to put together some arresting set pieces – even with severe cuts made to the violent effects. Kate Hodge and William Butler play a besieged couple, while Dawn of the Dead’s Ken Foree and The Lord of the Rings' Viggo Mortensen add some weight as a survivalist and Sawyer family member, respectively. New Line Cinema purchased the rights to the franchise from Cannon hoping to create another horror icon similar to Freddy Krueger, but the audience reception was lukewarm.
3. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
After several years of silence, Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes made some buzz when it bought the franchise and decided to reboot the original film. While following the template of the '74 classic, Scott Kosar’s script adds enough twists to keep the narrative tense and engaging. Once again the focus is on five young adults traveling through Texas, this time their goal is a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert. After the violent suicide of a traumatized victim they pick up on the road, they encounter members of the unhinged Hewitt family – including Leatherface (Andrew Bryniarski). Director Marcus Nispel and cinematographer Daniel Pearl, who also shot the original TCM, crafted a brutal and often scary reimagined take on the classic film. Strong performances by Jessica Biel and especially R. Lee Ermey give the film a dramatic gravity not easy to shake.
2. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)
Tobe Hooper’s belated sequel, produced by Cannon Films, emphasizes the black humor of the original – while also pushing the envelope on the onscreen violence. 11 years after the events involving Sally Hardesty and her friends, former Texas Ranger Lefty Enright (Dennis Hopper) teams with intrepid radio DJ Stretch (Caroline Williams) to hunt down the Sawyer clan. A smart script by L.M. Kit Carson, taught direction by Hooper and a game cast make this a comic book nightmare of epic proportions. Williams is terrific as the brave DJ and Bill Moseley as “Chop Top” Sawyer is one of the more memorable horror villains from that decade.
1. Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Of course the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre is number one on the list. Brutal without much onscreen gore – and relentless in its pacing, Hooper’s low budget marvel still has the power to disturb. Daniel Pearl’s cinematography effortlessly captures the mayhem with clever framing and attention to small details. The cast of virtual unknowns offer grounded, realistic performances that ensure the escalating violence immerses and impacts the viewer. Its influence on the horror genre cannot be denied. No matter how many reboots and sequels to Hooper’s original film are made, nothing will ever come close to his '74 fever dream.