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Overall Rating : 7.5/10
Directed By : Tobe Hooper
Dennis Hopper (Land of the Dead)
Caroline Williams (Leprechaun 3)
Bill Moseley (The Devil's Rejects)
Jim Siedow (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) )
Supplied By : Fox Home Video
Film Reviewed By : Rick Blalock
Date Reviewed : Oct. 18, 2006
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| PLOT For 14 years, former Texas Ranger Lefty Enright has been obsessed with finding the psychotic mass-murderers who killed his brother's children. And today he's in luck. A tough as nails late-night disc jockey has caught the ghouls on tape in the act of slicing and dicing a couple of fun-loving rich kids. When she volunteers to help, Lefty persuades her to play the tape on-air to lure the maniacs out of hiding. But what she doesn't know is that she's the only witness to this diabolical family's butchery who hasn't been carved up for somebody's supper just yet! |
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| THE REVIEW Director Tobe Hooper followed up his 1974 Horror classic 12 years later with THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2, a film in which instead of following the same formula as the original veered off into a different direction, The film stars off with two young sex crazed and boozed up weirdoes heading out to the Texas and Oklahoma football game known to Texans as "The Red River Shootout". The two pranksters decide while driving down the highway, that they would call up the local radio station K-OKLA to have a little fun, prank around and while they're at it...make a few requests. On the other end of their annoying calls answers young and hip DJ "Stretch" whom has had enough of their antics only a few minutes in, despite asking them politely to hang up, they will not. As the call lingers on Stretch hangs on and listens in, moments later sounds of a chainsaw blares over the radio speakers, it turns out that it is actually Leatherface and clan coming back for revenge on the pranksters who nearly ran them out the road in a game of 'chicken' earlier. While the boys are being murdered it just so happens to be broadcasting on air as Stretch listens on frantically. The gruesome murder of these teens, brings out of hiding Lieutenant "Lefty" Enright.... he is the Uncle of Franklin and Sally Hardesty-Enright, the lone survivor of the first massacre( for some reason, although the characters are named Hardesty in the original, they are now being referred to in this film, as Hardesty-Enright), and he has been on the trail of the killers that took the lives of his brothers children for 14 years...and people think he is crazy. The local newspapers report on Lefty being at the scene and his history with the similar murders and Stretch reads of them and tracks down Enright armed with a tape in hand. Stretch tells him that the tape in which she has contains the live audio of the slayings, at first reluctant to hear the tape, Left later convinces the DJ to play the tape as a request.... After it is played on air the station receives many complaints, but in the midst of those complaints it also made some fans.... those fans being the Sawyer clan, the Killer themselves. Later that night, Leatherface and his dim-witted Brother Chop-Top, a seemingly former Vietnam vet whose head houses a metal plate, show up, because they want to make a special request of their own by playing the tape yet again. Stretch terrified for he life asks them to leave, but that proves to be a big mistake as they stalk and chase her through the station and later beat and mutilate Stretch's assistant LG. Stretch narrowly escapes and wonders into an abandoned amusement park and it some as if she has ran a full circle as the Sawyer clan actually use the old park as a hideout of sorts and occupy a cave underground. With Stretch in the clutches of the madmen once again, she is not alone this time as her friend Lefty has followed... Enright armed with chainsaws of his own in hand, rushes in to find them as he exclaims...he's "gonna bring it all down!" As everyone is probably aware, 1974's original THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, was and in my opinion, still is one of the most shocking Horror films of all time, amd with CHAINSAW 2 Director Tobe Hooper and Writer L.M. Kit Carson, wanted something different. With this film, what they crafted was a film that was a little more on the comedic side - initially being more over the top and more funny and also containing a subplot that would later reveal Stretch as Lefty's illegitimate Daughter....that idea was later dropped from the story and rewritten because the studio wanted it to be "more scary. In the documentary in the special features, Carson explains how he was actually rewriting while shooting was going on - luckily the fans still get a story here that is seamless (although I wish the Father/Daughter angle would've stayed put). While original masterpiece was in fact straight Horror this one is more of a Comedy/Horror film - it is actually the first Horror Comedy to ever catch my attention and keep it. With so many types of these movies coming out today it is hard to find a really well-balanced one as they often tend to go too overboard, or go overboard and not be funny at all - THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 delivers the funny but still stays in the lines with a little bit of seriousness and clarity. Although some fans continue to say that CHAINSAW is nothing like the original, maybe not in plot or manner no...but I have always believed Hooper's directing to be the same here... as he delivers the same pace and approach, however I guess the comedy overshadows it - nonetheless I believe Hooper did a fantastic job here. To me the acting is what makes this film work. In Dennis Hopper, we have an Oscar nominee, that at the time is in his most wackiest role ever(nowadays nothing beats his less than stellar role in THE CROW : WICKED PRAYER). Hopper really embraces the role of a confused and tired man, that is determined to get revenge before he dies. Caroline Williams as Stretch was just one of those characters that I believe were meant to get on your nerves a little. I mean at first she is ok, but the more you hear her the more you want her to shut up - perhaps that's part on the comedy? Bill Moseley as Chop-top is irreplaceable. Moseley made a breakthrough in his role of Chop-Top and still refers to himself by the moniker today - I believe it is is finest performance to date...even better than his role as Otis in HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES and THE DEVIL'S REJECTS. Many fans believe the character of Chop-Top to be The Hitchhiker of the original film, it is my belief that he is his twin brother....it is said Chop-Top was away in Vietnam when the first occurred - "Nubbins" the corpses toted around by the clan in the film is actually the dead corpse of The Hitchhiker... and when performances are concerned I can't end without mentioning Jim Siedow, the only cast member returning from the original is absolutely brilliant as Drayton Sawyer, or "The Cook" as he is credited. Although Jim didn't act often in his career, he still remains as one of the most memorable characters from the first two CHAINSAW films simply for his brass one-liners. Overall the principal cast really grouped together here to make a movie fans still hold in high regard and remember to this day - and their performances still hold up. In the end THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2, even though a very different film than the one it followed....may have lost some of it's audience but at the same time found an audience of it's own - in my opinion - this film is excellent, and probably the best of it's kind. This "Gruesome Edition" DVD is a real treat, it has two very informative commentaries as well as a 6 part making of feature. You will also find 5 deleted scenes some are scenes cut completely out, they also reveal that the film was supposed to be a lot gorier than it was, with even more Special FX by FX Wizard, Tom Savini. And to make things even better, the picture as been completely restored...as an owner of the original disc also...I can tell you that the restoration is flawless. |
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| GORE
METER 5.5/10 Originally intended to be more gory.... it is still very fun to watch as Tom Savini goes all out and over the top with some outrageous gore such as a decapitated head squirting out gore left and right. flesh masks and even a filleted body. |
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| MUSICAL
SCORE 6.5/10 I have always loved this score, it has always seemed to catch my attention from opening scene. In the style of traditional 1980's Horror Hooper and partner Jerry Lambert construct a simple but effective sound for the film. | ||||
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| DVD FEATURES KEY INFORMATION: Specs: Audio: English: Doiby Surround 2.0 Language: Dubbed: English / Subtitled: French & Spanish Theatrical Aspect Ratio: Widescreen ANAMORPHIC: 1.85:1 Episodes-Bonus Features: **Anamorphic Widescreen Feature **Feature Commentary with director Tobe Hooper and Filmmaker David Gregory **Feature Commentary with Actors Bill Moseley, Caroline Williams,Special Effects Creator Tom Savini, and DVD Producer Michael Felsher **Deleted Scenes : Opening Credits Leaving For Work Die Yuppy Scum! The Gonzo Moviegoer Clothes Off His Back **Six Part Featurette: "It Runs In The Family" Part I: The Texas Screenplay Massacre Part II: The Art of Mayhem Part III: A Cast of Characters Part IV: Prime Meat Part V: Father of the Saw Part VI: Requiem for a Sequel **Original Theatrical Trailer **Still Galleries | ||||
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| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM To this day THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE remains a favorite of mine, and I guess it is apparently obvious in the tone of this review. The film didn't set out to be a rehash of a story already told, but as it's own film and it had the acting, setting as well as script(surprisingly) working for it in order to do so.....I highly recommend this film, go into it with an open mind and no expectations of it being like the original and you might find that you like it! |
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