Netflix recently worked with Legendary Pictures to bring the streaming service a revamped and modernized sequel to the gory cult classic, “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” When I first received the notification of the 2022 Netflix addition to the universe, my reaction was less than enthused. I was not ready for yet another one. As enjoyable as cult classics are, at some point, there needs to be an ending. However, now that I watched it through, I enjoy how they picked up the story directly following the 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre, rather than continuing the storyline from the other nine films. Nevertheless, it was probably the only thing I enjoyed about the film.

As the film begins, we meet the main characters: Melanie, Lila, Ruth and Dante, who are heading to the famous town of Harlow. Melanie and Dante are YouTube influencers who decided to host a community auction to breathe new life into the old ghost town. They stop at a gas station, and we, the audience, are given a lot of information in this scene. It turns out they never found Leatherface after the 1974 killings, but the one girl who survived still lives in the town waiting to catch him. However, it is hard to find a man you have never seen the face of. We also learn Lila, Melanie’s younger sister, was the survivor of a school shooting, which doesn’t particularly add to the plot but provides us some insight into her character’s dynamics. 

Once In Harlow, the protagonists run into an older woman who has not yet vacated her property. Amid a heated argument, she becomes violently sick, and the police, along with her son and Ruth, must rush her to the hospital. Now, we all know who Leatherface, the killer in Texas Chainsaw Massacre, is and what he looks like, so it’s painfully obvious he is the woman’s son in these scenes. Unfortunately, she passes on the way, and Ruth, along with the officers, is in the face of a dangerously strong and upset killer. Leatherface awoke after so many years, and he’s out to destroy these newcomers who, he believes, caused his mother’s death and are disrupting his peace. 

One of my biggest issues with this movie was, yes, the gore level of Leatherface was there, but the plotline was lazy. They tried turning the 1974 survivor and Leatherface into a remake of the famous Lorie Strode and Michael Myers continuous battle. It failed miserably, to say the least. It was bleak, the characters lacked dynamic and I’m truly glad the studios did not waste their time pushing this to the box office. It would have surely bombed, as I would rate it a 4/10, solely because of the gore and how Lila’s past discusses important and modern themes. If you’re looking for something gory for you and your friends to watch on Netflix, then, boom, this is the movie. But, if you’re a long-time fan of cult classics like myself, please, don’t waste the time. Netflix has much more to offer for you in that department.