The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2

In 1974 upon the release of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre it was immediately met with shock and became an overnight sensation. It was horrifying and people had seen little like it before.

It's creators clearly never saw the potential for a franchise as it took twelve years before a sequel came out.

Tobe Hooper returns for this odd little film, odd because it follows a dark gritty horrific gory serious horror with a colourful campy and often comedic effort.

The movie revolves around the demented Sawyer family and the random killing sprees they go on. But when they get outed by a DJ they go after her for revenge. Add to that Dennis Hopper as a former US Marshall who is as crazy as the family themselves and you have a the recipe for a gory riot.

Trouble is I couldn't take it seriously, it simply didn't feel like a TCM movie! It was loud, colourful and the jokes flowed freely. Leatherface doesn't even get anymore screen time than the rest of the family and even he is goofy and no longer scary.

I have no idea what they were thinking when they made TCM 2, but it sure as hell doesn't work.

The Good:

Bill Moseley

The Bad:

The screaming, really!?

Such a crazy shift in genre

Sudden and dumb finale

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

LG has the hardest skull in the history of movies

"The sex" is a swindle

Chainsaw "Sword" fights aren't as exciting as you'd imagine

Aside from a few memorable moments ( The stuff in the ending mainly) this is a poor sequel. Caroline Williams is likeable and Dennis Hopper does his best with the material. The more comedic tone could have made it an interesting sequel but it just doesn't work for me.

Stick to the original I'd say.

I might be stretching it a bit giving this critically blasted sequel 6 out of 10, but it deserves it for sheer audacity and entertainment value, not to mention the priceless performances, remarkable set design and great Tom Savini make-up FX, which were enough to deny this an R rating when released and cause some distribution problems.

Dennis Hopper (who was in BLUE VELVET the same year!) turns camp king as Ex-Texas Ranger Lt. Lefty, brother of the Sally and Franklin characters from the original. He's out for revenge against the cannibal clan for what they did to his family, while radio DJ Stretch (Caroline Williams, who is a lot of fun) simply tries to survive after she airs a radio broadcast that p1sses them off. The psychotic father (who makes award winning chili out of human flesh), Leatherface and the 100-and-something-year-old grandpa are still around, plus new member Chop Top (Bill Moseley), who has a metal plate in his head, suffers from 'Nam flashbacks and does some disgusting things with a clothes hanger and a lighter. The cannibal clan hideout, which is hidden underground beneath an amusement park this time, is a marvel of skeletal decor, hooks, cobwebs, tunnels and blood oozing walls. In fact, everything about this movie is taken to insanely outrageous proportions, and it drops the straight horror and sly black humor of the original for more blatant shocks and in-your-face comedy, which explains the critical hatred. Nonetheless, I think TCM2 would be an enjoyable watch for most horror fans.

The franchise continued with the disappointing LEATHERFACE (1989), the atrocious TCM: THE NEXT GENERATION ('94) and then the popular, and surprisingly watchable, 2003 remake of the original.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is criminally underrated. I've noticed a lot of comments trashing this movie. It's a HORROR movie! It's also a SEQUEL to a horror movie! Where were your expectations people? What did you think you were going to be watching? I remember watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 as a kid, and it scared the s**t out of me. That opening bridge scene is incredible. It's one of the scariest sequences I've ever seen. Tom Savini's effects are top notch, the humor is well placed, and the acting is perfect for the genre. Bill Moseley (Chop Top) is something else. He's the reason I love this movie so much. He portrays one of the most memorable characters in recent horror history and I can't get enough of him. I do agree that Bill Johnson is not nearly as menacing as Gunnar Hansen in the role of Leatherface. But what's wrong with Tobe Hooper's direction? It's his story, let him tell it the way he wants to. I think Tobe Hooper succeeds in continuing the tale of one of the great horror icons. TCM 2 has loads of gore, campy acting, and instills a healthy dose of fear into it's viewer. What more could you ask of a sequel? And remember, the saw is family.

TCM 1 is to TCM 2 what Alien is to Aliens. Nuanced tension building is replaced with "more is more" theatrics. This may have inherently less artistic merit, but it does follow through on an intention that's impossible to ignore. In a way, maybe this always should have been the tone, as no one ever expected subtlety from a movie called Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It gets to the point quickly then proceeds with a relentless bludgeoning of blood and gore. Not achieving the comedic brilliance found in the excesses of the Evil Dead franchise, but thankfully not succumbing to the trappings of self serious torture porn. Also fun to realize how much Rob Zombie's 1000 Corpses movies were just as much an homage to TCM as his Halloween movies were to the John Carpenter originals.