The Sawyer Massacre

The Sawyer Massacre is a standout fan film that pays a hauntingly authentic tribute to Tobe Hooper's 1974 classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. What truly sets this film apart is its expert direction and meticulous editing, which together recreate the raw, unsettling atmosphere of the original.

The direction is a masterclass in capturing the essence of 1970s horror. The film's pacing mirrors the slow-burn tension of the original, building dread without relying on over-the-top scares. The choice to minimize the musical score enhances the sense of isolation and unease, allowing ambient sounds to amplify the horror. Merlo's attention to detail in recreating the look and feel of the era is evident, from the vintage vehicles to the rustic interiors, immersing the audience in the time period.

The editing in The Sawyer Massacre is both precise and gritty, effectively mirroring the rawness of the original film. The use of jump cuts and abrupt transitions heightens the sense of chaos and unpredictability, keeping viewers on edge. The film's pacing is deliberate, allowing moments of tension to breathe before delivering shocking reveals. This careful editing ensures that each scene contributes to the mounting sense of dread, culminating in a climax that is both satisfying and terrifying.

I heard about The Sawyer Massacre before checking it out and had certain expectations. Although it started out slowly, the story was good. The "scary" parts were fewer and farther between than I expected and there were some mild gore parts. The scenery and cinematography were what I found most interesting. The acting is solid, some of the characters are developed nicely. You don't really care about anyone, except for Jimmy and Allison played by Jordan O'Neal and Nika Louw. For those looking for a diverting, low budget horror experience with a creepy and thrilling ending, this movie ain't half bad.

For a fan film this was really good everyone did pretty good the gore was on point and you could really feel the tension going at times leatherface looked really good to. Rex was awesome too . I have a few theories about a few things though like does the construction guy get away and what happened to Drayton we never see him again after that one scene. But I really loved it the score was good too. I hope Steve continues this route of film making he has a bright future ahead! Everyone involved played a solid role Jimmy side story was very heartfelt as well and again I loved that one scene at the beginning with the construction guy over seeing the power grids the sound in the background just adds a eerie feel to the scene! Great job to all.

I was pleasantly surprised by this low budget indie.

The location was ideal and set the tone for the film. The characters of Drayton, Leather Face and Rex were sufficiently menacing and they carried the story along nicely. The victims characters were interesting and they had back stories that fleshed them out. I believe great care was taken to keep the "look" authentic to the time period (vehicles, home decor ect.) . The butcher room was scary and blood covered giving the victims no hope of escape. Steve Merlo will be a name to follow and I look forward to his future projects. I think it was an awesome idea to release this fan film on YouTube allowing it as much exposure as possible. Nice job Steve and crew the film kept me entertained.

This is a fan film telling a prequel of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre .

The story starts off with a group of young adults on a road trip, a group on a camping trip, a couple passing through and a few bored women looking for some action. The couple passing through stops at a gas station looking for food and is greeted by and elderly man and a very greetful off set man named Rex who guides them to a farm and a house where Rex's grandfather has the food.

With hesitant upon arriving with Rex he says to go to the house while he fetches the food. The couple manages to go inside but what awaits them is more than doubts and creepiness.

This fan film follows the formula and roots of the classic, the less usage of a score adds the feeling creepiness and unease on its own through out each scene.

The story fixates on the characters emotions than just actions and invites the viewer to feel and even hope they live though this nightmare. It almost sets up that the old man sawyer of how he can't stand to see people killed but later enjoys watching as seen in TCM. The Hitchiker makes a cameo as a crazed kid working at the gas station than digging graves and making grotesque art.

Grandpa makes a large part of this story and even directs when and who to kill. Leatherface is straight to the kill and even changes faces almost as if he uses the faces he cuts as a different emotion. We are invited into Terrors home room by room. It can give the audience the suspense as to how much time the victims have before Leatherface gets them.

This fan film does fair well with good film shots, the acting performance fits the moments, the characters fit and Rex makes a chilling invitation for death to visit. For TCM fans you'll want to witness a more personal experience on this one.