The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1995)

The greatest movie ever made..!

Absolutely the worst movie.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Blistering performances.

In the mid-1970s, Tobe Hooper had unleashed horror in a new way to moviegoers with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). It was a film that had so much going for it. It may have been outrageously controversial for its depiction of sadistic violence but it served its purpose in being a scary film. It relied on simplicity and minimalism in order to drive its viewers crazy. Then Hooper created the long awaited sequel that confused his original fans by attempting to keep continuity while simultaneously changing everything else. It turned out being more of spoof of itself than being a sequel. When the franchise finally released its second sequel, it was even more mixed in reception due to its further lack of connection to the last two movies even though its title said otherwise. At that point, it would've been thought that maybe the franchise was suffering from lack of attention. Apparently the next sequel (this one) shockingly was neglected even further. It by far is the most confusing and disappointing to say the least.The overall idea behind the story is no different from that of the other movies before it. A group of teens end up crossing paths with Leatherface and his notorious family of cannibals. This sequel was written and directed Kim Henkel, the original co-writer to the original film that blew everyone away. According to Hinkel it was supposed to be the official sequel to the original film. As to what he thought consisted of making it the official sequel is barely visible. The writing is all over the place and the continuity is very unfaithful. Like the films before it, it begins with a monologue recounting the past events, yet it was supposed to ignore them too. So how does that work? There's also a subplot about Leatherface's family having some kind of government connection or something along those lines. Allegedly they report to a higher authority and their motives go higher than their personal needs? The most painful part of the writing belongs to the dialog and the actors don't make it any better.Almost the entire cast essentially is an over the top exaggeration of some horror trope but worse. Starring as the heroine is Renée Zellweger best known for her breakout role in Jerry Maguire (1996). She's also accompanied by Lisa Marie Newmyer as Heather, who constantly spouts out useless sentences that don't add anything to develop her role. There's also Tyler Shea Cone playing Heather's boyfriend Barry who is none the more likable. They also come across a local who tries to help them played by Tonie Perensky. All of which can't deliver a line that sounds the least bit believable. The only thing that really keeps a viewers' attention is because of how bad the actors are. The only actor who has some saving grace (for himself) is now esteemed actor Matthew McConaughey playing Vilmer, a member of Leatherface's family. McConaughey just hams it up playing his role as psychotic as possible. Playing Leatherface is Robert Jacks who is annoyingly bad because all he does is scream nonstop.The only other positives worth mentioning are the practical and makeup effects. There's not an abundance of practical effects but the fact that it was used shows effort. The same could be said for the makeup. McConaughey's character is part robotic with a hydraulic leg and that does make it interesting to see. How he got that way and as to where he came from, if this is the "official sequel" to the original, is never explained either. What a surprise. This is it though for pluses. Even though there are practical effects, there is almost no gore to this movie. It makes the previous film to this franchise look bloodthirsty. It's actually very surprising. With all the inhumane and off putting scenes that involve grotesque acts, there's hardly a drop of blood shown throughout the running time to this movie. Sure, minimalism works to an extent but if nothing else is really working in the overall product, at least give the audience something visual.That also goes for background elements. The director of photography to this project was Levie Isaacks. Isaacks is best known for being the DP to movies of Guyver (1991) and the infamous horror movie Leprechaun (1993). The work that Isaacks presents here isn't much to talk about. Much of the shots throughout the film consist of turning away from anything gory and refusing to place any establishing shots. Viewers will see the disarray of the cannibal house but there's no real setup. The films before it at least had some kind of arrangement. Here it's just everything everywhere with no real order and it's boring. For music, Wayne Bell from the original film returns and his composition is uneventful too. There are moments where he creates a tune or two that establish a nice sense of dread but other than that there's nothing memorable about it. Much of the instruments involved are synthesizers and since it is not used properly, the audio is rarely effective. So sad it got this bad.It's a shocking film all right. It's shocking that people who were involved with the original returned and had completely forgotten what made it so unique. Matthew McConaughey is possibly the only actor who tries (somewhat) and there are some okay looking effects. The rest isn't good. It makes the other sequels before it look like it they had better writers. Not even a gorehound would enjoy this.

This TCM;Next Generation is an accidental cult classic.I wasn't scared watching this movie,but finally figured out i'm not supposed to be horrified.It is subtly funny,and it is obvious Renee and Mathew and the others were trying not to burst out laughing half the time.It was a load of fun to watch.The actors were having too much fun to try to give Oscar performances and for that their performances are brilliant.This is Renee's best role.Not that she isn't a great actress in general...i just love her so much in this role.She is a young actress who seems like she is just having fun.Mathew is amazing..how on earth this movie gets such low scores is beyond me.Watch it...you'll love it.

A group of stupid teenagers coming from a prom get into a car crash in the woods of Texas, prompting some Texas hillbillies & the infamous Leatherface to torture them. Why, why, why, why, why? Was the constant question that kept popping up in my brain while watching this turkey. I saw the cut version and I highly doubt I missed anything noteworthy. Added gore wouldn't change my opinion on this dreck. There is no suspense what so ever (Aside from an admittedly decent rooftop sequence), it is rather dull, and it really doesn't take itself all that seriously. Where to begin on all the flaws. I'll start with Leatherface. Gone, is the terror that Leatherface provides, replaced by a shrill scream that can give even the calmest people of headaches. It got to the point where I almost muted my T.V. He also wears lipsticks, dressing up like a transvestite. For someone who wanted to make a true sequel to the original, Kim Henkel pis**** all over it instead. I didn't give a damn about any of the characters in this one, I wanted them all to perish. Also, how is it that the villains are so attractive? I had a hard time believing that someone with Matthew McConaughery's looks could be that sadistic, as well as Renee Zellweger being "ugly" , as she is inexplicably called in this film. Zellweiger does what she can with the awful material, but her character is stupidly written to the point where I wanted to smack her one. This was released in 1997 to try to take advantage of Zellweger & McConaughery's surging popularity. Speaking of McConaughery... he is probably the best thing in this film. He gives a completely over the top and unhinged performance. He was a blast to watch on many occasions. He knew what a piece of crap this was, as evident when he tried to prohibit this from being distributed in theaters, so he had some fun with the role. Robert Jacks is a disgrace to Leatherface. It isn't entirely his fault though. The rest of the cast isn't worth mentioning, aside from the Marilyn Burns cameo at the end. Blink and you'll miss it.Final Thoughts: Even the most die-hard fans of TCM will despise this film. If you're a masochist, then by all means view this movie. If you have enough beers, this MIGHT be good for a few laughs, but it would take quite a few beer DUD

Tcm:the next generation is an odd film. Its more entertaining than the previous installment, "Leatherface", but its a far cry from the original. We follow some of the most annoying, idiotic, and bizarre teens as they leave prom and get into a wreck on a Texas back road. Soon enough Matthew McCaughney shows up snapping necks, overkilling a guy with his monster truck, and jumping off roofs onto cars. He seems to be in charge of the new "Sawyer family". Leatherface spends half the film in drag and screaming his lungs out during chaotic scenes of violence or chases. The teen characters are so stupid you actually root for them to meet their demise. The acting is all over the place. Matthew McCaughney gives a whacked out, over the top performance, while Renee Zellwegger is mediocre at best.There's some ridiculous sub-plot about the Sawyer family being used as a type of anarchy/psycho squad by some sort of agency or occult. But it falls flat and seems like trying to add some method to the madness.The gore is weak, the acting is weak but the film has a manic pace and some truly disturbing moments. It does feel like a rehash of the original and part 3. But thats expected when your plot revolves around a redneck, cannibalistic family with a chainsaw wielding maniac. Its better than the dreadful "Leatherface", but its no TCM2. A solid rental. More of a remake then a sequel.