As a general rule of thumb, horror movies aren’t exactly held up to the same standards as other forms of cinema, especially when the project in question is the latest installment of a long-running franchise. Gorehounds tend to ignore reviews and willingly feast on the bloody carnage within regardless of what the critics think, but that doesn’t mean this year’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre has been harshly treated.
Opting to take the Halloween route by discarding everything that happened after Tobe Hooper’s classic 1974 original, director David Blue Garcia already had a tough job on his hands after being drafted in to replace Ryan and Andy Tohill, who were fired weeks into shooting after the studio were left unimpressed with what they were putting together.
Having witnessed Texas Chainsaw Massacre in its final form, the original filmmakers must have been on the path to something truly heinous if this was the better option. Resoundingly panned by critics and audiences alike, even longtime fans of the Leatherface saga voiced their complete lack of interest in seeing the sequel-baiting conclusion explored in further films.
And yet, the utterly wretched legacy sequel has been drumming up a surprising amount of support on Reddit, but at least everyone is capable of admitting the Netflix slasher has its fair share of glaring flaws.
At only 83 minutes including credits, Texas Chainsaw Massacre gives off the vibe of an editing room hatchet job, so maybe there’s a decent flick lurking somewhere in the shadows. We didn’t get to see it, though, even if a small band of defenders have attempted to rally the troops.