By Melissa Garza
I went into this with such low expectations. Every review I read was negative. Most comments I saw by viewers agreed with the critics. I was expecting something along the lines of the 2003 remake. Well, I’m glad that I didn’t listen to all the naysayers because I was so pleasantly surprised.
My best friend Megan and I went to a Tuesday matinee in 2D. There were only four other people there so my focus was entirely on the film and thankfully not devoted to people kicking my seat, texting, etc.
The movie opens showing footage from the original. We see Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns) escape in the back of the pickup as Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) chases her.
Soon, the police come out and Sherriff Hooper (Thom Barry) tries to reason with the family. He asks them to release Leatherface (now portrayed by Dan Yeager) to his custody. They decide to relent until the townsfolk arrive. They decide that they want justice now and set the home ablaze believing everyone to be dead.
One of the townspeople, Gavin (David Born) finds a woman near death cradling an infant. She begs for help. He takes the baby but kills the woman. He then gives the child to his wife Arlene (Sue Rock).
Fast forward to the present and the baby is now grown into a full adult. Now, admittedly the timing here is off. The events in the original TCM occurred on August 19, 1973. Therefore, Heather (Alexandra Daddario) should be right around 40 years old and Leatherface should be at least in his 60s or 70s. Such is not the case. So yes, there is a continuity issue – but really who cares? Suspend disbelief. It’s a horror movie. Yes, this is a plot hole…..but oh well.
Heather receives notification that she inherited her grandmother’s house. She finds out she was adopted and that her real last name is Sawyer. She and her friends decide to travel to Texas to see the home.
In all, there is her unfaithful boyfriend Ryan (Trey Songz), her scheming skanky best friend Nikki (Tania Raymonde), Kenny (Keram Malicki-Sanchez) who is a dead ringer for K.D. Lang, and a hitchhiker named Darryl (Shaun Sipos).
The kills come quickly and the pace of the film is great. Admittedly, this is closest to a Friday the 13th or Leatherface: TCMIII, but it’s still very old school which is key.
The storyline is great. The ending is fantastic and I truly hope that there is a sequel. Fans of Saw and Hostel won’t appreciate it. It’s not torture porn. It’s a movie that understands what horror movies were and is reaching back to return the genre to its glory day.
I think most reviewers are being so nit-picky about continuity errors that they’re not watching the film for what it is. It’s a fun, freaky ride with great actors and a cool premise.
Scared Stiff Rating 8/10
