Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III - Lisa's Review

*** SPOILERS ***

In much the same way as the second installment in our 'Texas Chainsaw' series was much removed from the original, this movie is even more removed.

The only original characters we seem to have are Leatherface himself and the notion of 'Grandpa' who is a mummified corpse who sits at the dinner table, but is inexplicably fed blood by his 'family'.  Do they think he's alive???

This movie predominantly follows the characters Michelle & Ryan as they travel across country (passing through Texas) to deliver a car to Michelles dad.  As they travel, they pass through a police checkpoint where a mass grave has been found containing bodies in various states of decay.  To us the viewer, this obviously makes it clear to us that we are nearing Leatherface territory.

They decide to stop at a secluded petrol station (appropriately called 'Last Chance') where they meet a rather nasty, slack jawed idiot (Alfredo)with creepiness and perversion hanging out of him!  Things do seem to be getting a bit sinister when a handsome stranger comes to their aid in the form of Tex (Viggo Mortensen... ey up!!).  He helps them avoid a potentially disasterous outcome, even though they refuse to give him a lift to where he's going.  As they leave, Alfredo shoots through their back window and is seen to shoot at Tex.  Michelle and Ryan think he's possibly killed him... (I noted they didn't go back to help him though!)

As they drive, they decide to take a route recommended by Tex and it all falls to sh*t from there-on-in.  They are ran off the road by a truck driver who throws what looks like a dead wolf at their windscreen.  (that reminds me... there is a link to the first movie with another armadillo... roadkill sadly... sorry, I deviate)   They get a flat tyre and as Ryan attempts to change it, you can imagine what happens.... yup Leatherface makes his appearance!

What follows is stereotypical slasher movie stuff (with remarkably little gore again).  We have the introduction of another character in the form of a survivalist, Benny who ends up off the road when Ryan jumps into the road at a rather inappropriate moment looking for help.  As suspected, Ryan eventually meets an end.   Michelle is obviously going to be our heroine.  A rather hardy lass who escaped Leatherfaces clutches is introduced and is hiding in the forest.  She is the sister of a girl we saw murdered and have her face made into a mask at the start of the movie.  She surprisingly meets a very quick and easy death.

Without describing the rest of the movie scene by scene, we find out that Alfredo, Tex and the guy who ran them off the road (Tinker) are all part of a 'family' with Leatherface, Mamma and a cute little blonde haired girl (who is a little sh*t.. she is introduced when she stabs Michelle).  We also have the corpse of Granpa sitting at a table.  There is no creepy scene like we had in the first movie.  If anything, the whole thing is a bit comedic.  Mamma is a character I would have liked to have seen more of.  She had a voicebox which she has to touch to attain a robotic voice.  I would have also liked to have seen more development of Leatherfaces character.  There is obviously a lot more to him than this movie shows, a little digging would have been good.  Everything just seemed too 'surface'.

We have a very quick crescendo and ending, which is completely unbelievable and anti-climatic.  Benny, who we are convinced has died while battling Leatherface in a lake and falling on his new 'pimped' chainsaw, makes a reappearance, almost gets killed again and survives.  Michelle obviously survives to drive off into the sunset after caving in Leatherfaces skull in the same lake and shooting Alfredo (who was trying to kill Benny) with a shotgun.

What can I say?  I didn't dislike this movie at all.  It was an ok way to spend a couple of hours.  It was easy to watch.  The acting was good.  I didn't say 'Oh ffs' even once!  I would recommend it to someone wanting a straightforward slasher type movie, but someone who maybe didn't want too much blood.  I however would have liked a little more delving inside the characters, especially Leatherface.

However this movie has to be taken as a completely seperate movie to the original.