*** 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.
Showing posts with label Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3. Show all posts
Saturday, 19 January 2013
Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III - Will's Review
And so, the law of diminishing returns rings true...
Only the first film is mentioned in the opening crawl (ignoring the 2nd), and Leatherface is the ONLY returning Sawyer, transplanted inexplicably into a new family! (well, a grandpa is in it now, it may be the same one, but he's dead either way).
This time out (as hinted in the title) the goal is clearly to take Letherface to franchise, and pretty much abandon the TCM legacy.
And it fails.. miserably.
With the new family, this could also be seen as a reboot to the franchise; in fact, opening crawls asside, both is entry and the 2nd could be seen as completely unrelated movies, which each have a take on the character of Leatherface, but don't take place in the same fictional universe.
One thing I loved in the first movie (but it was underplayed and a lot of people miss it) is that Leatherface has a verity of masks, which he wears to suit his mood. A the beginning of the film he wears the mask most of us know from merchandising; the "killing mask", and a butchers apron. Later we (briefly) see him in the kitchen, wearing a light blue ladies apron, and an "old lady" mask (with blue rinse); Finally, from dinner onward Bubba puts on his best black suit, and a "pretty" mask (Which is to say it has make-up on and a ladies wig).
To me, if Leatherface is to be expanded upon and taken to franchise, this is the direction to go - almost like a morbid Worzel Gummidge with grotesque skin masks rather than turnip heads! Alas, like the previous entry, this movie features only a "killing mask" (although, admittedly, its a great one).
This time around the man behind the mask is R.A.Mihailoff; who, to his credit, is quite possibly the best thing in the movie, getting just the right balance between retarded and imposing; you wouldn't want to be chased by this dude, with or without his chainsaw! That said, a lot of the time I was put in mind of Kane Hodder (Jason, Friday the 13th parts 6 through 10)* so maybe it's my fondness for that series coming through.
As I've hinted a couple of times already, this entry in the TCM legacy is not a movie I could recommend Nor is it so mind-numbingly awful that I'd tell you to avoid it either... but there are definitely slashers I'd watch before this one.
*I've just read around and it turns out that's because Hodder was the stunt man on this, and pretty much every time the chainsaw is running it IS him.
Only the first film is mentioned in the opening crawl (ignoring the 2nd), and Leatherface is the ONLY returning Sawyer, transplanted inexplicably into a new family! (well, a grandpa is in it now, it may be the same one, but he's dead either way).
This time out (as hinted in the title) the goal is clearly to take Letherface to franchise, and pretty much abandon the TCM legacy.
And it fails.. miserably.
With the new family, this could also be seen as a reboot to the franchise; in fact, opening crawls asside, both is entry and the 2nd could be seen as completely unrelated movies, which each have a take on the character of Leatherface, but don't take place in the same fictional universe.
One thing I loved in the first movie (but it was underplayed and a lot of people miss it) is that Leatherface has a verity of masks, which he wears to suit his mood. A the beginning of the film he wears the mask most of us know from merchandising; the "killing mask", and a butchers apron. Later we (briefly) see him in the kitchen, wearing a light blue ladies apron, and an "old lady" mask (with blue rinse); Finally, from dinner onward Bubba puts on his best black suit, and a "pretty" mask (Which is to say it has make-up on and a ladies wig).
To me, if Leatherface is to be expanded upon and taken to franchise, this is the direction to go - almost like a morbid Worzel Gummidge with grotesque skin masks rather than turnip heads! Alas, like the previous entry, this movie features only a "killing mask" (although, admittedly, its a great one).
This time around the man behind the mask is R.A.Mihailoff; who, to his credit, is quite possibly the best thing in the movie, getting just the right balance between retarded and imposing; you wouldn't want to be chased by this dude, with or without his chainsaw! That said, a lot of the time I was put in mind of Kane Hodder (Jason, Friday the 13th parts 6 through 10)* so maybe it's my fondness for that series coming through.
As I've hinted a couple of times already, this entry in the TCM legacy is not a movie I could recommend Nor is it so mind-numbingly awful that I'd tell you to avoid it either... but there are definitely slashers I'd watch before this one.
*I've just read around and it turns out that's because Hodder was the stunt man on this, and pretty much every time the chainsaw is running it IS him.
Sunday, 13 January 2013
Week 87 - Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III
Year: 1990
Reviews / Author Comments due: 19/01/2013
Reason for Inclusion: Banned in the UK for 14 years
BBFC Status: Passed uncut in 2004
DVD: LINK
Feel free to use the comments section of this post to add your own reviews and thoughts about this movie.
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