Previews | Collated film criticism | Our reviews and ratings | NEW! Visitor ratings | Free movies | 9,100+ entries
With the recent release of the divisive Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) on Netflix, it seems an opportune time to revisit the entire very mixed franchise and here’s our contributor David Flint’s (The Reprobate) ranking of each movie:
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) The original and best – a film that still has power and intensity today, perfectly building the audience to the point of hysteria before exploding in a still-unmatched level of madness and delirium.
THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE (1974) Reviews and overview
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) Tobe Hooper’s belated follow-up to to the original film is a cocaine-fuelled, constantly demented re-interpretation, pushing everything up to 11 and having Dennis Hopper as a lawman only slightly less insane than the killers. It’s a mess, but a magnificent one.
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 (1986) Reviews and 4K Ultra-HD news
Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990) Jeff Burr’s troubled movie sees a new family and has a certain 1980s slickness to it – but by the standards of horror films of the period, it’s pretty strong stuff and maintains the intensity of the previous two films. It also boasts a strong cast. Post-production issues mean that many versions are compromised, but the director’s cut is worth seeing.
LEATHERFACE: THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE III (1990) Reviews and overview
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) Emerging during a flood of remakes and reworkings, this new version of the story is a tad too slick – but still manages to push the limits for what we might expect from mainstream horror, making it a respectful variation on the story.
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (2003) Reviews and overview
Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013) Much-hated by critics, this is not actually that awful despite a messed-up timeline– it picks up from the end of the first film and at least tries to take the story somewhere new. With some intense gore scenes and an intriguing development of Leatherface as a character, this is worth a second look.
TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D (2013) Reviews of another dire sequel
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006) We didn’t need an origin story for Leatherface – sometimes, what you don’t know is more interesting and in the case of this enigmatic character, the mystery is everything. But if the story did need to be told, then this is a fairly decent attempt to flesh out a deliberately obscure monster.
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING (2006) Reviews and overview
Leatherface (2017) Did we really need another origin story? Hardly. If the 1974 and 2003 films exist in parallel universes, then this is the ‘74 origin tale – so even less necessary. It’s not entirely awful – but seems a bit of a backward step in all senses.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) The TCM for the Instagram generation, this has a few interesting ideas but is hard going and is too busy trying to be edgy. In the end, it feels like a compromised attempt to mock Gen Z wokeness while also pampering too it. It’s cookie-cutter horror and will be quickly forgotten.
TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (2022) Reviews [70+] and overview
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994) If misguided Kim Henkel wanted to show who the creative genius behind TCM was, well done – Tobe Hooper must’ve been pleased to see this half-baked, amateurish rehash of the original movie, notable only for the presence of two future big-name actors – Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey – who apparently tried to stop its belated release. You can’t blame them. This is unbearably awful.
TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE NEXT GENERATION (1994) Reviews and overview
David Flint, MOVIES and MANIA
All US releases unless stated.
September 1: Who Invited Them – Shudder
September 2: All Eyes – Theatrical, VOD The Harbinger – Theatrical, VOD Jikirag – VOD Surrogate – VOD on Amazon Tiny Cinema – Theatrical Wire Room – Theatrical, VOD
September 5: The Stranger in Our Bed – VOD (UK) Vampire Academy – Netflix
September 6: Curse of the Kraken aka Sea Monster – DVD Kingdom of the Dinosaurs – DVD Something in the Woods – DVD and VOD The Stranger – Digital and VOD Tiny Cinema – VOD Thor: Love and Thunder – VOD
September 9: Barbarian – Theatrical End of the Road – Netflix House of Darkness – Theatrical Margaux – VOD Speak No Evil – Theatrical (LA, NY) Tad the Lost Explorer and the Curse of the Mummy – VOD
September 12: Jurassic Valley – DVD (UK)
September 13: The Alternate – DVD and VOD Greywood’s Plot – Digital House of Darkness – VOD The Red Book Ritual – VOD Wicked Ones – VOD Wire Room – Blu-ray, DVD
September 14: The Retaliators – Theatrical (worldwide)
September 15: How Dark They Prey – Digital, WatchMoviesNow Speak No Evil – Shudder
September 16: Goodnight Mommy – Amazon Prime Morbius – Netflix Pearl – Theatrical Surrogate – Tubi, Google TV
September 19: Jeepers Creepers Reborn – Fathom Events (3 nights)
September 20: When the Screaming Starts – Screambox
September 22: Raven’s Hollow – Shudder
September 23: Bandit – Theatrical, VOD, Redbox Blank – Theatrical, VOD Control – Theatrical Dig – VOD Don’t Worry Darling – Theatrical Lou – Netflix Section Eight – Theatrical, AMC+
September 27: Control– VOD Girl at the Window – VOD The Munsters – Blu-ray, DVD, VOD, Netflix Nix – VOD
September 30: My Best Friend’s Exorcism – Amazon Prime Never Forgotten – VOD Smile – Theatrical Vesper – VOD
October 1: Deinfluencer – VOD Two Witches – Arrow streaming
October 4: They Crawl Beneath – Blu-ray, DVD Watcher – Blu-ray
October 5: Mr. Harrington’s Phone – Netflix Terrifier 2 – Theatrical, Screambox
October 7: Amsterdam – Theatrical Hellraiser – Hulu The Inhabitant – Theatrical (limited) MK Ultra – Theatrically, VOD Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind – VOD Project Wolf Hunting – DVD, VOD
October 11: Don’t F*ck in the Woods 2 – VOD Tiny Cinema – Blu-ray
October 14: Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday – VOD Bitch Ass – VOD Halloween Ends – Theatrical
October 19: Batman and Superman: Battle of the Sons – VOD: pre-order
October 20: V/H/S/99 – Shudder
October 25: Hounded aka Hunted – VOD
November 1: Hex – DVD and VOD