Texas Chainsaw Franchise

[metternich1815]

I have only seen the original film, the remake, and the sequel to the remake (Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning). I was wondering how good this series was, especially the ones I have not seen (you can comment on the ones I have seen if you want). I was actually thinking of buying Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. If there is another one that you think would be better, you may suggest it. So, what are your thoughts?

[xX_StarChild_Xx]

I haven't seen TNG yet, but I would reccommend Part II. Dennis Hopper is a total nutcase, and I loved it! Bill Mosely's performance as Chop Top is also pretty awesome. If you can find the two disc edition pick that one up. Leatherface: TCM III, I wasn't impressed with. I haven't seen it in a long time though. The trailer for it was pretty funny though.

[metternich1815]

I haven't seen TNG yet, but I would reccommend Part II. Dennis Hopper is a total nutcase, and I loved it! Bill Mosely's performance as Chop Top is also pretty awesome. If you can find the two disc edition pick that one up. Leatherface: TCM III, I wasn't impressed with. I haven't seen it in a long time though. The trailer for it was pretty funny though.

Okay, thank you. I have ordered Chainsaw 2 from Amazon. I could not find the two-disc edition. Was there any particular reason why you recommended it (the two-disc edition specifically, not the film)?

[Elvis_Christ]

They are all worth a watch with the exception of The Next Generation which was just a mess. Part 2 is one of my all time favorite films... more darkly funny than the original which may or may not be your thing. The remake is one of the better ones out there and I enjoyed it.

Texas Chainsaw 3D isn't great either but if you switch off to all the plot-holes and continuity errors it has it's moments.

[metternich1815]

They are all worth a watch with the exception of The Next Generation which was just a mess. Part 2 is one of my all time favorite films... more darkly funny than the original which may or may not be your thing. The remake is one of the better ones out there and I enjoyed it.

Texas Chainsaw 3D isn't great either but if you switch off to all the plot-holes and continuity errors it has it's moments.

Part two looked really good, which is why I decided to buy it (plus, there is a long wait on Netflix). I'll probably still watch The Next Generation, but at least I have warning. The third one isn't even on Netflix, so i'll have to buy it, as well (at some point). I actually really liked the remake too, I would probably rate it four stars. I thought it was one of the best remakes of last decade, especially in the serial killer category. I saw The Beginning give or take, I don't really remember much, except the ending. As I mentioned, I have not seen any of the other ones. I heard the newest one (2013) was pretty terrible, I might rent it from Netflix some time or something. Anyway, thank you for the recommendations. I definitely look forward to watching Chainsaw 2.

[xX_StarChild_Xx]

Okay, thank you. I have ordered Chainsaw 2 from Amazon. I could not find the two-disc edition. Was there any particular reason why you recommended it (the two-disc edition specifically, not the film)?

Well, I liked the documentary on the making of the film. That would pretty much be the only thing that sets it apart from the one disc edition. Either way you go it's a fun movie that ditches the gritty morose realism of the first film for a more comedic and b-movie schlock approach. I think they compliment eachother quite well.

On the subject of the remake, I didn't care for it much at all. However it's been a long time since I've seen it and I only saw it once. I haven't seen "The Begining" either. I was debating whether or not to watch that last night, but instead watched "Human Centipede II".

...I should have watched "The Begining"...

I'll pass on TCM 3D...

[sleepaway]

I agree that they are all worth watching - at least once.

Part 1 - classic, love it
Part 2 - pretty good but have gotten bored of it over the years
Part 3 - liked that one better than 2
Part 4 - underated - well acted
Remake - yuck - waste of space
Prequel - pretty good - nice and gory
newest - was different so I enjoyed it - surprisingly

[metternich1815]

They are all worth a watch with the exception of The Next Generation which was just a mess. Part 2 is one of my all time favorite films... more darkly funny than the original which may or may not be your thing. The remake is one of the better ones out there and I enjoyed it.

Texas Chainsaw 3D isn't great either but if you switch off to all the plot-holes and continuity errors it has it's moments.

I just watched Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation and I will say, while it's far from a masterpiece, I actually kind of liked it. It was very entertaining. I will say that the characters are unusually stupid (in their actions) and many of the ones that are killed were underdeveloped. The exception being Jenny. I also thought the family was really well done. Made to be even more psychotic than the family in the original (which I did not think was possible). On that note, I thought McConaughey was particularly good. Leatherface was, by far, the weakest of the family. McConaughey's character was far more menacing than Leatherface, but I will say that this film, at least in my opinion, is worth a watch. I do not entirely understand the ending though, but overall it was not a bad film (I would probably give it five out of ten stars).

[metternich1815]

Also, the film definitely retained a comedic element similar to the (superior) sequel Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. For example, the fast food restaurant scene

[Giganticface]

Remake - yuck - waste of space
Prequel - pretty good - nice and gory


My thoughts exactly, the first time through. I thought it was ridiculous to make a Michael Bay style huge budget remake of one of the most groundbreaking low-budget successes in history. It didn't capture the gritty feel of the original at all. When "The Beginning" came out, I knew what to expect, and actually liked it a lot because it I remember it being more cringe-inducing than the remake.

Having rewatched the remake a couple times, I don't mind it as much. It's like the Dawn of the Dead remake, just a completely different movie, and not too bad in its own right. I haven't rewatched the prequel yet.

[Kandarian Demon]

I've always loved part II with Dennis Hopper, more than any of the other movies - I remember the day after I watched it for the first time, my dad served me a plate of pasta with meat sauce for dinner, and I almost couldn't eat it :D

[realdealblues]

My Texas Chainsaw Rundown:

Part 1 is a classic and everyone should see it, but I'm pretty much burnt out on it and haven't really felt like watching it in years. It doesn't have the re-watchability of the others for me. Marilyn Burns screaming for pretty much an hour straight just gets on my nerves.

Part 2 & 3 are my favorites. I never get tired of either. I could watch them pretty much any day of the week. Nice breaks in the horror with offbeat comedy and great characters.

Part 4: The Next Generation grows on you. The first time I saw it I thought wtf? But after watching it several more times it's really grown on me over the years. Matthew McConaughey's character gets better and better with repeated viewings.

The Remake & The Beginning didn't do much for me. The Beginning had R. Lee Ermey which made it enjoyable in spots but beyond that I haven't felt the need to watch either more than twice.

As far as Texas Chainsaw 3D I agree with Elvis_Christ. If you can get past the plot holes and continuity errors and just kind of watch it as it's own separate movie than it can be entertaining in spots.

[Nates Vault]

I have only read the first post so far, so if I repeat what others said I am sorry. Tobe Hooper's initial film is a genius work of horror. The first sequel is a genius work of comedic parody. After that the films are crap up until TCM the Beginning. That one begins to recapture the terror that Hooper started in the 70s.

Now on to read this thread

[Sculpt]

I was a fan of the original TCSM film, and I saw part 2 in the theatre. I thought it was a horrible movie. I wasn't alone in that assessment, that is by the critiques of fans and critics alike. It was a long time ago, so forgive my lack of details, but basically, it seemed to lack any point to it. It was like a exploitation of the original, without any of the life of the original. But happy to hear anyone enjoyed it.