Welcome back to The Saw Is Family! Our retrospective that dives into the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise. Last time, I took a look at the original 1974 film that started it all. It's a film that I appreciate and that I enjoy a bit. I mean this franchise wouldn't be where it is today without it. Is it a completely perfect film? No, I don't think so. It does have some faults that have come to the forefront with the last watch that I did. However that first film was a bit of a success and it took a while before people were asking for a sequel. But one did come...
Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part II was released in 1986. Wait a minute, that's 12 years between the two entries. Tobe Hooper had returned to direct and co-write alongside L. M. Kit Carson. When it was first released, it turned out not to be a financial success. It had managed to recoup it's budget, but nothing more substantial than that. What had happened?
Well, I can definitely say that when people stepped into theaters to see Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 - they were probably expecting a certain kind of film. Something that was a further continuation in the established style of that first film. However this film was far from that, this managed to carve a new path and legacy for itself apart from the previous film.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 is a film that is fun. It is an absolute rollercoaster. It literally took any of the preconceived notions one would have after watching the original and flipped them on their heads. Could it have been done in the same style as the original '74 classic? There's a chance it could have. Would it have been a hit? I honestly couldn't say. I fear that if it had tried to emulate what made the first so successful, it would have lost something. It definitely wouldn't be as iconic as Part 2 has gone on to be.
One of the large reasons why Part 2 works so damn well for me is its cast. Dennis Hopper in a Texas Chainsaw film? Who would have thought it would have worked so well? He is so over the top in such a beautiful way. He knows exactly what he wanted to do with the role and what he had to do to get there. It allowed him to make Lefty such an interesting and fleshed out characters. The same goes for Caroline Williams as Stretch. She delivers such an incredible performance. The film literally hinges on her shoulders. If she didn't work, the rest of the film may not play as well as it does.
We do get to see the return of Jim Siedow as Drayton Sawyer. He was very memorable in the first film, however in this second film - the character flourishes. Honestly in this installment, the whole Sawyer clan comes to life in such an interesting way. It's more lively than in the original film, in my opinion. And that definitely has something to do with Bill Moseley as Chop Top. This is a character that is the brother to the hitchhiker from the '74 film. He is completely over the top in such a fun way. Every time he's on screen, this performance manages to steal the scene. Every time I have watched this film, I keep an eye on Chop Top and always find something new in the performance. It's such an iconic performance. And we also have Bill Johnson as Leatherface.
This is probably one of the largest changes from the original film. In that original film, Leatherface was a bit more of a brute and did as instructed. In this installment, we get to see many layers to the character. He takes moments to think for himself. He does make some mistakes - accidentally denting Chop Top's dome probably one of them. He does manage to take a liking to Stretch. Some would say that it's a very cartoonish approach, but I say that it works really well. It's a more embellished approach when compared to the original film.
Holy crap, I went this far into talking about the film without discussing the story. I guess that shows the power of this film. It's a very simple story, which sometimes is what works best. It picks up 13 years after the events of the original. One night we have two dimwits calling a radio station while encountering Leatherface and Chop Top. It's something that sets the whole film into motion. Plus we get to see the return of Nubbins, the hitchhiker - even if he is just a corpse. The story moves along at a very quick pace and before I knew it, we were seeing Dennis Hopper battling Leatherface in a Chainsaw Battle for the Ages.
It's amazing to see that after all these years, Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 continues to find an audience. It may not have found it on initial release, but I'm sure it's made up for it since then. The film has such a chaotic energy at times and can be captivating. I would say that out of the whole franchise, this is probably my favorite. And it's very easy to see why.
If you haven't seen it yet, go check out Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
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