Review of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) by Holly J — 31 Oct 2007

The buzz is back, no it isn't the chainsaw, it is the feeling of witnessing a truly great movie.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is easily the best of the entire series, outplaying the original and the remake by every move. It is the ultra rare mixture of terror, laughs, character development, and oddball antics that makes one scream for more. Tobe Hopper will be remembered for the original Texas Chainsaw, but this is the film that will make you realize the guy was a flat out genius for his time.

Many critics have panned this movie as a very dark comedy only some will dig but it is so much more then that. The first had some questionable acting, and plenty of laughable scenes (in a good way), the sequel drops the shady acting and film quality, and double doses the goods. Everything is a bit more odd and peculiar, yes this makes it hilarious, but it also makes it much more uneasy and terrifying. Leatherface's puppy love can be played off as a silly gimmick, but in reality it is a real situation for the character. Can a faceless ravaging monster feel love at first sight? He has mixed feelings, feelings that make you laugh and smile because of how off it is, but then you also wonder and fear if he will lash back into his quest for bloodlust at any second. There simply isn't that kind of edge in the first. The cannibal family is drawn out further, and the story crosses into the epic in such a pitch perfect manner.

The characters in this movie are flawless. Dennis Hooper going to a chainsaw store in the middle of nowhere like a samurai finding the right blade for battle is simply too awesome. It may be stupid, but there is a Texan type of noble conquest stuffed into this movie through the Ranger cop character Hooper plays. It's that outside take that fleshes out the story, without him and its just another horror movie, with him and it is so much more. He, more than anyone else wants to find these cannibal monsters and kill them, but unlike everyone else he seems to have the hardest time running into them. When he finally does confront his deepest feelings of fear and revenge it is nothing short of heroic. A full on chainsaw duel to the death. This is Tarantino before there was Tarantino and its frankly done better, they are images fit for a lifetime.

Much of the imagery makes one feel like they are inside a video game, without ever witnessing it before the environments and odd colors have a feeling of great nostalgia. The entire movie is brilliant, but in totally different ways. Half of the scenes seem directly inline with the story and shove it forward while the other half throw you into a "let's chill" state by characters rambling on just a few sentences too long. It's perfect. The gore itself is unbelievably brilliant. Most horror movies work the violence in like quick gags but in Chainsaw 2 they are long running skits. There may not be as much because of it, but when this movie brings the gore it brings it big and in the most memorable and sadistic ways possible. Simply put, the original and remake don't even come close to what this movie pulls of, so freak'n awesome!

I give this film a 10.0 out of 10.0. I love this movie so much. This is the kind of movie I always dreamed of, but never got until now. A Tarantino film may have more witty lines and cussing, but sometimes that can feel pushed. Chainsaw 2 is completely unnatural in its premise, but it couldn't be any more real in prescribing its ideas. If I was the only person who loved this film I would be fine with that, but it is important you give it a go, you might just find a new love yourself. It's like cough medicine the rare person prefers over the overly sweet taste of candy, this is that hard sugar rush, which may just cure you in the process!