Leatherface is back. Again. Honestly, it feels like we’ve been here a dozen times before, but when the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Netflix movie dropped, it hit different—and not necessarily for the reasons the filmmakers hoped. You’ve probably seen the discourse. People were either cheering for the gore or absolutely tearing apart the "influencer" subplot. It’s a weird movie. It tries to be a "legacy sequel" in the vein of David Gordon Green’s Halloween, but it ends up being its own chaotic, bloody animal.
Let’s be real. The 1974 original by Tobe Hooper is a masterpiece of grit. It felt like a documentary you weren't supposed to see. The 2022 Netflix version? It’s a high-gloss, neon-soaked slasher that swaps psychological dread for absolute carnage. If you went into this expecting the slow-burn terror of the 70s, you likely hated it. But if you wanted to see a chainsaw go through a literal bus full of people, well, you got exactly what you paid for.
The Timeline Problem: Where Does the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Netflix Movie Fit?
The continuity of this franchise is a total disaster. It’s a mess. You have the original, the wacky sequels, the 2003 remake, the 2017 prequel Leatherface, and now this. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Netflix film decides to ignore everything except the 1974 original. It’s a direct sequel set nearly 50 years later.
In this version, Sally Hardesty—the sole survivor of the first film—is still alive and looking for revenge. Sound familiar? It’s the Jamie Lee Curtis / Laurie Strode formula. However, unlike Halloween (2018), Sally isn't the main focus for most of the runtime. The story actually follows a group of Gen Z entrepreneurs who buy a ghost town in Texas called Harlow. They want to gentrify it. They want to turn it into a trendy hub. Leatherface, who has apparently been chilling in an orphanage for five decades, doesn't take kindly to his "mother" being evicted.
The movie basically posits that Leatherface has been hiding in plain sight. He wasn't caught. He wasn't killed. He was just... there. It’s a bit of a stretch, sure. But slasher logic has never been about realism. It's about the kill. And boy, does director David Blue Garcia deliver on the kills.
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Why the "Social Commentary" Fell Flat for Most People
One of the loudest complaints about the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Netflix release was the heavy-handed social commentary. You’ve got the "gentrifiers vs. locals" trope dialed up to eleven. There’s a scene where the protagonist, Melody, and her sister Lila encounter a guy with a gun and a truck, and the tension is immediate. It’s meant to highlight the red state/blue state divide.
The most infamous scene involves a bus full of party-goers. As Leatherface boards the bus, chainsaw revving, several people hold up their phones. One guy literally says, "Try anything and you're canceled, bro."
It’s cringe. It’s supposed to be satire, but it feels like it was written by someone who has only heard of Twitter but never used it. Most fans felt this pulled them out of the horror. Instead of feeling scared for these people, half the audience was rooting for the guy with the saw. That’s a risky move for a horror movie. If your audience wants the villain to win because the heroes are annoying, you've made a very specific kind of film.
The Return of Sally Hardesty
Olwen Fouéré takes over the role of Sally Hardesty, originally played by the late Marilyn Burns. Her inclusion is the "legacy" part of this legacy sequel. She’s spent decades waiting for the call that Leatherface has resurfaced.
When she finally gets her confrontation, it’s... divisive. Many critics, like those at Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, pointed out that her character feels shoehorned in. She doesn’t have the same emotional weight that Laurie Strode had. She shows up, tries to get Leatherface to remember her, and things go south pretty quickly. It’s a bleak take on the survivor trope. It suggests that trauma doesn't make you a hero; sometimes, it just leaves you hollow and ill-prepared.
The Bus Scene: A Masterclass in Practical Effects
Whatever you think of the script, the technical execution of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Netflix gore is top-tier. Fede Álvarez, who directed the Evil Dead remake, produced this, and his DNA is all over it. There is very little "CGI blood" here. It feels heavy. It feels wet.
The bus massacre is the centerpiece. It’s a claustrophobic nightmare. Leatherface is trapped in a narrow aisle with dozens of victims. There is nowhere to run. The way the camera lingers on the mechanical teeth of the saw as it bites into bone is genuinely stomach-churning. For gore-hounds, this is the gold standard of the modern era. It’s mean-spirited and relentless.
Leatherface's New Look
Leatherface in this movie is played by Mark Burnham. He’s older, slower, but somehow more hulking. He doesn't move like the twitchy, nervous Leatherface of 1974. He moves like a juggernaut.
His mask in this version is supposedly skin from the woman who raised him in the orphanage. It’s sagging, grey, and horrific. It lacks the "pretty woman" or "old lady" personas from the original, focusing instead on a singular, unstoppable rage. It works for the tone Netflix was going for, even if it loses some of the "family" weirdness that made the original so unsettling.
How to Watch and What to Look For
If you’re planning a rewatch or seeing it for the first time, keep an eye on the background details of Harlow. The town itself is a character. It’s dusty, decaying, and feels like a tomb long before the killing starts.
The movie is short. It’s barely 80 minutes long. That’s actually a strength. It doesn't overstay its welcome. It gets in, kills everyone, and leaves.
Key Takeaways for Fans:
- Don't expect a remake. This is a sequel. It assumes you know the 1974 film by heart.
- The ending is a gut punch. Without spoiling it, the final frame is a direct nod to the original's ending, but with a much darker twist.
- Check the credits. There is a post-credits scene. If you missed it, go back. It hints at where the franchise could go if a sequel is greenlit, specifically involving a very famous house.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Netflix experiment shows that the brand still has legs—or at least, a working engine. It’s a polarizing film that prioritizes visceral shocks over the atmospheric dread of its predecessor. It’s not "elevated horror." It’s a slasher in the purest, bloodiest sense of the word.
Actionable Next Steps for Horror Buffs
If you’ve finished the Netflix movie and want to go deeper into the lore or the genre, here is what you should do:
- Watch the 1974 Original: If you haven't seen the Tobe Hooper version recently, watch it right after the Netflix one. The contrast in filmmaking styles—16mm film vs. modern digital—is a fascinating look at how horror has evolved.
- Explore Fede Álvarez’s Catalog: If you liked the gore in this, check out his Evil Dead (2013) and Don't Breathe. He has a specific way of filming "physicality" that makes you feel every injury.
- Track the Post-Credits Hint: Use a map of the franchise’s filming locations. The post-credits scene points toward the original Sawyer house, which still exists in real life (though it’s now a restaurant in Kingsland, Texas).
- Compare the Final Girls: Look at how Sally Hardesty is portrayed in this film versus how the franchise handled her in the bizarre Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. It highlights how different directors view the concept of the "Survivor."
The Netflix entry might not be the "best" in the series, but it’s certainly the most aggressive. It’s a film that demands a reaction, whether it's a gasp of horror or a groan at a social media joke. In the world of horror, being boring is the only true sin. This movie is many things, but it definitely isn't boring.