It’s not easy to get rid of Leatherface, a killer with a human skin mask created by Tobe Hopper in 1974. Chainsaw Massacre by David Blue Garcia, available on Netflix from Friday, contrasts sharply with the sequels and other reboots while renewing the franchise.
The action takes place nearly half a century after the first part when a merry band of entrepreneurs decides to settle in Harlow, a ghost town in the heart of Texas where the maniac lives peaceful days. The arrival of fresh blood in his town wakes him up all the more quickly as these innocents involuntarily attack his family. “In fifty years, the world has changed but not Leatherface”, confides to the American site CBR the director of a film that pays homage to that of Tobe Hooper while innovating. 20 minutes explain how.
Nostalgic but not too much
The two producers Fede Alvarez and Rodolfo Sayagues, who had already dusted off evil Dead by Sam Raimi, kept watch with screenwriter Chris Thomas Devlin. They have the good idea not to pull too much on the string of nostalgia. So of course, we find Sally, the survivor of Tobe Hopper’s film, played this time by Olwen Fouéré, but transformed into a revenge war machine. Leatherface seems, meanwhile, delighted to return to service with his weapon of choice, but also new toys.
More and more gore
The main characteristic of the film is the gore. The first part was very little in reality, playing more on suggestion and sound effects than on what the spectators could see on the screen. There, it is quite the opposite. David Blue Garcia makes blood flow freely and benefits from high-quality special effects to serve the killer’s imagination, all the more so since the number of “killer flesh” has been increased! A kill scene on a bus is one of the film’s most striking moments.
Laughter and tenderness
These ingredients are not expected to be found in Chainsaw Massacre and yet David Blue Garcia has rediscovered the black humor of Tobe Hopper. It is particularly fun to see the future victims take out their cell phones to film Leatherface. The latter, played by Mark Burnham, becomes almost endearing as we understand his distress as an abused child, and rather playful in his own way. What make you want to see the actor again in this character who offers us a double dose of adrenaline and hemoglobin.