While I didn’t care very much for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 for being so dissimilar from the original, it’s hard not to commend Tobe Hooper for at least trying something different rather than rehash the same plot with a new cast and bloodier kills. For me, however, it never quite clicked but I know the film has a strong fanbase.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
(1986)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Horror, Comedy
Shout Factory | NR – 101 min. – $34.93 | April 19, 2016
Date Published: 04/09/2016 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE – 2.0/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: For a decade, Texas Ranger Lefty Enright (DENNIS HOPPER) has sought to avenge the brutal murder of his kin by the cannibalistic Sawyer family – Leatherface (BILL JOHNSON), Chop-Top (BILL MOSELEY), The Cook (JIM SIEDOW), and Grandpa (KEN EVERT). With the help of radio DJ ‘Stretch’ Brock (CAROLINE WILLIAMS), who’s also bent on putting an end to the terror, Lefty finds his way to the Sawyers’ underground slaughter shop, where a battle will soon rage… and the line between good and evil gets chopped to bits. Quick Hit Review: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is a terrible movie. I mean, god-awful. Now, there were a few good scares early on, like when Leatherface jumps out from a dark room, but it would appear where the original was horror with some dark humor thrown in, director Tobe Hooper decided to basically go full-on comedy, zany and insane as it might be, and it results in a film that I found hard to really get into or enjoy. The acting is obviously over-the-top though in-line with the material but at least Caroline Williams makes for a decent scream queen, so there is that. And Dennis Hopper goes ape-shit crazy so I suppose he brought something to the table, not sure what however…
On the plus side, minor as it might be, the production and set designs are impressive, and I did manage to chuckle a couple of times, especially with Leatherface’s exaggerated movements. I’m not as big of a fan of the 1974 original but there is something to admire but this sequel 12 years later had almost nothing to respect. I hated TCM2 although I know it has its fan base but for my money, it didn’t work. On the other hand, I do hold some respect to Tobe Hooper than releasing some carbon copy of his original classic; it’s just to me, being more comedy than horror didn’t work. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 5.0/5 |
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This two-disc set comes with a matted slip cover with custom artwork. The inner cover has a reversible cover revealing the original poster art. Disc 1: It Runs in the Family Extended Outtakes (29:37; HD) are some additional footage from the documentary, a couple participants whom had passed away since the interviews were conducted in 2006. Not sure why it’s on the first disc, however… Still Galleries – You can peruse several galleries including “Black and White Stills”, “Behind the Scenes”, “Personal Collector of Jason Guy”, “Color Stills”, “Posters and Lobby Cards” and “Special Effects Gallery” Also included: Theatrical Trailers (2:04; HD), TV Spots (3:29; SD), Behind-the-Scenes Footage Compilation (43:35; SD), Alternate Opening Credit Sequence (1:56; SD) and some Deleted Scenes (10:57; SD). Disc 2: Yuppie Meat (18:59; HD) features additional new interviews with actors Chris Dourdas and Barry Kinyon who played the first two victims of the film. Cutting Moments (17:19; HD) features a new interview by Editor Alain Jakubowicz. Behind the Mask (13:48; HD) is a new interview by stunt man and Leatherface performer Bob Elmore. Horror’s Hallowed Grounds (24:33; HD) – This is easily my favorite “show” and wish it’d be a weekly series on television. Host Sean Clark revisits various filming locations for TCM2. It Runs in the Family (1:21:41; HD) is a new feature-length documentary on the making of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 featuring screenwriter L.M. Kit Carson, Actors Bill Moseley, Caroline Williams, Bill Johnson, Special Makeup Effects Artist Tom Savini and many others. |
VIDEO – 4.5/5 |
| This is an interesting release. The first disc has a new 2K scan from the interpositive film element while disc two has the original HD master supervised by DP Richard Koors. For the purposes of this review, I’m focusing on the new transfer as it was the version I watched. As such, it’s a fantastic looking picture with excellent detail throughout and colors were generally bright, including the fake looking blood splatter. The darker shots do show some grain however it’s nothing overabundant or distracting. I also didn’t notice any major instances of artifacts, aliasing, dust marks or scratches so a good job was done by the folks over at Shout. |
AUDIO – 4.25/5 |
| The movie comes with both 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio tracks with the former being my default choice. The track is rather remarkable providing for clear dialogue levels while the other elements, like the blood-curdling screams, resonate so well through each channel. Ambient noises, like Hooper’s score, make good usage of the rear channels. Considering the film is going on 30 years old, I was impressed and even the stereo track, which I only sampled, sounded really solid. |
OVERALL – 4.5/5 |
| Overall, while I didn’t care very much for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 for being so dissimilar from the original, it’s hard not to commend Tobe Hooper for at least trying something different rather than rehash the same plot with a new cast and bloodier kills. For me, however, it never quite clicked but I know the film has a strong fanbase. As such, this “Collector’s Edition” release is fantastic with an excellent selection of bonus features to go along with well done video and audio transfers. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.