The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 4: The Next Generation

clockworkcanary · December 09, 2011, 10:28:50 AM

Ok, this is the most insane movie I have seen in awhile, yet it was ultra entertaining.

In this version, we get:

an evil trucker with a robotic leg played by Matthew McConaughey
Renee Zellweger as the stupidest final girl, ever
a transvestite Leatherface (who is essientially comic relief)
hints at the family being of alien origin
the Illuminati employs the cannibal family, more or less
the best death-by-airplane propeller I have seen in awhile (but forget any kind of explanation for this)
a Chainsaw vs. RV duel
and most surprisingly, not a single actual death by chainsaw in the entire movie

And I thought part 3 was insane ...it doesn't hold a candle to this one!

Raffine · December 09, 2011, 10:34:45 AM

Quotea transvestite Leatherface (who is essientially comic relief)

Actually, it's not really evident but Leatherface in the original film is also wearing a series of different ladies' faces.

clockworkcanary · December 09, 2011, 10:38:08 AM

This is true -after all, TCM's Leatherface was based in part on Ed Gein, who was convicted of making clothes/skin to wear out of women's remains (uggg yuck!). But TCM4 took this to the nth degree! And it was hilarious!

Raffine · December 09, 2011, 10:41:42 AM

Quote from: clockworkcanary on December 09, 2011, 10:38:08 AM
This is true -after all, TCM's Leatherface was based in part on Ed Gein, who was convicted of making clothes/skin to wear out of women's remains (uggg yuck!). But TCM4 took this to the nth degree! And it was hilarious!

OK, nw I have to watch it!

The Burgomaster · December 09, 2011, 11:11:42 AM

I bought this DVD a few years ago and have only watched it once. Maybe it's time to watch it again. I read somewhere that Kim Henkel claimed this (and not TCM 2) was supposed to be the sequel to the original TCM.

clockworkcanary · December 09, 2011, 01:06:15 PM

Seems like every TCM sequel just kinda pretended the rest hadn't happened (except the orig of course) -strange. From what I understand, each one (or at least most of them) was kinda a reboot (before reboots were the thing to do). Except this one, unlike part 3, takes the reboot in a totally crazy direction.

I think the best scene is at the house just before the 'dinner' scene where Vilmer goes completely over the top with the shotgun in his mouth as he starts slapping himself in the head. It was so crazy that Leatherface seems embarrassed!

And the dinner scene was, er, um, different. The original dinner scene was creepy and disturbing. This dinner scene is just disturbing, but not the same way. Instead of human flesh and bones on the table, they're eating pizza (also note that when Darla picks up the pizzas, one of them is Vegetarian?!).
Then the illuminati show up!

I may have to add this one to my review queue (yes, after a year and a half hiatus, I may start writing again!). Speaking of reviews, Obscuras Lupa Presents did a great video review (her expressions at certain scenes are priceless):

http://www.criticswatch.com/reviews/obscurus-lupa-presents-texas-chainsaw-massacre-the-next-generation

crackers · December 09, 2011, 01:51:22 PM

I'm glad this discussion has come up.

****Potential Spoiler*******

Who is it that Renee Zellweger thinks she see's in the hospital on the trolly bed at the end?

It may be really obvious but I have watched this a couple of times now and I still do not get it.

clockworkcanary · December 09, 2011, 02:32:33 PM

Quote from: crackers on December 09, 2011, 01:51:22 PM
I'm glad this discussion has come up.

****Potential Spoiler*******

Who is it that Renee Zellweger thinks she see's in the hospital on the trolly bed at the end?

It may be really obvious but I have watched this a couple of times now and I still do not get it.

I think she is supposed to be the final girl from the original TCM, which makes no f**king sense (just like the rest of the movie) since, according to this film's prelude text, happened 20-25 years prior.

crackers · December 09, 2011, 03:00:27 PM

So it's supposed be prior the original and yet it's called The "NEXT" Generation.

It's stranger than I thought it was originally.

Thanks for kind of clearing that up for me.

clockworkcanary · December 09, 2011, 03:06:43 PM

Sorry -I didn't articulate that very well. I think this is supposed to be the next generation (but not sure about Leatherface himself) yet she sees the girl from the first one at the end (or sees her ghost). Your guess is as good as mine :)

HappyGilmore · December 09, 2011, 05:21:09 PM

At the end, the guy playing the cop was one of the guys from the original. In fact, I believe someone says 'This has happened before', and then the original Sally Hardesty wheels by on a stretcher. Same actress and all. To my knowledge, the opening statement says that, essentially 2&3 were 'minor incidents'.

WingedSerpent · December 10, 2011, 05:47:14 PM

Saw it once and that was enough. It's one of the horror tropes I've never really enjoyed. The family of killers. Mostly because one or two of them turn out to be more annoying then scary.

akiratubo · December 10, 2011, 06:34:39 PM

Quote from: WingedSerpent on December 10, 2011, 05:47:14 PM
Saw it once and that was enough. It's one of the horror tropes I've never really enjoyed. The family of killers. Mostly because one or two of them turn out to be more annoying then scary.

Like Otis in House of 1000 Corpses and its sequel. He wasn't scary, he was just an a***ole. Or Choptop in TCM2, who seemed to be inserted into the movie for the express purpose of making it unwatchable. Hmm ... now that I think of it, they were played by the same actor.

The only one of those movies I've seen that really worked was Spider Baby. Every single member of the crazy family was, if not exactly scary, at least rather disturbing. None of them were annoying.

clockworkcanary · December 11, 2011, 10:21:29 PM

Haha did the TCM inspire the Family of Killer movie subgenre?
Man, Ed Gein caused one hell of a chain reaction (Psycho, TCM, Silence of the Lambs). Other Family of Killers/Cannibal movies I recall are: The Hills Have Eyes, Wrong Turn, and Motel Hell, just to name a few. And you're right -a little bit of that genre goes a long way.

Out of all of those, I only like the original TCM (or at least aspects of it) due to its gritty realism of the time and Motel Hell just because it's insanely awesome.

But I did enjoy TCM 4, but probably for the wrong reasons. It's not a classic, but it was entertainingly bad. Although the trailer for part 3 was pretty good though.

I didn't care for the newer TCM reboots at all. As with other recent remakes/reboots, they ruin things by explaining too much.