Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)

“Leatherface vs. Cancel Culture: who asked for this?”


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🎥 Let’s start by showing y’all the trailers shall we?

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🧾 Non-Spoiler Plot Overview

So Netflix decided to resurrect Leatherface again, slap the “legacy sequel” label on it, and pretend this is the real sequel to the 1974 classic. What we got? Gen Z influencers trying to gentrify a small Texas town, a legacy character dragged back in because Halloween 2018 did it, and Leatherface himself popping out of retirement after fifty years of chilling in a house with an old lady caretaker. The whole thing tries to mix political hot-button issues, cancel culture jokes, gore for gore’s sake, and nostalgia bait. Spoiler: it doesn’t work.


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👥 Character Rundown

Leatherface (Mark Burnham) – He’s calmer at first, then full rage monster after his caretaker dies. Somehow his skin mask magically sticks to his face all movie with no straps or stitches.

Lila (Elsie Fisher) – Survivor of a school shooting. They bring this up for trauma depth, but the script barely knows what to do with it.

Melody (Sarah Yarkin) – Lila’s sister. Pushy, unlikeable, and ends up being the big fake-out “final girl” before the rug gets pulled.

Dante (Jacob Latimore) – The film’s “token” likable archetype… except he isn’t likable at all. Congratulations, movie, you ruined the one trope that usually works.

Richter (Moe Dunford) – The redneck mechanic who somehow ends up the only character you actually root for.

Sally Hardesty (Olwen Fouéré) – Yep, the OG final girl is back, Laurie Strode–style. Except instead of redemption, they waste her completely.



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⏱️ Pacing / Episode Flow

The film jumps straight into Gen Z vs. Texas culture clashes, then into Leatherface’s caretaker dying, then immediately into the killing spree. It’s not slow — I’ll give it that — but the pacing is messy as hell. Characters do stupid things just to get to the next gore scene. The bus massacre is the peak of “edgy Netflix horror” nonsense.


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✅ Pros

The gore effects are well done if you’re into buckets of blood.

Leatherface himself feels brutal again, especially with that chainsaw carnage.

Richter, the one guy you don’t expect to like, actually comes across as sympathetic.

The ending at least leaves an impact, even if it’s dumb.



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❌ Cons

Unlikable main characters. You’re rooting for Leatherface half the time.

Political agendas shoved in with no nuance — cancel culture jokes, school shooting trauma, gentrification, racism, you name it.

Sally’s return is wasted. They pulled a Laurie Strode clone and then kill her off in the dumbest way.

Zero originality — steals beats from Halloween 2018, Friday the 13th, and itself.

Physics and logic take a vacation. Chainsaw hidden in a wall for decades that still has gas? Masks sticking with no straps? Please.

The bus massacre scene is cringey TikTok satire that already feels dated.



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💭 Final Thoughts

This movie isn’t just bad, it’s insulting. Insulting to fans, insulting to horror writing, and insulting to anyone expecting originality. Leatherface deserved better than being dropped into a parody of political Twitter arguments. If the franchise wanted to get serious again, this wasn’t the way. It’s not scary, it’s not smart, it’s just gore and stupidity.


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⭐ Rating

-20/10. Yes, negative twenty. Skip this trash fire.


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⚠️ Spoiler Warning

Alright, spoilers ahead. If you thought this sounded dumb already, oh buddy, it only gets worse.


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🩸 Spoilers

Lila and Melody, along with their friends (including Dante), roll into a near-abandoned Texas town they bought to “rebuild into a Gen Z paradise.” Immediately they run into Richter, a gun-carrying mechanic who they insult — only to find out later he’s actually their realtor. Oops. Off to a great start.

They spot a Confederate flag and freak out, try to take it down, and stumble on an old woman with an oxygen tank who still lives there. Turns out she’s been looking after Leatherface this whole time. She has a heart attack after they threaten to kick her out, ends up in an ambulance with Leatherface at her side. On the way, she dies. Leatherface snaps, murders everyone in the vehicle, and then literally slices her face off to wear as his mask. He just plops it on his face, no straps, no stitches, and it magically stays for the entire movie. Logic? Dead.

Back in town, Dante is insufferable, Melody is insufferable, Lila is the only one the movie tries to make sympathetic by giving her a school shooting backstory, and Richter ends up being the only character you don’t want to see die. Which, of course, means he dies.

Meanwhile, Sally Hardesty, the OG survivor from 1974, hears about Leatherface’s return. She grabs her guns, puts on a hat, and heads out. And what does she do when she finally confronts him? Stands there demanding “say my name.” Leatherface, who has never spoken a word in his life, just walks past her. Later, she gets chainsawed through the chest and tossed aside like trash. Thanks for nothing, legacy sequel.

The infamous bus scene — Leatherface storms in, influencers pull out phones, one guy says “try anything, you’re canceled bro.” Leatherface massacres the entire bus in a bloodbath that’s supposed to be shocking but just feels dumb.

Eventually, Melody and Lila get into a final showdown with Leatherface. They shoot him, slice him, dump him in water, and of course don’t double-tap him. Morning comes, they decide to leave. But surprise — Leatherface pops out, yanks Melody out of the car, and decapitates her in front of Lila. Then he does a weird little chainsaw dance as the credits roll, like it’s a victory lap.

And that’s it. Franchise ruined again.