Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
I knew this one was coming. Who thought that a movie that has Leatherface, Rene Zellweger, and Matthew McConaughey could be bad? Well, this movie proves that, even with this cast it can go so wrong.
Photo Credit: Genre Pictures
Released: 1994
Runtime: 87 mins
Director: Kim Henkel
Writer: Kim Henkel, Tobe Hooper
Actors: Renée Zellweger, Matthew McConaughey, Robert Jacks
PLOT
During Prom night, a group of teens get into a car accident, and it all goes downhill fast for them as they run into Leatherface and his crazy family.
MY THOUGHTS
There’s only six kills in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. None by chainsaw. However, Vilmer gets killed by a plane propeller. Yes, a plane propeller. None of the kills were really that brutal, except maybe Heather. Her head is stomped on by Vilmer.
The acting is bad with the exception of Matthew McConaughey and Renee Zellweger. Renee Zellweger was decent for the material she was given. She plays the nerdy, good girl really well. Not just sitting there letting things happen. She will do what it takes, no matter how stupid, to escape.
As good as Renee Zellweger was, Matthew McConaughey’s over the top craziness is the saving grace in this movie. I want to see more crazy Matthew McConaughey. The crazy eyes. He supposedly says his iconic line from Dazed and Confused "All right, all right, all right" in this movie.
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Four teens leave their prom early when one couple is arguing. Heather (Lisa Marie Newmyer), while driving on back roads, crashes into another car. That driver stumbles out of the car, only to pass out. Three of the teens leave to go find help, leaving Sean (John Harrison) with the injured driver. They stumble upon real estate agent Darla, who calls a tow truck for them. The rest of the movie descends into some sort of madness, with Illuminati conspiracies, Leatherface in overt drag, and a man with weird scars and piercings in a limo.
This is one of my least favorites of the franchise. Most of the lore has been thrown out the window. They are not cannibalistic. Darla buys pizza for dinner on the way home! The family is weird but not like the Sawyers. Not a movie I would willingly re-watch unless I’m watching all the movies in the series. But, if you’re a completionist or would like to see an unhinged Matthew McConaughey, then watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation.
Did you know…:
Renée Zellweger reflected on this movie in a 2016 interview, and said: "It was very low budget, so we all shared a tiny Winnebago that the producer of the film--it belonged to him, it was his personal camper. So, you know, make-up was in the front seats and there was a table in the middle for hair, and there was a tiny little curtain by the bathroom. That was where you put your prom dress and your flower on. It was ridiculous. How we pulled that off, I have no idea. I'm sure none of it was legal. Everything we did was a little bit dangerous But what an experience. It was kamikaze film making."
The hospital scene at the end featured two actors and one actress from the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. John Dugan, who played Grandfather in the original, plays the cop. Paul A. Partain, who played Franklin in the original, is the orderly. Marilyn Burns, who played Sally in the original, is the patient on the gurney (she is credited as Anonymous).
Have you seen the other The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies? Check out my other reviews here: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Franchise.
Let’s get into the rankings:
Kills/Blood/Gore: 2/5
Sex/Nudity: 1/5
Scare factor: 2/5
Enjoyment factor: 3/5
My Rank: 2/5
IMDB: 3.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: critics: 1.6/10 audience: 1.8/10
Letterboxd: 1.9/5