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#How the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Connects to the Original

#How the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Connects to the Original

It’s been a little over a week since Netflix dropped the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and yet there is still much to discuss on how David Blue Garcia’s sequel (and somewhat reboot) connects to Tobe Hooper’s 1974 horror classic, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. While the film has garnered many negative reviews from both audience and critics, it’s still fair to take a deep dive into how the ending connects to the original.

Taking place nearly 50 years after the events of the original film, young entrepreneurs Dante (Jacob Latimore), Melody (Sarah Yarkin), Dante’s girlfriend Ruth (Nell Hudson), and Melody’s sister Lila (Elsie Fisher) arrive in the old abandoned town of Harlow, TX, to auction off old, dilapidated buildings to investors looking to gentrify the area. Their arrival, however, only awakens Leatherface from the safe bubble he’s kept himself for the past few decades.

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Texas-Chainsaw-1
Netflix

Similar to the original, Garcia’s Massacre touches a bit on a few of the themes Hooper uses, such as diving into forgotten middle America, older generation clashing with hippies and counterculture, and post-war anxieties prevalent during the 1970s. Its post-war commentary is noteworthy because the older generation looked down upon the vets who came home from Vietnam and everything that revolved around the anti-war movement, like hippies. The revolt against the war was a revolt against the status quo.

Hooper also made several parallels to what was going on in the world, like the Vietnam War and the Manson Family Murders, mirroring the veil that was lifted from the world to present the horrific side to humanity. He played with the fears these events brought and introduced audiences to a twisted and unconventional family that America was not used to before. It’s no coincidence that the rise of horror fans came post-Vietnam.

This sequel plays on this theme, too, with the arrival of the young, hip entrepreneurs who arrive in a lavish party bus to come and reinvent a town, only to create a new trendy place where they can live. It’s no mistake that they all face the wrath of Leatherface towards the end of the film as they all meet their judgment, live on TikTok. Their death only signifies the frustration that a lot of the older generation has now towards Gen Z. So involved with their phones and the world of social media and does not consider the lives they may destroy, as we see with Ginny (Alice Krige).

Related: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors Celebrated by Fans on 35th AnniversaryWith Ginny’s death, Leatherface’s rage awakens to take revenge upon Melody and Dante and those who seek to destroy the “peace” he’s been living in. Both of these films make it clear that it’s not safe to be young and progressive, especially in a town that is not interested in change.

The Return of Sally Hardesty


Sally
Netflix

One of the most significant ways this new installment connects to the original is the return of Sally Hardesty. When it was announced that a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre film was coming, some excitement buzzed around the return of Sally Hardesty, the lone survivor from the original. It made fans wonder how an older Sally would be depicted today without Marilyn Burns returning to reprise her role as Sally. As she passed away in 2014, the studio hired Olwen Fouéré to play a more grim and tough survivor.

Fifty years after the events of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Sally is now living near the town of Harlow, waiting for her rematch with Leatherface. Giving off a bit of how Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode was portrayed in 2018’s Halloween, Sally is now a battle-hardened Texas Ranger who is first seen gutting a pig. The camera closes in on her solemn face when she receives the call that she’s been waiting for. She knows that what she’s been waiting for has finally come, and it is time to face the monster that has been evading the trauma he inflicted upon her by killing her brother and friends.

Speaking with CBR a couple of days before the film premiered, Garcia explained that he and the writers, including Fede Álvarez (Evil Dead), decided to bring back Sally, so they could “keep the story alive for another generation.” They wanted the spirit of Sally, the final girl, to be alive with sisters Melody and Lila as they must fight off from being killed by Leatherface’s chainsaw. Sally sacrifices herself to protect the sisters and breathes out some last advice to Lila by telling her not to run as she will never escape the trauma.

Related: Best Horror TV Series to Watch on Netflix, RankedLila, played by Eighth Grade’s Elsie Fisher, is a lot like Sally. She briefly tells Richter (Moe Dunford) that she refuses to touch a gun after surviving a school shooting. The flashback that we see, lying on the bloodied school floor with her classmates, demonstrates how her fears and trauma help her overthrow Leatherface by shooting him with Sally’s shotgun. Sally’s spirit and sacrifice were enough to make her overcome her past and become a hero for her sister.

An Ending Like No Other


Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Netflix

The most important way this film’s ending connects to the original is that last shocking scene. Lila and Melody have just defeated Leatherface and left him in a pool of water. Or so they thought. Right when the sisters are about to leave the town in a self-driven smart car, Leatherface smashes through the window and yanks Melody out of the vehicle. It begins to drive away as Lila screams out of the sunroof and watches Leatherface behead Melody with his chainsaw. This scene bridges together with the iconic last frame of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with Leatherface angrily waving his chainsaw in defeat. Only this time, Leatherface is waving his chainsaw in triumph.

Yes, this ending is far more shocking than the original, but it still evokes the same anxiety, and tension audiences had and hopes that the sisters will drive away safe like Sally did when she escaped on the back of a passing pickup truck. This ending means that this isn’t the last we will see of Leatherface because the post-credit scene shows him, chainsaw in hand, stumbling back to the house where the original Massacre took place. Those 50 years of slumber are over, and Leatherface is not done with Gen Z yet.


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