Film Review : Netflix's "Texas Chainsaw Massacre"

 

When I review albums by artists, I expect more from them not accept less. That is why I like them they release albums of a higher standard.  As horror fans we should adopt a similar perspective rather than just accept whatever scraps from the table Hollywood will throw us. At the end of the day, we are the consumers. With properties that have a legacy like Texas Chainsaw Massacre there is a bar those films need to measure up to. Some of the earlier sequels have shown like the the second film this can be done with some b-grade camp and still make a great movie. Since then, varied levels of success have been achieved. I even liked the "Leatherface " prequel. This first wrong chord struck by Netflix's newest installment is it felt like a Blumhouse  movie to me. I hate Blumhouse as it feels like they are dumbing down their movies and trying to appease a teenage market with them. This also made it the first Texas Chainsaw movie I have fallen asleep during. 

That was not a dealbreaker. The deal breaker really lies in the poor writing. Most people are happy people get killed. Well, that is the bare minimum you should accept. When you can watch it want to be the more recent "Halloween" movies and still be entertained, then your opinion might not be subjective. Early on when the violence started there, we some inconsistencies that bugged me. He is strong enough to break a cop's arm and stab him with his bone, but the local fix it guy is going to be strong enough to hang with him for a round. Leatherface is crazy strong. The suspension of disbelief of this is maintained by making sure these lines up, across the board when displaying this strength that is why we are willing to believe the incredible feats. But the movie did not know what it wanted to do. Did it want you to cheer for the millennial stereotyped characters to be sawed in half? or were they hoping you would sympathize with them?   

In either case they were killed by the bus load. The kill scenes which have gotten the most positive feedback online, seemed to have little grasp of what would happen to flesh if it came in contact with human flesh. For one it would not just liquify a body into a fountain of blood. It would not be that pretty. There was some money invested in this film, enough to buy a town in Texas so it looks good until the violence occurs. The visual of Leatherface himself just seemed to be taking liberties for the sake of doing so, when his look is iconic. Netflix is out to appease the masses so should I be surprised they would want to model this after the more recent Halloween movies, complete with the victim out for vengeance motif ?   No, I am glad it did not have a happy ending and all those empowerment moments were cut back down to size. At the end of the day the joke was on the audience.    

Film Review : "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile"

This year has found Netflix really step up their game and make movies that are as legit as anything in theaters. While not a horror movie. It is a grim character study that is propelled by the fantastic performance of Zac Efron, who really loses himself in the role. I think the measure of restraint the director chose by not showing the murders which would have made it a horror movie was a commendable choice.  This could have been a slasher, but instead the movie focused on  just how charismatic  Bundy was. To the point that even though you know the end result you might find yourself siding with his protestations of innocence. John Malkovich also bolsters the film with his role as the Judge during the big trial in Florida.

The question I go off of these days when measuring how good a movie is, now has become how long did it take me to finish it? Since the bulk of my movie going doesn't take place in the theater and is watched at home, is it something that got dragged out because I only watched it in short intervals or was I engaged and drawn to watch as much of it as I could. I would have finished this is one sitting if I had not started it at a late hour and needed to go to bed. The pacing and sense of suspense were compelling and kept me wanting to watch it. Could there have been less emphasis placed on the relationship with his girl friend at the beginning ? I would normally say yes, but it almost gave it an unexpected twist, by showing the role she played in his story. I  think this also humanized him more. I am sure there will be some kind of continued outrage online with people complaining about making him sexy. But due to the groupies he had in court I think it is a very real part of the story and they should get over themselves since the guilty dog barks the loudest.

My only complaint is the fact it did not factor his mental health into the equation aside from a brief mention at the end. I went online and searched his diagnosis to find he was not a psychopath , but bi=polar. I also found the reason this was not a focal point is because people think it would be stigmatizing. As some one who is bi-polar I call bullshit on taking this approach, because one to make it in this world as someone who is mentally ill you have to have thicker skin and hold yourself accountable. This was more of a dire warning to me of what could happen if I did not take care of myself than something to make me feel bad. I don't feel bad because I do take care of myself. I think it was in fact less stigmatizing to show crazy is not Norman Bates or Leather Face , but can be a high functioning facade that goes wrong . Mental health in the 60s and 70s was no where near where is today, so that factors in. I am fascinated with serial killers though Bundy's case was not as fark as Gacy or Gein so I never immersed my self in his story so this shed a different light and is a great film for fans of true crime.