The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 [DVD]

Hate me if you want, but I never understood the high regard for the first movie. Yeah, I get the grim documentary tone, and I respect that, but there is only ONE massacre with a chainsaw, and it happens off-screen, while the rest of the film is also virtually bloodless. Nah, it's not something I rate highly.

This bizarre sequel only crossed my radar when I saw it on sale rather cheap and I was surprised by how much I liked it. Taking place 13 years after the first movie it opens with a couple of Yuppies being massacred with a chainsaw (sadly, the only chainsaw massacres in the whole movie) and the case promptly investigated by renegade Texas Ranger 'Lefty' Enright (the brilliant Dennis Hopper). The sound of the killing is caught on tape by radio DJ-type lady 'Stretch', who Lefty uses as bait to lure Leatherface out of the shadows. The trail leads to the labyrinthine catacombs beneath an abandoned amusement park for an epic showdown that doesn't really happen.

The problem begins with the second half in which Dennis Hopper seems to wander off into a different movie and nothing really becomes of his character while Stretch runs screaming from a horny Leatherface. It's a bit disappointing in this regard, but the wonderful set-design and gore effects keep it interesting. I just wish that there was more fodder for the titular chainsaw.

A lot of people consider this to be a spoof, but I don't think so myself. Horror movie-making had changed a lot by this point in the 80s. With slashers and the tools of their trade gaining popularity the genre moved away from gritty, grindhouse darkness and into something more colorful and mainstream (for better or worse). TCM2 is just a reflection of that. It's trash, but it's highly energetic and manic trash that's never boring, despite its shortcomings.

The Blu-ray is in very nice-looking 1.85:1 1080p (the back of the box incorrectly states a 1.78:1 aspect ratio) with a DTS HD-MA 2.0 soundtrack and loads of good extras. Fans of the film ought to be very pleased with MGM's effort here.

This Region 1 "Gruesome Edition" of TCM 2 is a good upgrade over the letterboxed vanilla disc from 1999, but is not as special edition as you might hope - though the term "Gruesome Edition" is arguably a fair representation, considering the extra gore included in the deleted scenes.
The film itself is the same one we've known and loved for years, but given a much improved anamorphic transfer and a Dolby Surround track (over the previous editions STEREO). Those hoping for a 5.1 remix like Dark Sky's release of the first film can be disappointed now - all three of the original Hills Have Eyes films have come out on Anchor Bay discs with the original soundtrack (or a marginal stereo upgrade) and 5.1 and DTS, but TCM 2 is stuck with surround. I suppose that's as well since I'm not sure how my head would cope with the score coming at me in six channels. Actually, the high quality representation of the film only highlighted how bizarre and jarring parts of the film are. It's not just surreal, funny or larger than the original film would have led you to believe, it's also inexplicable in ways that clearly were not 100% intentional - this actually benefits the film though. It's off-the-wall, sequel-but-spoof approach owes a little something to The Return of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Howling II (itself Hemdale videos spoofy-last minute re-editing of a failed serious film, so as to emulate their success with Return of the Living Dead), and possibly Fright Night and Re-Animator, and influenced other films like Evil Dead II, Return of the Living Dead II and Phantasm II to take a similar approach. Crank up the mythological aspects and tone down the gritty realism, add violent slapstick and you're away. It should be noted that some have pointed out, with much merit, that the film MOTEL HELL, which Tobe Hooper at one time was slated to direct, is a sort of precursor to this film in a lot of ways (and is a bit more consistant, and boring, to boot).

There's a pretty good making of/retrospective, featuring good interviews with several people from the cast, including Caroline Williams (Stretch), Bill Mosely (ChopTop), Bill Johnson (Leatherface), Lou Perry (LG) and the director of photography. A definte highlight is an interview with LM Kit Carson (Paris, Texas), who worked hard on the film and clearly loves it despite it's flaws. The interviewing is not as exhaustive as you would hope though - I don't think Tobe Hooper showed up once in a new interview, though he did record a commentary with David Gregory which is quite awkward and disappointing. Tobe Hooper is very quiet and when Gregory asks him what he thinks of it at the end of the film and Hooper replies he thinks it's one of his best, I couldn't help but think it was in contrast to the lack of any passion in the proceeding 80mins. There is unfortunately little insight into the film. A second commentary with the cast and crew is more lively and contains some tidbits but quite a bit of backslapping as well.

The deleted scenes contain some fun stuff like Joe Bob Brigg's cameo (which had a very surreal moment with a severed hand, soon to be repeated in Evil Dead 2 and Return of the Living Dead II, which does not belong in this film at all) and revelations about Stretch and Lefty's relationship which probably doesn't belong either but is still fun to see. I believe most of these scenes have been released before (on an older Anchor Bay VHS) and there is still no real representation of an older workprint, with the gore sequences left partially in the film but edited in a comprehensible manner (one of the failings of the film's released state, much to Tom Savini's chagrin).

Overall, it's a good upgrade but it's not as good as an independant release would have been.

Made with little more than a healthy pay check in mind, Tobe Hooper returns to the gruesome family of characters he co-created with writer Kim Henkel in 1973 with this inferior, but fun, sequel. Far glossier than the original 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' this second instalment is more reminiscent of other 80's horror sequels like The 'Friday the 13th' and 'Nightmare' franchises in that it promptly succumbs to the standard pattern of a rock and roll soundtrack, a plot that is as absent of any meat on it's bones as is one of leatherface's hapless victims, and a lack of any genuine shocks or scares (only one moment of face-swapping gore truly stands out here). Whatsmore, the sets are overblown and ridiculous (the family now appear to reside in some kind of underground labyrinth as opposed to the simple farmhouse of the original), character development is completely forgotten, and the ending is plain embarrassing. That said, TCM2 is not without some saving graces - Dennis Hooper is camply hilarous as Sheriff Lefty Enright (Uncle to one of the original movie's unlucky teens) and the family themselves (particularly the eldest brother) still have some amusing moments on screen. This episode is primarily played for laughs, however, and they are not nearly so subtle as those found in the first part. Hollywood effects replace the unrelenting terror of the (far less gory) original and the film suffers as a result. It should be noted also that this DVD contains no extras, but the picture and sound quality are clean and well presented. All told, a decent horror flick and a fun ride - but not a patch on it's classic predecessor.