This week, Netflix released the trailer to the latest chainsaw sequel, this time titled, Texas Chainsaw Massacre for some reason. *sigh* If you’d like to check it out, you can do so here. All I’ll say is that the trailer is more retread than reboot, but I’ll check out the feature once it’s released. Trailers can certainly be deceptive.

TCM has had a miserable time with sequels simply because none of the major creatives behind the first two films took ownership of the property. That’s why we got such oddities as TCM the Next Generation wherein Renee Zellweger and a leg-brace-wearing Matthew McConaughey joined the cast. Like most of the TCM sequels, it’s a terrible movie from the VHS days when box cover art did more to sell a rental than anything else. In fact, the chainsaw girl on that box cover isn’t even in the movie.

The rights got sold and moved around a lot until Platinum Dunes and New Line produced a higher-end remake in 2003. It was a decent remake, but it got more of its mood from color-grading than from the verisimilitude of the original. That was followed by carbon copies in the guise of prequels, sequels to the original, and other oddities that looked and felt exactly like the 2003 remake. At this point, there really is no hope of this IP ever being more than a cash-in for whoever owns the rights at the moment.

However, there was one shining moment when the original film’s director stepped up and made a truly original sequel in 1986: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. Of all the TCM films, including the original, this is my favorite. Oh, I respect the original, but seeing it isn’t exactly an enjoyable experience, if you know what I mean. TCM2 includes the horrors of the original but spices them up with a big dose of comedy. In some ways, that makes portions of the film even more disturbing, as it’s the juxtaposition that keeps us on the ride. I suppose there are rides that feature a straight, downhill burst of speed, but I always preferred the ebb and flow of those old wooden roller coasters.

I won’t get into the plot. I think you’re better off watching the movie and experiencing it firsthand, but I will give you a brief tease. Check out this scene.

You might think this scene is straight out of a David Lynch film, but it’s from TCM2. The odd marching band in the background, Hopper’s deadpan performance, the Timbuk 3 track on the radio - it all adds up because it doesn’t add up. That’s how the film works and I like it more every time I see it. It’s soundtrack of 80s alternative music (much of the action is set in an unlikely alternative radio station in rural Texas) mixed with Hooper’s own disturbing synthy goodness (a la John Carpenter) remains one of my faves.

I haven’t even gotten to Bill Moseley’s inspired performance as Chop Top, or Caroline Williams as the film’s “final girl”, or even the script by award winning screenwriter L.M. Kit Carson. This is a brilliant black comedy and it deserves as many accolades as the original TCM.