14 years after The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the murderous cannibal Sawyer family consisting of brothers Drayton "The Cook" (Jim Siedow), Chop Top (Bill Moseley), and Leatherface (Bill Johnson) have abandoned their isolated country hideaway and have taken their hunt for meat on the road. When a pair of the trio's victims calls into the radio station of radio D. J. "Stretch" (Caroline Williams) she ends up recording the sounds of chainsaws and gunfire. Eventually Stretch meets up with former Texas Ranger turned vigilante Lefty Enright (Dennis Hopper) who is hunting the Sawyer family for revenge for the death of his Nephew, Franklin and psychological trauma of his institutionalized niece Sally. Stretch shows Lefty the tape and while initially hesitant to team up, the two agree on a plan to broadcast the tape to trap the Sawyer family, with Stretch seeing this as an opportunity to make a name for herself. Eventually the plan works with Stretch caught in the middle between the crazed Sawyer family and the crazed Lefty who will take them down at any cost.
The final of three films Tobe Hooper did for Cannon following the hit Poltergeist, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (aka Part 2) was born from a cynical desire by producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus to just make a similar film to the last one but on a bigger budget. Tobe Hooper rather than make a straight horror film, made an elaborate darkly comic farce (originally to be titled Beyond The Valley Of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre). The film was not well received by critics or audiences of the era with critics (again) lambasting the film for its violence and gore, while audiences didn't like the shift in tone from the gritty approach of the first film to something more comedic. Even Dennis Hopper at one point claimed this to be the worst film he'd ever been in (before changing it to Super Mario Bros. Later). While it was probably a mistake billing this as a "part 2" and would've been better served by being titled Beyond The Valley Of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is such an audacious and ridiculous exercise in excess that it's honestly hard not to go along with it.
From the opening with its more self-aware soundtrack and broad stereotypical chuckleheads ripping down a highway shooting at random signs, it's made clear this is not the same approach as the original. The movie takes itself about as seriously as a Tex Avery cartoon (albeit with more gore and lasting consequences) and the creativity that goes into the chainsaw based shenanigans is a sight to behold. Caroline Williams makes a great heroine bringing along with the typical scream queen prerequisites and acerbic wit and humor that fits well with the character, and Jim Siedow, Bill Moseley, and Bill Johnson are enjoyable as The Cook, Chop Top, and Leatherface making playing themselves like a gory sadistic version of The Three Stooges. But easily the best part is Dennis Hopper playing unhinged chainsaw wielding Texas Ranger, Lefty Enright, and Hopper doesn't just chew the scene, he chainsaws and devours it. Every moment Hopper is on screen the movie gets that little extra "oomph" that rises it from entertaining to schlocky b-movie epic, Hopper's performance in this movie is almost Ash in Evil Dead levels of over the top entertaining and that's not a statement I make lightly.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is best experienced if you know what you're in for. If you go in knowing this is more a funhouse mirror parody continuation on the first film you'll get what you paid for and then some. If you go in expecting a spiritually faithful follow-up to the original you'll be disappointed. While not every bit of the movie lands and the climax does drag a bit with some of the Chop Top based elements, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is an enjoyable entry in comedically skewed splatter films.
The final of three films Tobe Hooper did for Cannon following the hit Poltergeist, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (aka Part 2) was born from a cynical desire by producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus to just make a similar film to the last one but on a bigger budget. Tobe Hooper rather than make a straight horror film, made an elaborate darkly comic farce (originally to be titled Beyond The Valley Of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre). The film was not well received by critics or audiences of the era with critics (again) lambasting the film for its violence and gore, while audiences didn't like the shift in tone from the gritty approach of the first film to something more comedic. Even Dennis Hopper at one point claimed this to be the worst film he'd ever been in (before changing it to Super Mario Bros. Later). While it was probably a mistake billing this as a "part 2" and would've been better served by being titled Beyond The Valley Of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is such an audacious and ridiculous exercise in excess that it's honestly hard not to go along with it.
From the opening with its more self-aware soundtrack and broad stereotypical chuckleheads ripping down a highway shooting at random signs, it's made clear this is not the same approach as the original. The movie takes itself about as seriously as a Tex Avery cartoon (albeit with more gore and lasting consequences) and the creativity that goes into the chainsaw based shenanigans is a sight to behold. Caroline Williams makes a great heroine bringing along with the typical scream queen prerequisites and acerbic wit and humor that fits well with the character, and Jim Siedow, Bill Moseley, and Bill Johnson are enjoyable as The Cook, Chop Top, and Leatherface making playing themselves like a gory sadistic version of The Three Stooges. But easily the best part is Dennis Hopper playing unhinged chainsaw wielding Texas Ranger, Lefty Enright, and Hopper doesn't just chew the scene, he chainsaws and devours it. Every moment Hopper is on screen the movie gets that little extra "oomph" that rises it from entertaining to schlocky b-movie epic, Hopper's performance in this movie is almost Ash in Evil Dead levels of over the top entertaining and that's not a statement I make lightly.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is best experienced if you know what you're in for. If you go in knowing this is more a funhouse mirror parody continuation on the first film you'll get what you paid for and then some. If you go in expecting a spiritually faithful follow-up to the original you'll be disappointed. While not every bit of the movie lands and the climax does drag a bit with some of the Chop Top based elements, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is an enjoyable entry in comedically skewed splatter films.