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TCM: Franchise Identity Crisis Revealed
15 Jul
Summary
- Original film aimed for a PG rating despite its reputation.
- Sequels misinterpreted the film, turning Leatherface generic.
- The franchise is uniquely uneven with many false starts.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise suffers from a profound identity crisis, a complexity that extends beyond its interchangeable character masks. The original 1974 film, despite its lasting reputation for gruesomeness, was deliberately crafted to achieve a PG rating, employing optical illusions rather than explicit gore to terrify audiences.
Subsequent sequels complicated this legacy, often misinterpreting the original's intent and transforming Leatherface into a generic slasher figure. This led to a franchise that, while shorter than many contemporaries, became notably weirder and more uneven. Many installments felt like remakes, with even the official remake failing to maintain stylistic consistency. The cumulative effect is a uniquely inconsistent series in the horror genre, characterized by false starts and repeated do-overs.
