[Review] Texas Chainsaw 3D: “It Could Have Been Much Worse”

As an avid horror movie fan, when I heard there was going to be another addition to the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” franchise, I couldn’t help but cringe. Although the 2003 remake produced by Michael Bay (and starring Jessica Biel), and its 2006 prequel, “The Beginning,” were decent; “Part 2” (released in 1986), “Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III” (1990) and “The Next Generation” starring Matthew McConaughey (1994) were all terrible. None of the subsequent releases managed to achieve the unique documentary feel of the first “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974) and the only legitimate connection seemed to be the reprisal of the Leatherface role; even though he was ultimately played by different actors and situated amongst different barbaric and human-flesh-eating families.

The latest installment – “Texas Chainsaw 3D” – picks up where the 1974 original left off, and opens with a young woman fleeing the Sawyer family house where all her friends have just been killed. The police are called out to investigate but before they can get a good hold on the situation, a gang of riled-up vigilante hillbillies armed with shotguns and rifles surrounded the Sawyer house and subsequently shoot-up and burn the house to the ground, killing everyone inside. As it turns out, the gang wasn’t entirely successful as one family member – a months-old baby girl – was rescued from the carnage by a member of the mob who wanted a daughter to call his own. Years later, “Heather,” as she’s being called now, finds out that she isn’t really who she thought she was when she inherits a Texas mansion from a grandmother she never knew she had. So begins the latest “Texas” journey as we are lead back to Leatherface’s resurrection and gory glory.

Also true to the original is the incorporation of a relatively “new to the silver-screen” cast – with the exception of the film’s lead, Alexandra Daddario, who plays “Heather” – and including platinum-certified singer, Trey Songz, makes his film debut as “Ryan.”

Since he’s best known for his smooth and sexy R&B persona, it wasn’t easy envisioning Songz in bloody slasher flick. However, after screening the film, it became apparent that most of the character development in “Texas Chainsaw 3D” lay with his co-star, Daddario, and for the most part Songz portrayed a character that didn’t really require much depth. *SPOILER ALERT* In one scene, Songz nonchalantly plays pool while dancing to his own song and his murder scene – where he dies in a car crash while attempting to escape Leatherface – may be construed as somewhat of a “robbery” by horror fans who expected to see a good hacking. *END SPOILER*

However, when I interviewed Songz during the press junket for “Texas Chainsaw 3D,” it seemed a bit of a relief to him that he didn’t have to do much in the way of character development.

“As a business decision, this movie isn’t based solely upon me,” said Songz. “The failure or the success will not be solely upon me and I think a lot of artists – when they transition into films – they allow that to happen. No matter how talented they are, no matter how much devotion they have towards it, they put themselves in a situation where they take on the weight of the whole movie and have to carry it, and I have a cast that actually carried it with me.”