Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation

A friend of mine recently brought over his collection of movies to watch on a rather dull evening. I chose to watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation only for the fact that I have never seen any of the movies in the series. Believing the Chainsaw Massacre series to be one of the classic horror series like Halloween or the Nightmare on Elm Street flicks, I was prepared to have a few scares and be a bit grossed out. Boy, was I sure disappointed...only had a few cheap laughs at the stupidity of the lines and lack of acting ability.

The film stars Renee Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey.. and although McConaughey does a fine job as a twisted and psychotic killer..Zellweger failed to shine as bright. The co-stars could have been picked from any junior high school play for all the talent they had..

You have your typical high school prom that ends up in a blood bath where the innocent and young heroine fights for her life. Doesn't sound too original? Well, here is the clencher... Leatherface is a wailing transvestite in the cheesy story line. The film may have it's humorous parts, but that is only due to the lack of a decent plot and the lousy acting skills. We enjoyed making fun of different aspects of the film more than anything. My absolute favorite part of the movie was a line of Zellweger's when she was locked in the trunk of a car. Her kidnapper told her to stop kicking her trunk and Zellweger replied in an almost friendly tone, "Ok, but I can't breath." Duh!!! Scream, you nitwit!! You should want to route for the hero/heroine of a decent flick, in this one, however, you really just want her to be caught and slashed from limb to limb. The sickening innocence of her character could turn your stomach faster than watching someone get decapitated.

I do not really know anything about the writer/director of this film, but I hope not all of Kim Henkel's work is this poorly done. If I was her I would be more proud to work at McDonald's than have anymore plots like this one produced...

I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. All I can say is that if you are terribly bored and have absolutely no dishes or laundry to complete..and it was the only movie on cable..then maybe... I couldn't believe my friend even dished out three bucks for this flick in the discount bin..I wouldn't have even paid three cents for it. I suppose that if you are a hard core Massacre fan, this would be just for you as it IS part of the series. As for me, though, I found this to be so idiotic that I don't plan on even trying to sit down and watch any of the others.