It will always be there, insidiously growing
How The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Remake Is Still Relevant Today
New America vs. Old America
“The film which you are about to see is the account of a tragedy in which befell a group of five youths…For them, an idyllic summer afternoon became a nightmare.”
When this film opened with that grim narration voiced by John Larroquette, who also narrated the 1974 original by Tobe Hooper…chills went down my spine. Both are great films, respectively. However, I prefer the 2003 remake.
In 2003, I was eight years old and by that time my parents and older brother had already exposed me to a vast list of horror films among other adult films, “kids shouldn’t watch.” But, I’m grateful they did because it led me to an unfiltered world of creativity within my life, and seeing films like this strangely helped me cope with the trauma that I would later experience, and rock my childhood leading into adulthood.
‘Till this day I still believe this is one of the best horror film remakes. The cinematography was dreadfully stunning, the performances were great, tonally the film was extremely eerie, I cared for the characters, and most of all it felt like a fresh approach to a horror classic. Which, can be hard for a horror film to achieve or any film.
I’m sure someone reading this is about to drag me for saying that, but…I SAID WHAT I SAID. And typically, I’m not one for remakes. So kudos to Marcus Nispel, the cast & crew for executing this film right.
With the current climate of the world, particularly with the United States — this film kept jumping out at me for some reason. Why and how? You might ask.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre reflected a time of political, racial & socioeconomic unrest — the ‘70s. Oh, what a time to be alive.
In this film, it’s the year 1973. Nixon was in office, the Vietnam war was happening, feminism was growing across the nation, crime was soaring along with urban decay and like our ill-fated cast, there were a lot of young, free-spirited people, all about peace, love, and fun.
Escapism was real for them during that time, just like it is for us currently during the COVID-19 pandemic, hence Netflix, Tik Tok, Instagram, etc.
So what better way to escape those tumultuous times than a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert?
Unfortunately, this fun road trip came to a jarring halt in this film the moment Erin and her friends came across the wandering, traumatized hitchhiker. Who warned them about Leatherface, “He’s a bad man,” and that they were driving the wrong way. DANGER AHEAD! After the loss of her entire family, the hitchhiker shot herself and this led the protagonists down a grisly path.
By the way, this twist on the hitchhiker was very original. I’m sure audiences everywhere wondered how the filmmakers were going to top what the original film did.
After that moment, they unknowingly entered Leatherface’s macabre farmstead of horrors. Full of grotesque bodies, meat hooks, and pain.
New America vs. Old America
Erin and her friends represented “New America”, where love was the guiding light, weed was all the rave, and matters were sorted out with peace not war.
However, Leatherface and his cannibalistic family represented “Old America”. Where old, backwoods mentalities ruled the South, the irreverence for humanity and violence was a problem solver for everything.
That’s literally where we are again currently in 2020. Did we ever really become a “New America”? Sure, as a nation we grew and made some strides. But, the Leatherfaces’ of the world still existed and still exist — they were just hiding in plain sight. Where hunting people down for sport is a thing. Need I say, Ahmaud Arbery.
Don’t let “Post-racial America” fool you.
Then, when the Cheeto or as some of you like to call him, “President Trump,” was sworn in, the floodgates of “Old America” unleashed and wreaked havoc on us — a resurgence of hate crimes, confederate flags flying high, MAGA hats and racists, sexists, and homophobes making it their “patriotic” duty to make us all uncomfortable. Just like Leatherface and his family enacted on these young adults in this film.
By the end of this terrifying tale, Erin, our heroine, made it out alive and defeated Leatherface…Well, to an extent. He was still wielding his chainsaw in the rain with one arm as Erin rode off into the night, but she did escape him and she saved a kidnapped baby in the process. Taking with her the horrors folks of her generation thought they could avoid and leaving behind “Old America”.
But it will always be there, insidiously growing.
