Texas Chainsaw 3D

Texas Chainsaw 3D
File:TheTexasChainsawMassacre3DPoster.jpg Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John Luessenhop
Produced by	Carl Mazzocone
Screenplay by	Adam Marcus Debra Sullivan Kirsten Elms
Story by	Stephen Susco Adam Marcus Debra Sullivan
Based on	Characters by Kim Henkel Tobe Hooper
Starring	Alexandra Daddario Dan Yeager Tremaine 'Trey Songz' Neverson Tania Raymonde Thom Barry Paul Rae Bill Moseley Gunnar Hansen Marilyn Burns
Music by	John Frizzell
Cinematography	Anastas N. Michos
Edited by	Randy Bricker
Production company	Millennium Films Main Line Pictures
Distributed by	Lionsgate
Release dates	January 4, 2013 (2013-01-04)
Running time	92 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$20 million
Box office	$47.2 million

Texas Chainsaw 3D (released on home media and stylized on-screen simply as Texas Chainsaw) is a 2013 American slasher film directed by John Luessenhop, with a screenplay by Adam Marcus, Debra Sullivan and Kirsten Elms. It is the seventh installment in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise and was presented in 3D. The film serves as a direct sequel to the 1974 film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and was originally intended as the final chapter of the franchise (ignoring the events of the subsequent installments). The film stars Alexandra Daddario, Dan Yeager, Tremaine 'Trey Songz' Neverson, Tania Raymonde, Thom Barry, Paul Rae, Bill Moseley, and Gunnar Hansen in a "special appearance". The story centers on a woman who, upon discovering she's adopted, goes on a road trip with her friends to collect her inheritance, and ends up encountering the serial killer, Leatherface.

Texas Chainsaw 3D was released on January 4, 2013, and grossed $47.2 million on a budget of $20 million, and received negative reviews from critics. It was also the last film both Marilyn Burns and Hansen starred in before they both died in 2014 and 2015, respectively. A prequel that takes place before the original 1974 film, titled Leatherface, was released in 2017. Texas Chainsaw Massacre, another direct sequel to the original film, was released on Netflix in 2022.

Plot

Following the events of the original film, the town sheriff arrives at the Sawyer house demanding for Leatherface to surrender. The family initially refuses, but eventually comply. The people of Newt, Texas, led by Burt Hartman, then arrive and burn down the farmhouse of the murderous Sawyer clan in an act of vigilante justice. The arsonists are proclaimed heroes of the community, and the entire Sawyer family is killed. However, an infant with a burn mark on her chest, is found by one of the townsmen, Gavin Miller, who promptly murders her dying mother, Loretta Sawyer. Gavin and his wife Arlene take the child into their care and raise her as their own daughter.

Many years later, a young woman named Heather receives a letter informing her that her grandmother, Verna Sawyer Carson, has passed away, much to her surprise. When she confronts her parents about it, she discovers that she was adopted from a family in Newt, Texas. Heather, her boyfriend Ryan, her best friend Nikki, and Nikki's boyfriend Kenny travel to her grandmother's home to collect her inheritance. Along the way, the group picks up a hitchhiker named Darryl. Upon arriving, Heather is given a letter from Verna's lawyer that she neglects to read. As the group explores the house, they decide to stay the night. Heather and her friends leave to buy food and supplies, leaving Darryl behind to look after the house. Darryl begins stealing valuables and discovers a metal door in the wine cellar that he is unable to open; as he tries to enter he is killed by Leatherface.

While grocery shopping, it is revealed that Nikki and Ryan have slept together. Heather meets Deputy Carl and Mayor Burt Hartman. Heather and her friends return to find the house ransacked. While Kenny is preparing dinner, he goes downstairs to the cellar where Leatherface impales him on a hook. Nikki tricks Ryan into going outside to the barn, then seduces him. Heather finds Verna's decomposing body upstairs and is attacked by Leatherface in the kitchen, but she manages to escape while he kills Kenny with a chainsaw. Heather runs to the graveyard outside the house and hides in Verna's coffin which Leatherface saws through. Nikki and Ryan draw the attention of Leatherface, while Heather gets in the van and picks up her friends. Using his chainsaw, Leatherface cuts through one of the tires, which causes the van to crash, killing Ryan on impact. After wounding Nikki, he then chases Heather to a nearby carnival, where Deputy Carl is patrolling the grounds.

While at the police department, Heather begins digging through the files on the Sawyer family and learns of the family's murderous history and how they were killed. The sheriff and Hartman send an officer to investigate the Carson estate. Over the phone, the officer reports his findings. He finds Nikki hiding in a freezer but accidentally shoots her in the head before he himself is killed by Leatherface. Leatherface skins the flesh from the officer's cadaver and uses it to create a new flesh mask. Enraged by the officer's findings, Hartman vows to end the remaining Sawyers. Heather leaves the station and meets with her lawyer at a bar. He tells her that Leatherface is her cousin, who survived the burning of the farmhouse. Heather escapes the bar when Hartman finds her and runs into Deputy Carl in his patrol car. As they drive away, Carl reveals himself as Burt's son. He kidnaps her and takes her to the Sawyer family's old slaughterhouse, ties her up and gags her.

Listening over the deceased officer's police radio, Leatherface learns of Heather's location and goes to the slaughterhouse to kill her. Before he is able to do so, he sees a Sawyer sygil birth mark on Heather's chest and removes her gag. Heather tells him that she is his long lost cousin and he releases her. Leatherface is then attacked from behind by Hartman and his friend Ollie. Heather takes the opportunity to escape. As Hartman and Ollie prepare to kill Leatherface by throwing him into a meat grinder, Heather returns having had a change of heart, kills Ollie, and tosses Leatherface his chainsaw. In the struggle, the sheriff arrives but hesitates to stop Leatherface from killing Burt. Leatherface uses his chainsaw to force Hartman to his death in a meat grinder.

The sheriff lets Heather and Leatherface go. Afterwards, Leatherface and Heather return to the Carson Estate, where Heather reads the letter from Verna. It informs her that her real name is Edith Rose Sawyer, that Leatherface lives in the basement behind the metal door and that he will protect her for the rest of his life, but it also requests that she take care of him in return. Leatherface finally buries Verna's body. Heather accepts how Leatherface's mental state drove him to commit his crimes and graciously accepts him as her only family.

In a post-credits scene, Heather's adopted parents show up at the Carson estate to visit Heather, intending on greedily splitting her assets. As they wait in front of the door, Leatherface comes through the door with his chainsaw in hand.

Cast

• Dan Yeager as Leatherface: Now identified as Jedidiah Sawyer. Luessenhop stated that he picked Yeager because he felt a sense of "menace" after witnessing Yeager's 6'6" frame, "farm boy arms", and "brooding brow" stand "quiet and circumspect". He claimed he could no longer think of another actor afterward. Sam McKinzie portrays a young Leatherface.
• Alexandra Daddario as Heather Miller: The film follows Heather, who is travelling through Texas with her friends to collect an inheritance.
• Tremaine 'Trey Songz' Neverson as Ryan: Heather's boyfriend, who accompanies her on the trip through Texas.
• Tania Raymonde as Nikki: She is described as a "small town girl with an attitude", and the best friend of Heather, who also comes to Texas.
• Shaun Sipos as Darryl: A hitchhiker who catches a lift with Heather and her friends; Darryl "knows more than he lets on".
• Keram Malicki-Sanchez as Kenny: Nikki's boyfriend, who accompanies the others to Texas
• James MacDonald as Officer Marvin: Hooper's second-in-command
• Thom Barry as Sheriff Hooper: Town sheriff
• Paul Rae as Burt Hartman: Town mayor and Carl's father.
• Richard Riehle as Farnsworth: The Sawyer family lawyer.
• Bill Moseley as Drayton Sawyer: Moseley is acting in place of Jim Siedow, who portrayed Drayton in the 1974 film and its sequel, who died in 2003. Moseley previously portrayed Chop Top in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. Director Luessenhop chose Moseley because he felt that he could portray the same "essence" that Siedow brought to the character.
• Gunnar Hansen as Boss Sawyer: Hansen last portrayed Leatherface in the 1974 original film.
• Scott Eastwood as Carl Hartman: Town deputy and Burt's son.
• David Born as Gavin Miller: Foster father to Heather.
• Sue Rock as Arlene Miller: Foster mother to Heather
• Marilyn Burns as Verna Sawyer: Verna is Heather's recently deceased biological grandmother. Burns portrays Sally Hardesty in the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre which is shown in archival sequences in the film's beginning.
• Ritchie Montgomery as Ollie: Burt's accomplice
• Dodie L. Brown as Loretta Sawyer: Heather's biological mother
• David "Bear" Bell as Bear Sawyer: Leatherface's brother
• John Dugan as Grandfather Sawyer: Dugan is reprising his role as "Grandpa" from the 1974 film.

Production

In January 2007, Platinum Dunes executives Bradley Fuller and Andrew Form stated that the company would not be producing the third film in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot franchise. In October 2009, it was announced that Twisted Pictures and Lionsgate Films were attempting to purchase the rights to the franchise from New Line Cinema, with Twisted Pictures producing and Lionsgate distributing. According to Variety writer Michael Fleming, the plan was to create a contemporary film in 3-D, with Stephen Susco writing the script. The contract, with rights-holders Bob Kuhn and Kim Henkel, would be for multiple films. A trilogy of films were planned with Susco writing and James Wan directing the first installment and Hooper helming the second. In May 2011, Lionsgate announced that it would be partnering with Nu Image to produce the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and that John Luessenhop would direct the film. Mazzocone would act as producer, with production having been set to begin in June 2011.Filming began on 28 June 2011 and was completed on 25 August 2011 of the same year. Mazzocone also announced that the story would pick up where Tobe Hooper's original film ends. Adam Marcus and Debra Sullivan were brought in to write the script; Kirsten Elms and Luessenhop worked on rewrites and script polishing. Neither Twisted Pictures nor Nu Image had a credit on the finished film, which had to be re-cut before release, as it received an NC-17 rating due to excessive gore during its initial submission to the MPAA.

Release

Cinemas

Texas Chainsaw 3d was originally scheduled to release on 5 october 2012 it was postponed on 4 January 2013.

Reception

Box office

On its opening night, Texas Chainsaw took first place, earning approximately $10,200,000 at the North American box office. The film ultimately took first place for the entire weekend, making $21,744,470. As of March 2013, the film has made $39,093,317 worldwide.

Critical response

The film was panned for plot-holes and inconsistencies with the original film. On Rotten Tomatoes, Texas Chainsaw 3D has an approval rating of 19% based on 79 reviews, with an average rating of 3.56/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "As an ugly and cynical attempt to rebrand Leatherface as horror anti-hero, Texas Chainsaw 3D is a bold move for the franchise." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 31 out of 100, based on reviews from 17 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale, with 63% of moviegoers being under the age of 25.

IGN editor Eric Goldman wrote, "A few fun 3D-aided jump-scares aside, Texas Chainsaw 3D is a generic and laughable attempt to follow the original."

Other media

Prequel

See also: Leatherface (2017 film)

Due to the film's financial success, Millennium Films began planning a sequel film to be called Texas Chainsaw 4 which was expected to begin filming later in 2013 in the state of Louisiana. Millennium Films Chairman Avi Lerner stated that the project was brought to him by Christa Campbell and Lati Grobman and that Millennium had signed on to produce, with Lionsgate distributing the finished product. Executive producer Mark Burg clarified that the sequel was prematurely announced and had not been authorized: "The rights are controlled by Carl [Mazzocone] and Main Line Pictures, no matter what Millennium says. Millennium simply sold the foreign rights and they will not tell us when a sequel is ready to be made. The script was developed by Carl, myself and writer/director John Luessenhop. Maybe they're looking for something to sell at Berlin, but they have no right to announce this sequel".

Ultimately, a prequel titled Leatherface was released by Lionsgate and Millennium Films in October 2017, focusing on the origin of the eponymous killer, revealing "Jed" (Leatherface) and his siblings are products of incest from siblings Drayton Sawyer (The Cook/Old Man from the original) and Verna Carson née Sawyer and thus is Heather/Edith, uncle as well as cousin. During the course of the film it is revealed "Jed" (Leatherface) was taken into the care of the state of Texas for child endangerment and spent most of his childhood in a mental institution known as the Gorman House Youth Reformery and recovering her son/nephew back was the catalyst of Verna's hypergamy into the Carson family.

Because of the time it took to release it, the studios lost the rights to make future Texas Chainsaw Massacre films.

Toys

In March 2015, Hollywood Collectibles released a 20-inch Leatherface action figure, based on Dan Yeager’s portrayal of the character.

External links

• Texas Chainsaw 3D at AllMovie
• Texas Chainsaw 3D at Box Office Mojo
• Texas Chainsaw 3D at IMDb
• Texas Chainsaw 3D at Metacritic
• Texas Chainsaw at Rotten Tomatoes