“The Texas Chain Saw Massacre,” Tobe Hooper’s seminal 1974 classic, has had surprisingly long legs in terms of franchise appeal, with new installments coming out in every decade since the original masterpiece’s initial release. This trend continues with Legendary’s “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” out now on Netflix.
It takes a similar approach as 2018’s “Halloween,” serving as a legacy sequel to the original while continuing the long-established mythology. As the poster for the original movie so unforgettably asked: who will survive and what will be left of them? We might not be able to answer that, but we can tell you who are Leatherface’s potential victims this time around and how they fit into this brand new horror show.
Elsie Fisher as Lila
Actress Elsie Fisher, who broke out as the star of Bo Burnham’s 2018 directorial effort “Eighth Grade” fills the lead role of Lila. Lila is Melody’s sister who begrudgingly goes along on her weird entrepreneurial scout of a dusty backwoods Texas town.
Sarah Yarkin as Melody
Sarah Yarkin is shaping up to be an unexpected scream queen. Yarkin co-starred in 2019’s brilliant “Happy Death Day 2 U” and on the small screen in “Motherland: Fort Salem” (yes, it was about witches). And she’s back again, dodging maniacs in “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Yarkin plays Melody, a young entrepreneur looking to revitalize a sleepy backwoods Texas town (fun fact: they shot in Bulgaria!) Of course, she gets considerably more complicated when they unwittingly wake up a ghost from the town’s past. And by ghost we mean Leatherface.
Mark Burnham as Leatherface
Leatherface is one of the most iconic killers in cinema history. His crimes, which include murder, grave-robbing, and fashioning masks out of human skin, were loosely based on the real-life exploits of Ed Gein, the killer who inspired Norman Bates and “Psycho.” Over the years, Leatherface has been embodied by different hulking performers, although the gold standard was set by Gunnar Hansen in the 1974 original. “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” director David Blue Garcia recently admitted that had Hansen still been alive (he passed away in 2015 from pancreatic cancer), he would have probably asked him to play the maniac again. (Fun fact: in the teaser for “Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III,” Leatherface is played by Kane Hodder, who played Jason Voorhees in several “Friday the 13th” sequels.) This time around Leatherface is essayed by Mark Burnham. And boy does he go to town. Those yuppies never knew what hit ‘em.
Olwen Fouéré as Sally Hardesty
Actress Olwen Fouéré, whose roles range from “This Must Be the Place” to “Mandy,” plays the character of Sally Hardesty from the 1974 original film. Sally, of course, was the lone survivor of the original movie’s attack, which left several young hippies dead in some Texas backwater, and Sally (undoubtedly) permanently scarred. Marilyn Burns originated the role of Sally in the groundbreaking horror film and appeared in 1994’s “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation” and 2013’s “Texas Chainsaw 3D.” The intention was probably to have Burns return, but she sadly passed away in 2014. Fouéré’s new version of the character combines aspects of Jamie Lee Curtis’ return in “Halloween” (2018) and Sarah Connor from “Terminator 2: Judgement Day.” This Sally has been waiting for her final face-off with Leatherface, and she’s not going to squander it (or run out of bullets).
Jacob Latimore as Dante
Jacob Latimore, a regular on the Showtime series “The Chi” who has also appeared in films like “Detroit” and “The Maze Runner,” plays Dante. Dante is one of the group of yuppie entrepreneurs who hand-picks a small Texas town for revitalization and invites a group of tech-world influencers to join them in their grand unveiling. But, of course, he might be pushing the economic initiative a little too hard. And, um, things go from bad to worse.
John Larroquette as Narrator
Legendary actor John Larroquette reprises his role as the narrator of the film, a role he filled in the 1974 original, the 2003 reboot and 2006’s underrated prequel “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.” Larroquette’s filmography includes “Night Court,” “Stripes,” “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” and “Southland Tales.” His gravelly, completely straight-faced line reading was meant to really sell the idea that the original “Texas Chain Saw Massacre” was based on true crimes, which was only sort of true. But the effect was successful; his narration is as iconic a component of the original film as the mask made of human skin or that big metal door. Larroquette is truly a part of horror history, and it’s great to see him reprise that role in this latest installment.
