Movies

Fede Alvarez, David Blue Garcia Talk ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ 2022

Published

2 years ago

February 13, 2022

In retrospect, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre might just be the most chaotic franchise in horror history. We’ve seen every origin story, reboot, remake, and sequel we could imagine, and yet Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead) and David Blue Garcia (Tejano) have a brand new chapter on its way to Netflix on February 18th.

Set almost 50 years since the events of the first film, the task was a daunting one, and one they decided to approach, much like the original film, as simply as possible.

iHorror spoke with Alvarez and Garcia earlier this week, and they were clear from the beginning, that Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022 focused on story first.

“It all goes back to the original,” Alvarez explained. “You start with the killer, Leatherface. Who are the people that he kills? In the original movie, in my mind, he represents hate and fear of what you don’t understand and what you can’t make sense of. So he kills it. In the original films that why they chose those kind of hippie, cool kids from the city that wear clothes that are completely inappropriate for people in the countryside. That’s why he reacts the way he does. He just can’t understand what’s going on. He just kills them all. There doesn’t seem to be any other reason.”

For the new film, they decided nothing was more 2022 than hipster/influencer culture. Their protagonists have literally purchased an entire isolated town that they plan on gentrifying, turning it into a cultural oasis against the Texas landscape. Of course, there are a couple of residents still living in the town, and one of them has a very deadly temper.

“Visually speaking, I wanted to revisit the original,” Garcia added. “In my memory, I remember it a certain way but I wanted to watch it fresh right before I made this movie. I watched Fede’s Evil Dead and I watched Texas Chain Saw Massacre 1974 and this is what came out of that. They were the last images that went into my brain and I feel like they sort of combined and melded and came out in a certain way. Something with the story with the way it’s written in the original and in this film is that it starts really big and wide with the Texas sky and sweeping landscapes and then the image just starts to squeeze. It gets more claustrophobic. It puts you in a town and an orphanage and in a crawlspace and then finally in a bus and in a car. It gets smaller and smaller and smaller.”

They also began with a voice that is all-too-familiar to fans of the original 1974 film. Actor John Larroquette returned to his very first film role, narrating the events that took place in that isolated Texas town. Back then, it was a favor to his friend Tobe Hooper.

Garcia said the actor was amused that it had become such an iconic franchise, but he was happy to return to lend his voice once again.

“We did a recording session with him,” the director said. “He read the lines, the first time and I don’t think he practiced. Maybe he practiced at home. But he did it perfectly on the first take. As a director, I just have to say, ‘one more for safety.’ That’s just something you have to do as a director. John was sort of laughing. He was like, ‘I’ll give it to you but you don’t need it.’ I’m pretty sure we used the first take at the end of the day.”

Garcia also shared that it was important there be moments of levity within the film. In returning to watch the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, he notes there is an undeniably dark sense of humor to some of the scenes, and it was important to sprinkle those same moments throughout the new film in an attempt to tonally match what came before..

Meanwhile, Alvarez was focused on bringing Leatherface back to his origins, grabbing onto something he felt was missing from some of the films that followed.

“In the original film, you can see Leatherface after killing someone, he’s terrified,” the writer/producer pointed out. “Kind of running around. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s a mess. Which is very unique for a killer. You don’t really see Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers acting like, ‘Boy I really made a mess with this one.’ They’re very determined and cold. Leatherface, you can see the human behind the monster. You can see him making mistakes and regretting it and being nervous about it. So, we wanted to kind of bring that back. He’s not just a killing machine. You can see what’s going on inside him.”

Did they succeed or fail? We’ll let you decide. Texas Chainsaw Massacre hits Netflix this Friday, February 18, 2022. Look for our official review coming later this week as well as an interview with some of the film’s stars.

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Editorial

Yay or Nay: What’s Good and Bad in Horror This Week

Published

21 hours ago

May 4, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Welcome to Yay or Nay a weekly mini post about what I think is good and bad news in the horror community written in bite-sized chunks.

Yay:

Mike Flanagan talking about directing the next chapter in the Exorcist trilogy. That might mean he saw the last one and realized there were two left and if he does anything well it’s draw out a story.

Yay:

To the announcement of a new IP-based film Mickey Vs Winnie. It’s fun to read comical hot takes from people who haven’t even seen the movie yet.

Nay:

The new Faces of Death reboot gets an R rating. It’s not really fair — Gen-Z should get an unrated version like past generations so they can question their mortality the same as the rest of us did.

Yay:

Russell Crowe is doing another possession movie. He’s quickly becoming another Nic Cage by saying yes to every script, bringing the magic back to B-movies, and more money into VOD.

Nay:

Putting The Crow back in theaters for its 30th anniversary. Re-releasing classic movies at the cinema to celebrate a milestone is perfectly fine, but doing so when the lead actor in that film was killed on set due to neglect is a cash grab of the worst kind.

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Lists

The Top-Searched Free Horror/Action Movies on Tubi This Week

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The free streaming service Tubi is a great place to scroll when you’re unsure what to watch. They are not sponsored or affiliated with iHorror. Still, we really appreciate their library because it’s so robust and has many obscure horror movies so rare you can’t find them anywhere in the wild except, if you’re lucky, in a moist cardboard box at a yard sale. Other than Tubi, where else are you going to find Nightwish (1990), Spookies (1986), or The Power (1984)?

We take a look at the most searched horror titles on the platform this week, hopefully, to save you some time in your endeavor to find something free to watch on Tubi.

Interestingly at the top of the list is one of the most polarizing sequels ever made, the female-led Ghostbusters reboot from 2016. Perhaps viewers have seen the latest sequel Frozen Empire and are curious about this franchise anomaly. They will be happy to know it’s not as bad as some think and is genuinely funny in spots.

So take a look at the list below and tell us if you are interested in any of them this weekend.

1. Ghostbusters (2016)

Ghostbusters (2016)

An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.

2. Rampage

When a group of animals becomes vicious after a genetic experiment goes awry, a primatologist must find an antidote to avert a global catastrophe.

3. The Conjuring The Devil Made Me Do It

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren uncover an occult conspiracy as they help a defendant argue that a demon forced him to commit murder.

4. Terrifier 2

After being resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown returns to Miles County, where his next victims, a teenage girl and her brother, await.

5. Don’t Breathe

A group of teens breaks into a blind man’s home, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect crime but get more than they bargained for once inside.

6. The Conjuring 2

In one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, Lorraine and Ed Warren help a single mother of four in a house plagued by sinister spirits.

7. Child’s Play (1988)

A dying serial killer uses voodoo to transfer his soul into a Chucky doll which winds up in the hands of a boy who may be the doll’s next victim.

8. Jeepers Creepers 2

When their bus breaks down on a deserted road, a team of high school athletes discovers an opponent they cannot defeat and may not survive.

9. Jeepers Creepers

After making a horrific discovery in the basement of an old church, a pair of siblings find themselves the chosen prey of an indestructible force.

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Movie Reviews

Panic Fest 2024 Review: ‘Haunted Ulster Live’

Published

3 days ago

May 2, 2024

Jacob Davison

Everything old is new again.

On Halloween 1998, the local news of Northern Ireland decide to do a special live report from an allegedly haunted house in Belfast. Hosted by local personality Gerry Burns (Mark Claney) and popular children’s presenter Michelle Kelly (Aimee Richardson) they intend to look at the supernatural forces disturbing the current family living there. With legends and folklore abound, is there an actual spirit curse in the building or something far more insidious at work?

Presented as a series of found footage from a long forgotten broadcast, Haunted Ulster Live follows similar formats and premises as Ghostwatch and The WNUF Halloween Special with a news crew investigating the supernatural for big ratings only to get in over their heads. And while the plot has certainly been done before, director Dominic O’Neill’s 90’s set tale of local access horror manages to stand out on its own ghastly feet. The dynamic between Gerry and Michelle is most prominent, with him being an experienced broadcaster who thinks this production is beneath him and Michelle being fresh blood who is considerably annoyed at being presented as costumed eye candy. This builds as the events within and around the domicile becomes too much to ignore as anything less than the real deal.

The cast of characters is rounded out by the McKillen family who have been dealing with the haunting for some time and how it’s had an effect on them. Experts are brought in to help explain the situation including the paranormal investigator Robert (Dave Fleming) and the psychic Sarah (Antoinette Morelli) who bring their own perspectives and angles to the haunting. A long and colorful history is established about the house, with Robert discussing how it used to be the site of an ancient ceremonial stone, the center of leylines, and how it was possibly possessed by the ghost of a former owner named Mr. Newell. And local legends abound about a nefarious spirit named Blackfoot Jack that would leave trails of dark footprints in his wake. It’s a fun twist having multiple potential explanations for the site’s strange occurrences instead of one end-all be-all source. Especially as the events unfold and the investigators try to discover the truth.

At its 79 minute timelength, and the encompassing broadcast, it’s a bit of a slow burn as the characters and lore is established. Between some news interruptions and behind the scenes footage, the action is mostly focused on Gerry and Michelle and the build up to their actual encounters with forces beyond their comprehension. I will give kudos that it went places I didn’t expect, leading to a surprisingly poignant and spiritually horrifying third act.

So, while Haunted Ulster Live isn’t exactly trendsetting, it definitely follows in the footsteps of similar found footage and broadcast horror films to walk its own path. Making for an entertaining and compact piece of mockumentary. If you’re a fan of the sub-genres, Haunted Ulster Live is well worth a watch.