Tobe Hooper’s 1974 picture “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is labeled as one of the most influential films of the horror genre. Since then, seven sequels have been made, with the release of “Leatherface” marking eight. From directors Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, “Leatherface” serves as a prequel of the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” explaining the traumatic reasons behind the eponymous character’s transformation into a disabled murderer.

The story starts with a birthday party held in the Sawyer household. After blowing out the candles of his cake, young Jedidiah (Boris Kabakchiev) receives a chainsaw as a present from his family and is forced to kill a man who has been accused of trying to steal their pig. Jedidiah unsurprisingly refuses and the grandfather (Eduard Parsehyan) kills the man. Several months later, Betty (Lorina Kamburova) and Ted (Julian Kostov), while driving, come across Jedidiah who lies wounded on the road. Worried, Betty brings the child into a worn-down barn, but is murdered by the Sawyer family. Her father, Sheriff Hal Hartman (Stephen Dorff) takes Jedidiah and places him in an insane asylum as an act of revenge.

Ten years later, Lizzy (Vanessa Grasse), a new nurse at the asylum, gets acquainted with patients Bud (Sam Coleman) and Jackson (Sam Strike). Verna (Lili Taylor), Jedidiah’s supposed mother, comes in looking for him but is rejected by the director of the facility. Overcome by rage, she breaks in, trying to find her son on her own. The commotion she creates causes many casualties and allows several patients to flee from the institution. Luckily, Lizzy is helped by Jackson, but is soon taken hostage by Clarice and Ike (Jessica Madsen and James Bloor), sexually crazed inmates who also succeed in escaping. Clarice, Lizzy, Jackson, Bud and Ike get in a car and flee the mental institution. Will fate be in favor of them all?

The gory violence in “Leatherface” is never pleasing to watch, but if it was the intention of the directors to disgust their audience, they succeeded. Each one of the characters have impacting roles and strong connections to other characters, regardless of whether they are a major or a minor character. However, the artificiality of the film cannot be more emphasized. The blood in the film is unrealistic. In reality, a gunshot does not produce the unbelievable amount of blood that the film illustrates. Although there are no useless characters, there are useless sex scenes that show two teenagers having sex against a wall in the midst of an asylum breakout. It is understandable that “Leatherface” is a work of fiction. However, it should at least aim to horrify the audience, rather than leave it dumbfounded by its sheer nonsense.  

“Leatherface” opens in theaters nationwide on Friday, Oct. 20.

Email Woojung Kim at [email protected].