The friends think they’re fulfilling a higher purpose by revitalizing the neighborhood meanwhile, the sheriff and the residents view them as outsiders. Melody and Dante, who are Austin-based foodies and social media influencers, want to repurpose Harlow into a food lover’s paradise. Just like in the original film, the story follows a group of young friends - Melody, Dante, Melody’s little sister Lila and Dante’s fiancée, Ruth - who visit a backwater town and encounter Leatherface. In Garcia’s installment, Leatherface becomes a sympathetic figure, and interestingly, the influencers he targets are vilified and thus deserving of their morbid, outlandish end. We’ve come to expect certain storytelling elements from Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The designated “final girl,” the living fear of Leatherface and sympathy for our killer’s many victims. Unlike Tobe Hooper’s original 1974 film, this one muddles the line between victim and villain. And yet, it’s what sets this iteration of TCM apart from the others. It’s an unexpected moment of satire for fans of the slasher franchise - a comic relief from the gruesome deaths brought forth by a generational villain. “Try anything and you’re canceled,” one of them yells. Despite the chainsaw in his hand, everyone is convinced that Leatherface is trolling like a YouTube comedian - and a pretty corny one at that. So, they whip out their phones to livestream the presumably costumed jokester. Rather, these partygoers - many of whom arrived in the ghost town of Harlow to gentrify it - assume Leatherface is a prank or perhaps an homage to the killer himself. Drinks are flowing, strobe lights are pulsing, and no one is concerned about the masked man terrorizing their Texas town. In a particularly gory scene in David Blue Garcia’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a linear sequel to the classic 1974 slasher film, Leatherface enters a party bus full of influencers.
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