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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 – Still Running 31 years later

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Well it’s time to dust off the old, rusty, blood-caked chainsaw and rev it up! Because we’re taking another trip to Texas… This time it’s not hippies getting torn apart, it’s the yuppies hitting the chainsaw!

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2

In this grisly and bizarre sequel to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Radio DJ Stretch (Caroline Williams) is victimized by the chainsaw family as former Texas Marshall (Dennis Hopper) is hunting them down.  Crafting a sequel to a film is no easy task, this can be even more difficult if it’s a sequel to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. An iconic horror film that basically restructured and established modern horror for a new generation.

Enter Tobe Hooper who had a three picture deal with the Cannon film group.  This would conclude his third part of his “Cannon Trilogy”. The first was Lifeforce (1985) followed by Invaders from Mars, a remake of the 1953 film of the same title. Both of these efforts would under perform at the box office and would force Hooper into directing the long-awaited sequel horror fans were dying to see. It’s hard to believe now since The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has gone on to produce multiple sequels, remakes and prequels to those remakes. However, Hooper held back on the project for over ten years. Since he had a contractual obligation to Cannon it was time to fulfill it and pay his dues. If Hooper was going to make a sequel he didn’t want to just remake the original, he wanted to deconstruct it.

Even though The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 follows some of the same story beats of original film, Hooper and screenwriter L.M. Kit Carson take out all of the reality and ramp up the twisted perverse humor tenfold, compete with sinister three stooges. Not wanting to re-create the documentary atmosphere of the original film, Hooper instead put together a Gore-house opera that doubles up the chainsaw mayhem. Who doesn’t love an epic chainsaw battle between Leatherface and Dennis Hopper?

What the Hell’s goin’ on here? That the American way of enterin’ a man’s home, singin’ like that? – Drayton

Gore

In a response to the bloodsoaked 1980s, Hooper employed the master himself Tom Savini to take over the special fx makeup, which would prove so ghastly that the film would be rated “X” and banned in some countries! The special makeup effects in this film are something to behold.  They are just so disgustingly beautiful, and upon re-watching this film I truly miss Tom Savini’s work in the field.

It’s the Devil’s playground.- Lefty

The Cast

The strong performances in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is what holds the entire macabre piece together. Bill Moseley definitely stands out as the bizarre and deranged character Chop Top. Leatherface is relegated to a more sympathetic and non-threatening role. It seems no one will ever live up to Gunnar Hansen portrayal of the chainsaw wielding character we all know and love. Rest in peace, Gunnar Hansen. Dennis Hopper also delivers a great and over-the-top performance that completely keeps within the movie’s tone.  However, can we expect anything less from the late and great actor? Jim Siedow reprised his role as Drayton the Cook and is still awesome, and Caroline Williams (Stretch) also gives an equally good performance, not to mention a memorable scream.

Lick my plate, you dog dick! – Chop Top

Final Thoughts

It’s interesting to look back at this film. Upon its initial release the die hard fans of the original absolutely hated it. It wouldn’t be until years later when this little film would gain a cult audience on VHS, and this is where much of the sequel’s appreciation grew.  I’ve been a long-standing defender of this film and have even gotten into more than a few arguments over it.  Some of which believe it or not almost resulted in fistfights!  It appears Tobe Hooper had nothing to lose when making this much awaited sequel, so he let loose!  The result is a film that’s very much in tune with the characters. In addition, this movie has such an infectious twisted energy.  It may not be the iconic classic that the original was, but The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is still a classic in its own right.

 Exit. E-X-I-T. – Chop Top

 

 

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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

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Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

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