Texas Chainsaw Massacre: What To Watch & What To Skip For Netflix's Reboot
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise is long and twisted, but here's what Netflix subscribers need to watch before the new reboot. It all began with 1974's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which for whatever reason was the only movie in the franchise to put a space between "Chain" and "Saw" in the title. Directed by Tobe Hooper, the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre is widely hailed as one of the most disturbing, harrowing horror movies ever made, even despite its surprising lack of blood and gore.
Thanks to its eye-catching brand name and scary slasher Leatherface, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the most enduring franchises in the horror genre. However, the quality of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequels, remakes, and prequels made in the decades since 1974 has varied wildly, with some being good, some mediocre, and several outright awful. Despite that, horror fans still watch each new movie in enough numbers to justify keeping the franchise alive.
On February 18, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise heads direct to streaming for the first time, debuting on Netflix. Like Halloween 2018 and Scream 2022, this "requel" shares its title with the original movie. With eight Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies made prior to Netflix's reboot, many may be wondering if they need to catch up on past events, or if the worse movies can be safely ignored. Here's a guide to what to watch and what to skip.
When the trailer for Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022 was released, many immediately drew comparisons to Halloween 2018, and that seems to be by design. Like that movie, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022 is a sequel only to the events of Hooper's original 1974 classic, completely ignoring its various follow-ups. While a new cast of young potential victims will appear to serve as targets for Leatherface's saw, original heroine Sally Hardesty - now played by Olwen Fouéré - will also be coming back to face down her former tormentor.
Although some fans may not wish to skip the prior Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies before streaming the 2022 reboot, viewing every film in the series is not essential. Ahead of release, the Texas Chainsaw movies most worth revisiting are the 1974 original, the wild and crazy Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, the decent Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3, and the underrated 2003 remake. All the other entries range from merely fine to absolutely terrible. However, the only prior Texas Chainsaw Massacre that actually matters to the plot of the 2022 reboot is the original classic. Viewers could safely choose to skip the rest and not miss any vital background information.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022, while originally made with a theatrical release in mind, has been acquired exclusively by Netflix. That means Netflix will be the one and only place to watch Leatherface's latest adventure, worldwide. Thankfully though, Netflix has easily the biggest user base of potential viewers of any streaming service, exposing Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022 to a wide audience.