Leatherface

Yet another horror franchise comes out of dormancy to see if there's any blood left to a 40-year old series. "Leatherface" is the latest horror release from Lionsgate and the newest in the should-be-buried "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" movie franchise about a deranged serial killer using, what else, a murderous weapon that should be used on wood and not people.

Tobe Hooper directed the original classic in 1974, and it spawned three sequels, a remake in 2003, a prequel to the remake, and a semi-reboot in 2013 in 3D (which was supposed to be a direct sequel to the first film). Confused? Me too, as "Leatherface" is another prequel that takes place in the 1950's and 1960's, many years before the events of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

"Leatherface" is very slick and faster paced than its predecessors, offering a redundant origin story of how the young Sawyer boy became a bloody serial killer. After an intriguing prelude taking place in the 1950's, the film gets bogged down in a "hoodlums on the run" scenario after inmates escape from a mental hospital. Leatherface the character is an afterthought, with most of the emphasis placed on two repulsive characters being pursued by a corrupt sheriff (Steven Dorff). The film lost me in a nonsensical scene where the two escapees have 3-way sex with a corpse. Huh?

Adding some semi-class to the proceedings happens to be "Conjuring" actress Lili Taylor, but her inclusion at the beginning and ending to "Leatherface" is too little and too late. "Leatherface" the film also has much in common with Rob Zombie's version of "Halloween" and tries to be sympathetic to its main killer.

Besides six deleted scenes which include an alternate opening and ending sequence, Lionsgate "Leatherface" Blu-ray has a 13-minute "Behind the Bloody Mask: Making Leatherface" featurette. It features brief interviews with Dorff, Taylor, and the scads of other young actors that all seem to be British. I wonder if any of them are aware of how brilliant the original "Texas Chainsaw" was and that they're aiding with scathing reviews seen online of "Leatherface." It may finally bury the franchise for good.

"Leatherface"
Blu-ray
$29.99
www.lionsgate.com