Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
Movie, 1995, The original, Set in Prom night
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation is #4 of 9 in release order and #4 of 9 in chronological order in the The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
The story
A group of teenagers get into a car crash in the Texas woods on prom night, and then wander into an old farmhouse that is home to Leatherface and his insane family of cannibalistic psychopaths.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation recap
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1995) follows four teenagers who crash on a back road after their prom and meet Leatherface's family. Kim Henkel, co-writer of the 1974 film, writes and directs; it premiered as The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and was recut and retitled before a 1997 release. Jenny (Renée Zellweger), Heather, Barry and Sean wreck their car and split up to find help. Vilmer Slaughter (Matthew McConaughey), a tow-truck driver with a remote-controlled mechanical leg, runs Sean over, while Leatherface (Robert Jacks) takes Heather and Barry at an old farmhouse. Darla, the insurance agent who offered help, turns out to be in on it. Jenny wakes up at the family dinner table, where they explain they work for a secret society that stages terror to give victims a spiritual experience. Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain and John Dugan from the 1974 film appear in cameos. It loosely follows the original.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation ending explained
The Next Generation ends with Jenny breaking free and using the remote to seize Vilmer's leg. Chased down the road, she is rescued by a couple in an RV, which the family runs off the road, before a crop-dusting plane clips Vilmer's skull and kills him. A society man, Rothman, collects Jenny in a limousine, tells her Vilmer had to be stopped, and leaves her at a hospital. Leatherface flails with his chainsaw alone on the road.
Where to watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation is streaming on Fandango at Home Free in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 3.4/10, Rotten Tomatoes 15%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, before The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
- Chronological order: after Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, before Leatherface.
What to watch before Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
In release order, the essentials before Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1995) are The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986), and Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990).
Cast
- Renée Zellweger as Jenny
- Matthew McConaughey as Vilmer
- Robert Jacks as Leatherface
- Tonie Perensky as Darla
- Joe Stevens as W.E.
- Lisa Marie Newmyer as Heather
- John Harrison as Sean
- Tyler Shea Cone as Barry
- James Gale as Rothman
- Chris Kilgore as Rothman's Chauffeur
- Vince Brock as I'm Not Hurt
- Susan Loughran as Jenny's Mother
Directed by Kim Henkel.