Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) #502

In the vein similar to that of “Halloween”, the new “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” follows the events after the first film while bypassing the existence of the other entries in the series. Knowing that, this film still doesn't make complete sense if you're trying to connect it narratively to the first film. So instead, go into this movie as if it is the first in a series, just one that reminds you of a movie of the same name. Doing this, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is a taunt slasher that presents some memorable kills. Unlike the original, which hinted at the extreme violence but isn't shown, this one has it all on screen.

The film opens with a group of young entrepreneurs, Melody and her sister Lila, and Dante and his girlfriend Ruth, who have plans to auction off properties in the ghost town of Harlow, creating a vibrant and gentrified scene for other people their age. Things go astray when they find that one of the houses is still occupied by an old woman her silent, hulking "son". She is rushed to the hospital with her son, driven by the two officers who had come to evict her; Ruth, goes along after feeling guilty about the old woman. The others stay and welcome a bus load of investors, while Lila gets to know the local mechanic Richter. During their conversation, we learn that Lila is a traumatized survivor of a school shooting.

Things take a sudden turn for the worse when the old woman dies on the way to the hospital. Her son reacts violently, attacking the police officers, causing the ambulance to crash. Ruth is momentarily knocked out but awakes in time to see the man cutting off the old woman's face, only to overlay it over his own. Leatherface is back and angry! He quickly kills the driver and Ruth before heading home, where he finds a town full of fresh victims!

When Richter finds out that the old woman might actually still own her home, he takes the keys from Dante and Melody, telling them that he'll return them once they prove they own her house. The two are forced to search the house but run into Leatherface, who attacks Dante. He's distracted by Richter, whose death allows Melody time to escape. She runs to the bus, where the investors are staying dry during a storm. Leatherface enters the bus for one of the most memorable horror moments of 2022. With chainsaw in hand, Leatherface does what he does best, pure bloody chaos. Lila and Melody escape only to run into Sally, the sole survivor of the first film. She has revenge on the mind, but she isn't a Laurie Strode and gets killed before she gets to take Leatherface down for good. It's up to a gun wielding Lila, coming to terms with her fear of firearms, to go toe to toe with Leatherface. He's old, he's getting tired, right?

Favorite moment of the film is the final death. If you know, you know.

Hellraiser (2022) #488

Watch the trailer here!

    After all of the fanfare, the buildup, excitement, and naysayers full of doubt, the long-awaited revival of "Hellraiser" has arrived! Now that it has had some time to be seen by the masses and picked apart by those who didn't care for it for one reason or another, I'm here to share my thoughts about the eleventh film of this beloved franchise. I enjoyed the movie and recognize that it is not a direct sequel to any of the films but rather a clever reimagining of the powers of the puzzle box and its wicked guardians.

While the original narrative is about a degenerate rake seeking supreme pleasure obtained by solving a mysterious puzzle box, this outing offers additional "prizes" to choose from if you can solve the puzzle. Replacing Frank, we have Voight, an ultra-rich entrepreneur who is collecting victims to solve the puzzle box in order to achieve the final configuration. The film begins with his latest victim, Joey, being ripped apart by the chains and hooks after he solves the puzzle while attending a lavish party. 

The story then refocuses on Riley, a struggling former drug addict who is trying to balance life between her new bad influence boyfriend Trevor and her estranged brother Matt and his circle of friends. Trevor convinces Riley to help him with a heist but all they find is the strange and unassuming puzzle box within a safe. When Riley returns home, she has an argument with Matt who accuses her of using again. She leaves to a park and solves the puzzle, barely missing getting cut by a blade that springs forth from the box. Matt comes looking for her, is cut by the box, and accidently becomes the next victim and is taken as a sacrifice by the Cenobites. Matt's boyfriend Colin and his roommate Nora help Riley and Trevor search for Matt and try to solve the mystery around the puzzle box.

Riely and her friends are eventually led to Voight's abandoned mansion, itself a puzzle box of sorts that very reminiscent of the house from "Thir13en Ghosts". As they come closer to finding out the truth about the box, the Cenobites make their presence further known and try to regain the puzzle box by whatever means necessary. They demand sacrifices, even at the expense of sacrificing one of their own, and if enough tributes are offered, who will receive the "gift" and what will they choose?

I appreciate the risks they took narratively and I feel it stays true to both the original "Hellraiser" film and the novella "The Hellbound Heart". Yes, the story is about the demonic Cenobites but it's more focused on desire from those tempted by the puzzle box. The make-up for the Cenobites is creative and clean, and that might be the only real low point of the film; for so many open wounds, they tend to be extremely dry.