"Grandpa's strict liquid diet keeps him as fresh as a rose."

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is a really freaking weird movie.  It came out in 1986 but I just fully saw it tonight.  I had seen a clip of it in horror film class and had always wanted to watch it but clearly not enough to actually do it.  After watching it, I have several questions and overall, seemed like an entertaining cash grab. 

First, I will say that if the chainsaws are replaced with other weapons, this could have been an original movie.  The only things tying this movie to the original are the names of certain characters. Everything else is briefly mentioned to service the script.  Tobe Hooper directed this sequel as well and I am wondering why he did not tweak a couple of things in the script to make it an original story. This was released twelve years after the original TCM, he could have easily done so.  Dennis Hopper is in the film for a couple of scenes as a relative of some victims but I am not sure why his character is in the film.  He seems wacky and unhinged and only comes into play when the script needs him, I am not sure what they're going for with his character.  Lastly, they explicitly equated Leatherface's chainsaw to his sexuality (see image above).  This is a topic that can be explored on its own post, the phallic aspect of the chainsaw being an extension of Leatherface's manhood. and how he gets in a chainsaw fight with Hopper's character for dominance, you get it.  Lastly, the tone of the movie is also very different than the first which is not a bad thing.

That is not to say that this movie is terrible, as I stated it is in fact, pretty entertaining.  The female protagonist's name is Stretch and I thought she was the best part of the movie.  In addition to being attractive, I liked her "vibe" in the beginning of the film and I didn't know she was going to be the protagonist. I also enjoyed the gore in the movie, it seems more visceral than in the original.  You ever had your friend's freshly bloody skinned face placed on you by a maniac?  Then you see your friend is not really dead and he looks at you without his face?  Tom Savini did really good work here and BIll Moseley's performance was amazing.  He is a legit horror god. The set decoration was also on point.  I think I prefer this to Netflix's TCM  reboot from earlier this year.  While watching this, I thought that this is the perfect movie to have in the background of a Halloween party.  I want to have a Halloween party now.