Film Review: LEATHERFACE (2017)

The latest prequel/remake/reboot to the Texas Chain Saw Massacre arrives with the origins of our favorite killer Leatherface (2017) which strives to tell the story on how Leatherfae became the infamous killer we now know and loathe.  Verna (Lilli Taylor) has been taking care of her boys for a long time until one day they end up killing Sheriff Hal Hartman’s (Stephen Dorff) daughter.  As punishment, he takes Verna’s youngest boy away from her and places him in a halfway house. 

Years later, Verna is still trying to get custody of her boy when a break out at the halfway house leaves several people dead and nurse Lizzy (Vanessa Grasse) prisoner to three of the children from the halfway house.  Now Lizzy must find a way to stay calm as she finds herself in the middle of a murder spree and a deranged Sheriff will stop at nothing to recapture the children at any costs.

Written by Seth M. Sherwood and directed by Alexandre Bustillo and Julian Maury this is a violent and unforgiving film in the same vein as the latter Chainsaw films.  The film pays homage to the legacy of the original film (while ignoring most of the previous film Texas Chainsaw 3-D) which is to be expected from Bustillo and Maury who crafter the film Inside (2007).

Keeping the true identity of who ultimately becomes Leatherface among the four hospital escapees is a new added level to the franchise but I’m not convinced it was needed but that is a small gripe for a film that does a good job of trying to appease fans of the franchise.  The film may not succeed on all levels but it does do a good job of keeping the legacy alive and relevant at a time when most horror “old school” horror franchises have already seen their final days.

Film Review: BOTCHED (2007)

Ritchie is probably the best worst thief in the world and when he’s hired to steal a prized cross from a Russian hotel he jumps at the opportunity to finish an unpaid debt but even that gets Botched (2007).  When Ritchie (Stephen Dorff) gets to Russia he is forced to work with two brothers whom he can’t trust and are unpredictable.  When someone is killed during the heist they escape with a group of hostages by going to an abandoned floor of the hotel and waiting for the cops to make their move. 

Unfortunately for Ritchie the cops are not coming because the building is owned by a sadistic brother and sister that decide to kill and massacre Ritchie and his friends and the hostages.  Now Ritchie must find a way to finish the job and find a way out of the building before the sadistic siblings kill him.

Written by Derek Boyle and Eamon Friel and directed by Kit Ryan this is an interesting mashup of horror and comedy that works because the situations that Ritchie keeps finding himself in seem to simply be a case of bad luck and that as ludicrous as the situation and characters are it all seems natural to the story being told.  It may seem like a simple crime thriller but there is enough blood and gore to satisfy the horror fans.  

Dorff is an underrated actor because he’s done so many small thrillers and horror films such as The Gate (1987), Blade (1998), Alone in the Dark (2005), Cold Creek Manor (2003), and Feardotcom (2002), to name a few, that many people forget what a versatile actor he can be.  Here he displays charm as Ritchie that makes you root for him despite the tremendous bad luck that he seems to have.  A film I recommend.