The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)

October 21, 2022 10:07 AM

Chainsaw-wielding maniac Leatherface (Bill Johnson) is up to his cannibalistic ways once again, along with the rest of his twisted clan, including the equally disturbed Chop-Top (Bill Moseley). This time, the masked killer has set his sights on pretty disc jockey Vanita "Stretch" Brock (Caroline Williams), who teams up with Texas lawman Lefty Enright (Dennis Hopper) to battle the psychopath and his family deep within their lair, a macabre abandoned amusement park.

Directed by Tobe Hooper. Written by L.M. Kit Carson (Paris, Texas).

50% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Currently streaming in the US on HBO Max. JustWatch listing.

posted by DirtyOldTown (7 comments total)

True story: when I was 13, I went to a church lock-in and the teen Sunday School teacher, who was maybe 28-30, was desperate to show us she was cool so we'd listen to her more. She told us we could rent any movie we wanted and we'd all watch it together at the lock-in. My asshole older brother (16) rented TCM2. She really did let us watch it, but you could see vacillating between dying inside and just learned a lesson about teens the entire time.

This movie is fucking bonkers. So much cocaine had to be involved.

It's more of an experience than a story, like listening to the highest fucker at a house party tell you a joke that is both repellent and hilarious, causing you to simultaneously laugh your ass off and feel truly unsafe.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:11 AM on October 21, 2022 [2 favorites]

I only saw this relatively recently and you nailed the description DirtOldTown. It's a frenetic fever dream of a movie that is also just a lot of fun. I'd avoided it for years because it's nowhere near as highly regarded as the first. I can see why but there's a lot to love here.

It's a very clever sequel in the style of Alien -> Aliens in not conforming to the tone of the first film while still being respectful to the source material.

This is also so clearly has to be one of Rob Zombie's favourite movies.
posted by slimepuppy at 3:14 PM on October 21, 2022 [1 favorite]

Funny, I first watched this when I was about 13 or 14 as well. It was a perennial of our regional free pay TV weekends of the mid to late 80s (along with so many movies of that era - Krull, Prom Night 2, the first 3 Nightmare on Elm Streets... and many more). It is in many ways terrible especially in relation to the orignal but... the level of camp, its balls to the wall-ness, its general ridiculousness. Well I won't lie, I do like it a lot.

Off topic but what's a "church lock-in"?
posted by Ashwagandha at 4:42 PM on October 21, 2022 [1 favorite]

A lock-in is a supervised stay-up-all-night party for kids in a confined space. That one was in a church, but they don't have to be. My kid went to one at an athletic center held by boy scouts.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:24 PM on October 21, 2022

A lock-in is a supervised stay-up-all-night party for kids in a confined space

Ah Ok. Totally outside of my culture.
posted by Ashwagandha at 7:57 AM on October 22, 2022

My totally unpopular, probably indefensible take is that I like this one better than the first one.

I would try and present some reasons why, but if I'm being honest, it's probably because I saw it at a young age and it imprinted on me.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:28 PM on November 1, 2022

Kind of wild that two of the most influential horror films ever made were each followed up by their directors making like a photo booth attendant at a wedding and just saying, "Okay, now let's do a silly one!"
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:30 PM on November 1, 2022 [1 favorite]