Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Flesh and Blood
Genre: Horror
Director: Bryan Bertino
Writer: Clive Steinbeck
Based on the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise
Cast: Thomas Haden Church, Cameron Britton, Sarah Catherine Hook, Dylan Sprayberry, Rachel Hilson, Skyler Gisondo, Richard Brake, Jeremy Howard, Tracey Walter, Melora Walters, Robert Patrick, Mare Winningham
Plot: Texas, 1972. Mary-Ann Cole (Sarah Catherine Hook), Derek Anderson (Dylan Sprayberry), Lisa Miller (Rachel Hilson), and Jared Walker (Skyler Gisondo) are college friends driving south from Dallas toward South Padre Island for spring break. Jared reads aloud from a book of intentionally tasteless jokes about dead babies, nuns, and Poles, laughing hysterically at his own delivery. Derek encourages him, chuckling at every punchline. Mary-Ann tells Jared to grow up, while Lisa mutters about how obnoxious he is. Jared is unfazed, claiming the jokes are just for fun. As the group drives deeper into rural Texas, the open roads get increasingly empty. They stop at a decrepit gas station where they meet Drayton Sawyer (Richard Brake), who acts unsettlingly friendly toward them, flashing a big yellow smile and warning them against a particular shortcut. As they load back into the van, Jared cracks a joke about the crazy hillbillies in the area. Looking at the map, Derek decides that they can save a ton of driving time by taking the shortcut Drayton mentioned. The group holds a vote, but only Mary-Ann votes against the shortcut, arguing there must be a reason they were advised against it.
On the unmapped shortcut, the van jolts to a stop as it runs over a board of nails left in the middle of the road. Derek and Jared inspect the damage, discovering the shredded tire. Derek then grows furious when he realizes that Jarden forgot to pack the spare tire. Jared tries to joke his way out of the situation, but Derek's temper boils over. Mary-Ann attempts to diffuse the argument, but Derek brushes her off. Lisa offers to go with Derek to find help. As Derek and Lisa walk down the desolate road, she asks him if his anger is from hiding their affair from the others, including Mary-Ann, his girlfriend. Derek deflects, but Lisa presses on, asking when he's going to finally break things off with Mary-Ann so they can be together. Derek, changing the subject, points out an old farmhouse in the distance. Derek charges ahead toward the farmhouse despite Lisa's hesitation, insisting on finding a phone to call for help.
When they reach the farmhouse, it is in worse condition than it appears from the road. Bond wind chimes hang from the ceiling, and crude furniture is adorned with animal hides. Lisa begs Derek to leave, but he keeps moving deeper into the house, looking for a phone. Suddenly the room fills with the deafening roar of a chainsaw as Leatherface (Cameron Britton) bursts from the shadows. Derek has no time to react. Leatherface's chainsaw tears into Derek in a spray of blood. Lisa screams, frozen in terror. When Derek's body falls off the blade of the saw and hits the floor, she tries to flee. Leatherface grabs her, hoisting her over his shoulder like a ragdoll as she struggles and cries for help.
Back at the van, Mary-Ann tries to comfort Jared, who is shaken by the sounds of screaming he heard far off in the distance. Mary-Ann insists that instead of waiting around, they should find Derek and Lisa. Before they can decide though, the van is ambushed by Drayton and his brother Nubbins Sawyer (Jeremy Howard). The brothers howl with laughter as they tie up Mary-Ann and Jared. They drag them off to the Sawyer farmhouse. Inside, Mary-Ann and Jared find Lisa naked and restrained, tears steaking her face. Drayton mocks his new captives and jokes about how much he enjoys dark meat while staring at Lisa. Nubbins laughs and points over to Leatherface, stands in the back of the room, towering over everyone, wearing Derek's face as a mask. Mary-Ann screams in horror. Jared vomits on the floor, much to the delight of Drayton and Nubbins, who find it hilarious. Mama Sawyer (Melora Walters) enters the room. She strokes Leatherface's head affectionately, calling him her "Bubba" before turning her attention to Mary-Ann. Examining her with a critical eye, Mama approves. Drayton tells the others that he will take the kids' van back out by the main road, but that he will be back later in order to help prepare dinner.
Texas Ranger Ethan Cole (Thomas Haden Church) calls the hotel on South Padre Island to check on his daughter Mary-Ann, but the hotel clerk says that she never checked in. Ethan, knowing his daughter should have been there hours ago, grows worried. He grabs his badge, gun, and hat before hitting the road. Ethan drives through the Texas countryside. He occasionally glances at a photo of Mary-Ann tucked into his sun visor. Along the drive of vast empty highway, Ethan gets a call over his radio that a vehicle matching the description of Mary-Ann's van has been found off the highway with a flat tire. Ethan arrives in the nearest dusty, near-abandoned town, stopping at a small roadside diner. The place is empty except for a lone woman behind the counter, Ruth Simmons (Mare Winningham). Ethan tells her that he cannot find this town on his map and asks if she can point him to the local sheriff's station, explaining that he's looking for his daughter, who had car trouble nearby. Ruth glances at Ethan's badge before finally pulling out a pen and napkin. She draws him a quick map from the diner to the station. As she gives him the map, she comments that if Ethan's daughter has gone out near these parts, he shouldn't count on the sheriff lifting so much as a finger to help. Ethan questions what she means by that. Ruth simply says that when things go missing around here, they don't get found.
Inside a room deep inside the large Sawyer home, Lisa is tied to a rusted bedframe. Drayton circles her, licking his lips, mentioning that she is a rare cut that they have not enjoyed in a long while. Nubbins joins in and begins hitting Lisa's naked body with a belt, joking that he's tenderizing her. Lisa screams and spits in Drayton's face, which only delights him more. As the two brothers argue about who gets to break her in, Leatherface stands in the doorway, passively watching. Mama eventually steps into the room and ends the torment, scolding Drayton and Nubbins for playing with their food. She orders them to take Lisa to the cellar to ripen some more.
Elsewhere in the house, Mary-Ann and Jared are tied with barbed wire to wooden posts. Despite the pain in his wrists, Jared tries to keep Mary-Ann calm, cracking the occasional joke. They talk about the man wearing Derek's face and wonder aloud if Lisa is still alive. Mama Sawyer enters and begins brushing Mary-Ann's hair as she hums a lullaby. Mama tells Mary-Ann that some girls are meant for something bigger and that Bubba deserves a bride. Jared snaps at Mama, but she barely acknowledges him.
Ethan Cole arrives at the grimy local sheriff's station. Inside, Sheriff Luther Graves (Robert Patrick) sits behind his desk. Ethan introduces himself and explains the situation - his daughter's van was found abandoned nearby, and he's looking for her. Graves nods and promises to keep an eye out. Ethan pushes more - asking about missing persons, road surveillance, and access to nearby properties. Graves shifts from bored to annoyed, telling Ethan that kids go missing all time in the country during spring break and makes a comment about Mary-Ann maybe meeting a group of cowboys at a bar. Realizing he's getting nowhere, Ethan storms out, convinced the sheriff is hiding something.
In the dark cellar of the Sawyer farmhouse, Lisa quietly works her hands free from the restraints. Her wrists are torn and raw. She grabs a broken chair leg as a weapon and makes her way to the steps. The cellar door creaks as she opens it. Leatherface appears, stepping in front of her, towering, blocking the light. Lisa pleads with him, trying to reach the human underneath the mask. For a second, Leatherface hesitates. Mama Sawyer's voice calls out from the other room, telling Leatherface to hurry up. With an anguished grunt, Leatherface guts Lisa with a hook, draining her blood all over the cellar floor. Upstairs, Mary-Ann and Jared flinch at the sound of Lisa's scream.
Ethan drives back to the main road and decides to take a look at Mary-Ann's van for clues. It's parked awkwardly just of the shoulder of the road. Ethan examines the interior, noting that Mary-Ann and her friends' belongings are all still there. He then notices that the gas tank is completely full, meaning they must have stopped at a gas station nearby. He gets in his truck and drives down the road a bit in the opposite direction until he comes across Drayton's rundown gas station - closed for the night. As he looks around, he sees fresh footprints in the dirt around the side of the station leading to a narrow path worn into the weeds. Ethan follows the path, moving carefully through tangled brush until he finally spots the roofline of a sprawling, rotting farmhouse. Ethan retreats back into the woods.
Mary-Ann is taken into a bedroom and tied to a vanity stool. Mama Sawyer brushes her hair as she explains to Mary-Ann that her Bubba was born of sacred flesh - hinting that he was the result of an incestuous relationship between herself and her brother Drayton. Mama then explains to Mary-Ann that she has been chosen to be a legacy bearer for the family. On a nearby bed lies a crumpled white dress, yellowed with age. Mary-Ann pleads to be let go, but Mama hushes her, telling her brides don't beg. As Mama lays out a rings and a necklace made from human teeth, she speaks about tradition and destiny. Mary-Ann is horrified when she finally realizes that Mama intends for her to wed Leatherface.
Mary-Ann, now wearing the white dress, is led by Mama and Drayton downstairs for dinner. Drayton hums "The Wedding March" out of tune. Nubbins drags Jared to the banquet table and seats him next to Grandpa Sawyer (Tracey Walter), ancient and wheezing. Mama lovingly adjusts her father's bib. On a silver platter rests the carved and roasted remains of Derek and Lisa - arranged with culinary pride. Mary-Ann begins sobbing while Jared looks ready to vomit. Leatherface, still wearing Derek's flayed face as a mask, stands at the head of the table with his chainsaw sheathed but nearby. Drayton sharpens a long carving knife, offering the guests a choice between light meat (Derek) or dark meat (Lisa), laughing uproariously as places slabs of human flesh on the plates in front of them. As Nubbins tries to feed a bite to Grandpa, the old man gurgles about how his children have kept the family strong and fed all these years. Mama clinks her glass and declares a the meal a celebration, offering a toast to the bride and groom, Mary-Ann and Bubba. Jared swipes plates and glasses off the table onto the floor. Drayton screams in fury. Leatherface notices that Mary-Ann's dress has been stained by the mess and lunges at Jared, but Mama stops him. She tells her Bubba that he'll have a chance to take care of Jared, but asks that he wait until after the ceremony. Leatherface nods.
Ethan returns to his truck, retrieving a shotgun and flashlight. He silently returns to the woods and begins circling the farmhouse perimeter. He spots Drayton emerging from a side entrance, lighting a cigarette. Ethan raises his shotgun and shouts for Drayton to freeze. Ethan demands to know where his daughter is. Drayton turns slowly, feigning confusion, then smirks and bolts back toward the house. Ethan fires a warning shot and gives chase, kicking open the back door of the farmhouse and storming into its maze of decaying halls. Leatherface bellows in grief upon the commotion interrupting his wedding feast. Mama barks at Leatherface to take Mary-Ann upstairs to consummate their marriage - urging him to be quick and quiet about it. Leatherface grabs Mary-Ann by the arm.
Nubbins grabs a cleaver and rushes toward the noise. Ethan is carefully walking in the kitchen when he is jumped by Nubbins. Ethan narrowly avoids the cleaver. He scrambles on the floor, barely fending off Nubbins. Ethan finally is able to butt Nubbins with the butt of his shotgun, knocking him out cold. Ethan moves deeper into the house, shotgun ready. He comes upon the dining room, where only Grandpa remains, drooling and laughing at the chaos. Beside him lies Jared, dazed but conscious. Ethan sees the corpse remains on the table. He quickly raises his shotgun and shoots Grandpa through the skull. Ethan cuts Jared free, helping him to his feet. Ethan tells Jared to sneak around the house and head for the road. Jared nods and bolts for the porch, only to be intercepted by Drayton, who guts him with a large butcher's cleaver. Jared crumples on the porch steps, gasping for breath, blood and organs pouring from his stomach. Drayton kicks Jared's body aside.
Upstairs, Leatherface has dragged Mary-Ann into a decaying bridal room. She thrashes against him, kicking and screaming. Before he can touch her Ethan storms in with his shotgun raised. Mama arrives behind him, screaming that he's ruining her baby's big night. She lunges at Ethan with a fire iron. He fires once into her shoulder, then again into her chest. Mama's body crashes into the wall as blood pours from her mouth. Leatherface lets out a guttural moan as he drops Mary-Ann and cradles Mama's body. Ethan helps Mary-Ann up, and together they flee the room as Leatherface begins pounding his fists against the floor, wailing like a child. The walls shake with the sound. Drayton shouts from downstairs, ordering Bubba to rip them apart.
Ethan and Mary-Ann tear through the house, trying to find the door. Leatherface revs his chainsaw. Mary-Ann nearly slips in Jared's blood as they pass the front porch. She stops, sees his gutted body. Ethan pulls her away. They cut through a field and into the woods behind property as Leatherface charges out, roaring with grief. Ethan and Mary-Ann sprint through the brush until they see the gas station and Ethan's truck. Ethan helps Mary-Ann inside before tearing off down the gravel road as Leatherface emerges from the tree line. He throws his chainsaw in rage at the truck, but they are too far away now. Ethan and Mary-Ann speed toward town, silent and coated in blood. Mary-Ann sobs as Ethan tells her that they can call for help at the sheriff's station.
Ethan and Mary-Ann reach the sheriff's station just before dawn. Sheriff Graves calmly greets them and offers to call for backup. Ethan begins explaining everything they saw. As Ethan lowers his guard, Graves locks the door behind them. He quietly draws his revolver and shoots Ethan in the back of the head. Mary-Ann screams as her father falls to the floor. Mary-Ann tries to escape, but the door is bolted. She breaks a window, cutting herself on the glass. Graves drags her back inside, holding her at gunpoint until there is a knock at the front door. Graves unlocks the door, allowing Drayton and Nubbins inside. Drayton tells Graves that Mama wanted Bubba to have Mary-Ann. Graves tells them to make sure she doesn't get out again, mentioning that it was a close call with the Texas Ranger, motioning toward Ethan's corpse on the ground. Leatherface emerges for his bride, carrying her back off to the Sawyer farmhouse. Drayton and Nubbins take Ethan's corpse out of the sheriff's station. Graves locks the door behind them, sighing at the bloody mess he has to clean up in the station now.
As the sun continues to rise over Texas, Drayton and Nubbins dig fresh graves behind the house - one for Mama, the other for Grandpa. Drayton gives a quiet prayer, thanking the deceased for keeping the bloodline together. Inside the house, Leatherface enters the bridal room, carrying a limp, broken Mary-Ann in his arms. She no longer screams or cries. She stares ahead, blankly. Bubba removes the mask of Derek's face, setting it gently on a shelf beside the faces of Jared, Lisa, and Ethan. He briefly reveals his true face - mostly normal but with a unrepaired cleft palate - before he lifts a freshly sewn new mask: Mama's face stretched and stitched crudely. He places it over his own face and turns toward Mary-Ann.
At the diner, Ruth Simmons flips the closed sign to open and tunes the radio while wiping down the counter. A news bulletin reports that a Texas Ranger and his daughter have been reported missing and asks that anyone with information call the Texas Rangers tip line. Ruth knows exactly what must have happened to them. She glances over at the phone on the wall, but before she can move toward it, the door chimes. Sheriff Graves steps in, removing his hat and orders a cup of coffee. Ruth gives Graves a slight smile as she pours him his morning coffee.
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