The Texas Chainsaw Massacres: The Hitchhiker's Guide To Family

 Back at it again for another round of posting. For this piece I was deciding between talking about Capcom's Pragmata, or this Texas Chainsaw Massacre idea I had in my head, and Texas won. It's not because there's anything wrong with Pragmata, but I felt like this would be more interesting. Without further ado, let's talk about family once again. 

In the last month or so, I had finally got around to watching Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III and Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. Two flawed films that signaled the downward trend for the franchise. However, they weren't nearly as bad as the later films, in my opinion. Like, TCM III had bright spots with Ken Foree's performance as Benny, and Viggo Mortensen's Tex. While TCM: TNG had the "Pretty Lady" evolution with Leatherface (Played by Robert Jacks) and Tonie Perensky's Darla. But the overall products failed to match the rawness of the original TCM, or the evolution that TCM 2 strove toward. 

And the best place for me to exemplify these points lie in the Hitchhiker archetype. As you may know, The Hitchhiker (Played by Edwin Neal) in TCM was a part of the family that represented some of their most vile desires. Control and the urge to inflict harm with their bare hands. Feeling every single cut, scream, and moment of hysteria. Relishing in the thrill of having another life in the palm of their hands. Just a truly terrifying type of person from top-to-bottom. While I love and adore Leatherface, there was nothing quite like a perfectly crafted Hitchhiker type. 

But this kind of character is not so easy to execute. It's not about what the script says, it's about what the actor's putting forth on the screen. Can you believe in the person before you? The big difference between Edwin Neal's Hitchhiker and Matthew McConaughey's Vilmer, for me, was that believability. Edwin Neal felt crazy in those moments, whereas McConaughey was acting crazy. Neal was in a documentary, while McConaughey was in a movie. 

A great of example of this was The Hitchhiker's introductory scene in the van. As I've written before, his mannerisms alone made for an unsettling encounter. The way he talked, and the ways he ignored personal space made for an individual you'd rather avoid at all costs. And these factors ramped up when he would talk about his interests in slaughtering and tangentially related unemployment status. The outlet for his cruel fantasies was gone, and now he would release them into the world. At the end of the day, it's Neal's commitments to these abhorrent fantasies that made the character hit the mark. 

A trend that would continue with Bill Moseley's Chop Top. Another character and actor that I've covered multiple times before, as well as the example I am about to use. And that example was his appearance at the Radio Station. It's performed in a similar way to Neal's interpretation, but with a more comedic flair that tipped into an unnerving feeling of despair. As the jokes were only meant for Chop Top himself, not Stretch (Played by Caroline Williams). 

Once again, it's not just the words coming out of his mouth that make the scene, it's the ways Moseley would close in on Williams without ever engaging in physical contact. Like, you can see it clear as day. Keeping her locked on to him through sheer anticipation. An aspect that definitely got enhanced with the help of Williams's performance. But through the next two films, the Hitchhiker archetype, as well as the Family overall, would more or less become shells of what they once were. 

Sadly, this trend started with Viggo Mortensen's Tex in TCM III. A character that wasn't necessarily bad on the surface, yet he just doesn't work the way you want him to. And the main reason for me was that no one outside of Leatherface were even remotely intimidating. Tex exhibited more of the meekness of the archetype while also being entirely too normal. This can be seen in his introduction to Michelle (Played by Kate Hodge) and Ryan (Played by William Butler). Just a cool and handsome cowboy out in the middle of nowhere. Like, there's a bit of deception to be had, but the character needed to exhibit that from the jump. It's the whole point behind the archetype after all. 

This one's funny to me because I do think he's a standout part of this movie, but it's less about the character depiction and more about the actor. Mortensen clearly has talent, but that talent was held back for this outing. Like, I think if he was given the same treatment as any of the other three Hitchhiker types, he might have propelled that movie to a better reception than it got. It's unfortunate, as I think the opposite applies to McConaughey in TCM:TNG.

To preface this section, I have only seen the TNG Cut of this film. But I did watch the opening scene of the original cut for a little bit of context on Jenny's (Played by Renée Zellweger) Step-Dad. And my takeaway from that scene was, "Why did this get cut?" Other stuff being trimmed here and there was fine, it sucks but whatever. However, that one would've made the car conversation make a bit more sense, while helping to push some of the other themes throughout the film. Regardless, this doesn't affect my critique on McConaughey's Vilmer being too much. 

Like, he's moreso overloading the senses than striking fear into the heart quite like Neal or Moseley were doing. And it certainly didn't help with making him the main villain as the "Family" part was the most tried-and-true element. When done right, it's unbreakable. Yet, you need all of the cylinders to be firing. Because even one imbalance can tank the whole idea. 

So, a prime example of this can be viewed in the kitchen scene where everyone but Leatherface had gathered. You cram Jenny with Vilmer, Darla, and W.E. (Played by Joe Stevens) all into this tiny room, and then have the trio start doing their thing where they mentally and physically assault our protagonist. It's not that the scene doesn't function properly in the context of the franchise, but more that McConaughey felt entirely too hands on. Like, he's just doing shit to the point that it felt more "for the sake of art" than showcasing a character. Checking the boxes and seeing what can be done within the timeframe. 

The argument for keeping these Vilmer scenes plays into Jenny's own relationship with sexual violence. However, it just felt so fake and ridiculous when comparing it to similar instances within and outside the franchise. Like I said before, McConaughey was acting crazy when assuming this type of role, while many of his contemporaries were being crazy. It's why I can't buy into his interpretation of the Hitchhiker. He felt like The Joker more than he did with the character he's representing. 

Ultimately, I think that each subsequent TCM Film has gotten away from depicting harsh realities in one way or another as seen through the different iterations of The Hitchhiker. An archetype that has been forgotten to time, but could return in the future. But, I'll definitely hold my breath on that one. The shift to Solo Leatherface has been the trend for years, and I don't think they're gonna stop anytime soon. 

And remember to Free Palestine, Free Congo, Free Sudan, Free Venezuela and to Free Lebanon from the onslaught of their oppressors. Never stop talking about them. They think that we don't care, but we see everything. Never forget that. They are trying to suppress our voices because they matter, remember that. There may have been a ceasefire in Gaza, but Palestine still needs to be completely free.