Taken away from his famly at a young age (after the sawyer boys kill the sheriffs daughter) Young Jed (Leatherface to me and you) is take to a mental hospital where he is given the name Jackson. 10 years after the death of the sheriffs daughter we find Jackson in the mental hospital, somewhat oblivious to his past and his family, considering dim witted inmate Bud as the only family he has. Enter the young nurse to will gain Jackson's affection in the form of Lizzy who thinks she can help the patients work their way to a better life. Oh how wrong she is. After a series of events opens a way to escape Jackson, Bud and the twisted Ike and Clarice go on the run with Lizzy along for the ride as a hostage. The plan? to head to Mexico but Ike and Clarice have a blood lust that needs to be itched.
Now It is no secret i'm not a huge fan of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I have always preferred the remake, but I actually really liked the recent Texas Chainsaw 3D and itis for that reason I thought maybe this prequel might be a film worth shouting about. Alas this is no Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, a film I thought was a damn good prequel back in 2006, and a film that holds up today. Leatherface however is more like the Texas TAME-saw massacre. I don't think Sam Strike was the right pick for the Titular role. While he is good in the film I thought the character of Bud, Played by Sam Colman, fitted the role better. You don't need to have Leatherface as a well rounded (well kind of well rounded) teen, we want a Leatherface like the crazed mentally challenge monster from the orginal film, and the bud character fits that mold perfectly. It would have been a better watch to see someone who is innocently violent than to watch Jackson quickly turn into a crazed madman.
Leatherface would have worked better as a standalone horror film away from the banner of the Texas Chainsaw franchise. Give it a different name, take away the chainsaw and you have a film in the style of The Devils Rejects, only more tame.
Overall Leatherface is worth a watch. The story is okay, the acting is very good and for younger viewers who may not have seen the original (and knowing the current thoughts of the 20 pluses nowadays I doubt they will watch the original) this will be truly shocking at points.
Leatherface releases on EST 18th December 2017, and on DVD 8th January 2018, courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment.