With horror industry heavy hitters already in place from the 1970s, the 1980s built upon that with the rise of brilliant minds in makeup and effects artists, as well as advances in technology. Artists like Rick Baker, Rob Bottin, Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr., Tom Savini, Stan Winston, and countless other artists that delivered groundbreaking, mind-blowing practical effects that ushered in the pre-CGI Golden Age of Cinema. Which meant a glorious glut of creatures in horror. More than just a technical marvel, the creatures on display in ‘80s horror meant tangible texture that still holds up decades later. Grotesque slimy skin to brutal transformation sequences, there wasn’t anything the artists couldn’t create. It Came From the ‘80s is a series that will pay homage to the monstrous, deadly, and often slimy creatures that made the ‘80s such a fantastic decade in horror.
If you happened to catch the new Child’s Play, then you know that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 plays a major part in the film, both in the dark humorous tone and in Chucky’s understanding of death. Tobe Hooper’s follow up, released over a decade after his seminal The Texas Chain Saw Massacre disturbed audiences, took a drastically different approach with his cannibalistic clan. Mostly by going for broke in terms of pitch-black comedy and over the top characters. That major shift appalled critics and audiences at time of release, though reception has long since warmed to this sequel’s wackiness.
Set 13 years after the events of the first film, the Sawyer clan have retreated from their home and taken up residence in an abandoned amusement park elsewhere in Texas. The change in habitation hasn’t stopped their hunger for human flesh; it’s only shifted their method of obtaining it. When their latest hunting adventure is accidentally recorded on air of a local radio station, the Sawyer clan becomes laser focused on erasing all evidence- including the station employees. Of course, they didn’t anticipate that the uncle of their previous victims would be out for vengeance.
Armed with a much bigger budget thanks to production company and distributor Cannon, it should surprise no one that a good chunk of that went to special makeup effects. With none other than legendary special makeup effects artist Tom Savini behind them, as well as a talented crew that included Gabe Bartalos (Darkman, Brain Damage), Bart Mixon (1990’s It, 3 from Hell), Jon Vulich, Shawn McEnroe (The Blob, Night of the Creeps), Gino Crognale (The Walking Dead, Scream 2), and Mitch Devane (Men in Black, The Frighteners).
That budget shows right out of the gate, during the opening sequence that reintroduces Leatherface (now played by Bill Johnson), the preserved corpse of the Hitchhiker (referred to as the Muppet in the script), and final girl Vanita ‘Stretch’ Brock (Caroline Williams) as she overhears Leatherface slaughter his latest victims- a pair of drunk high schoolers driving on a deserted stretch of highway. The stunt work required for this scene alone is demonstrative of the higher budget, and impressive as Leatherface uses his Muppetized brother to dance on the back of the pickup truck racing down the road parallel to the victims’ car. But the complexity is compounded by the special makeup effects that overlaps the stunt work as Leatherface brings his saw down upon the teens. While a stunt driver was steering the vehicle, the special effects crew was working in tandem to make the fake head of the victim split open, with calf brains and blood spilling forth.
Of course, it’s impossible to mention this sequel without bringing up Bill Moseley’s Chop-Top, the metal-plated and deranged Vietnam vet. His character fills the void left behind by the Hitchhiker’s death, and also provides explanation to the amusement part setting of the Sawyer clan; Chop-Top bought it with the intent to turn it into “Nam-land.” It makes for a visually exciting set piece that sets the stage for the final showdown between Stretch and Lefty (Dennis Hopper) versus the Sawyer clan.
Screenwriter L.M. Kit Carson considered this sequel to be a coming of age story for Leatherface, though one steeped in insanity and humor. That comes across in the way Leatherface is interested in Stretch, and how it causes him to stand up to his family in certain ways. Because of that narrative aspect, it makes sense that it would be this wacky film that would inspire Child’s Play, as young teen Andy Barclay also has an arch based in growth. Both revel in the gore and wacky slasher madness, too, which makes it easy to see why The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 would’ve been a jarring sequel to see upon initial release.
