Despite being overlooked in its own franchise even though it stars a three-time Oscar nominee, the 1990 sequel Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III is a gem that deserves more love. 1974’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, based on a horrifying true story, is one of the all-time classic horror movies, and nothing in the franchise has topped it since. Of course, few horror movie sequels ever live up to the shocking originals, especially of the big and beloved horror franchises.

Still, that doesn’t mean all sequels should be written off as subpar. More than any other genre, horror movies are often reevaluated in later years. Movies that were critical and commercial bombs at the time are recontextualized by later generations and embraced. Subversive ideas that weren’t appreciated in their era are later appreciated by new audiences. Such should be the case for the most underappreciated movie in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie franchise, Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III.

Viggo Mortensen Appears In One Of His First Major Feature Roles

It’s Fun To See Him Play A Villainous Character

It’s always entertaining go to back and watch the humble beginnings of actors who have since blown up to be A-listers. A surprising number of actors got their starts in low-budget horror movies, and Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen is no different. He stars in the movie as Eddie, a.k.a. Tex, the main antagonist of the movie. As it turns out, Tex is a member of Texas Chainsaw Massacre‘s murderous Sawyer family, the brother of Leatherface and just as bloodthirsty.

For those who primarily know Mortensen from his role as the virtuous and noble Aragorn, seeing him play an unhinged psychopath is a lot of fun. Mortensen gets the lion’s share of fun lines in the movie, infusing his performance with an insouciant, yet still menacing charisma that shines through. Sometimes, it’s easy to look at an actor in an early role and think, “That guy/girl has ‘it’.” This was that role for Mortensen, who, with all due respect to the others, acts circles around the rest of the cast.

Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III Is Probably The Best Sequel In The Franchise

It Is, At The Very Least, Underrated

Of well-known horror franchises, few inspire the debate over sequels like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. While some sequels and soft reboots in the franchise are unequivocally agreed upon as bad, such as the 2017 prequel Leatherface, which later found success on Netflix, agreeing on the best sequel is more challenging. There’s an argument for each of the better sequels to be the best, and it’s largely up to personal preference. Unfortunately, the third movie is rarely considered one of the better sequels.

Still, there’s a strong case to be made that Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III is the best sequel of the franchise. It is an entertaining popcorn film, but actually has some heft to it compared to being just a generic slasher film. The Leatherface of Texas Chainsaw Massacre III is arguably the darkest, and the movie elevates the Sawyer family to more than just a bunch of murderous inbred hillbillies. This is largely thanks to Mortensen’s turn as Tex, who is deliciously evil. He’s matched by the trio of protagonists, couple Michelle (Kate Hodge) and Ryan (William Butler), and survivalist Kenny (Ken Foree), who show a lot more spirit and smarts than many other slasher movie characters.

In general, everything about TCM 3 is just bigger and more stylish. The characters have more personality, including Leatherface, who, in the first two movies is just sort of a lump. The Leatherface of III is big and jacked, far more physically imposing than in the first two movies. The movie’s heavy metal soundtrack is also great and gives the whole thing an edgier tone than the previous two movies, despite them being more raw and low-budget in their approach.

The Third Film Combines The Best Ideas From The First Two Texas Chainsaw Massacre Movies

Continuity Is Admittedly An Issue In The TCM Franchise

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise is infamous for having a convoluted timeline, with most of the sequels following directly from the first movie, which is acknowledged as canon, but ignoring others. In the case of Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, it’s a very good thing that it chose to ignore the events of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, seeing as how Leatherface died in that movie.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre III smartly returns the Sawyer family back to a family that disguises itself as normal on the surface before unveiling the horror. Likewise, rather than the more revenge-minded plot of the second movie, it embraces the cat-and-mouse hunt of the original. A clever connection to TCM 2 is that Caroline Williams, who played final girl Stretch in the second movie, appears in a cameo as a reporter, tying the two movies together in an interesting way – even if it does somewhat screw up the continuity. While not quite as unhinged as the first two movies, Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III utilizes stylish suspense to be an underrated gem in the franchise.