Warning: Spoilers Ahead for Netflix’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022 ends on a rather jarring note, all the while paving the way for a sequel setup for the future. The Netflix legacy sequel is a direct continuation of Tobe Hooper’s 1974 masterpiece, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which introduced the twisted, macabre Sawyer family, and horror’s iconic masked cannibal, Leatherface. Netflix’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre ignores all the entries (both reboots and remakes) that followed Hooper’s original, crafting a narrative that features the return of Leatherface in modern times.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre opens with the narration of the grotesque killings that transpired on August 18, 1973, and how lone survivor Sally Hardesty (Olwen Fouéré) never publicly opened up about her trauma to this day. Lila (Elsie Fisher) and her older sister Melody (Sarah Yarkin) are in Texas with their friends Dante (Jacob Latimore) and Ruth (Nell Hudson), in hopes of kickstarting a business venture in the ghost town of Harlow. The residents seem wary of their presence from the beginning, asking them to be respectful of the place’s history, as it is one marked by bloodshed and the loss of innocent lives.
Things, of course, start going downhill on their arrival, especially after Dante and Melody encounter a woman at the Harlow Orphanage, who claims to still own the property after the bank reclaiming it. This is the catalyst for the events that fuel Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which triggers the return of Leatherface and the bloody massacres that accompany him. Here’s what transpired in the ending, and how the film sets up a potential sequel in an attempt to develop the franchise.
What Happens In Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022’s Ending
The ending of the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre is pretty unforgettable, given that it captures the raw, chilling anguish of Leatherface after Sally manages to get away from him. The image of Leatherface waving around his chainsaw under the Texas sun is still one of the most haunting sequences in the slasher/horror genre, and Netflix’s legacy sequel is (understandably) unable to replicate or surpass it. However, at the end of the 2022 requel, Leatherface goes after the two surviving girls, Melody and Lila, who are the only remaining youngsters to have survived the bloodbath in Harlow, especially the extremely gruesome (and gory) mass murders inside the “influencer” bus. There are some extremely tense sequences in which Leatherface chases after a traumatized Melody, who barely survives the encounter by sheer chance.
A one-on-one fight ensues between Lila and Leatherface at the end, which is a rather unfair dynamic, as Lila is only a child, who recently survived a school shooting and saw her sister grievously injured/traumatized moments before. Lila shoots Leatherface with a gun, but the masked cannibal is still freakishly strong, overtaking her quickly and intending to kill her. However, Melody arrives at the opportune moment, wounding Leatherface with his own chainsaw, which throws him back into a shallow pool of water, and he presumably drowns. However, does Leatherface really die? The answer is a distinct no.
Why Leatherface Went After Melody & Lila
Tracing the events of the film, and what could have possibly transpired after 1973, it becomes clear that Leatherface was sent to the Harlow Orphanage, given his psychological condition and “childlike” mental state while he was living with Texas Chainsaw Massacre‘s cannibalistic family. Virginia, the woman who owns the orphanage, took Leatherface under her care, choosing to stay with him inside the building even after bank orders for evacuation, given Leatherface’s inability to re-integrate into mainstream society. The arrival of Melody and her friends disrupt this 50-year long hiatus from killing, and the death of Virginia (which is frankly accidental) pushes Leatherface to the edge, reigniting his urge to massacre everyone in his way. This time, he kills of his own accord as opposed to being ordered around by anyone, and the motive seems to be revenge, although he might still be indulging in his cannibalistic tendencies.
Similar to how Leatherface chases Sally through the woods, his own house, and the stretch of the road relentlessly like a hunter stalking his prey, he does the same to Melody and Lila in the current installment. Leatherface must hold Melody responsible for Virginia’s death, given that she was present when the authorities were called on her, which is exactly why he wishes to brutally end her life in the spirit of vengeance. As Lila is also present, and she deliberately goes after him with a gun, it makes sense for him to want to kill her: call it a killer’s twisted sense of self-preservation. Also, it is important to note that Leatherface does not care about guilt or innocence when it comes to killing everyone else — this is evidenced by the way in which he attacks Dante/Richter and the rest of the people inside the bus.
Sally Hardesty’s Decision To Hunt Down Leatherface Explained
While no explicit backstory is provided for Sally, it is known that she became a ranger after the incident, plunging herself into law enforcement, vowing to never be a victim of someone like Leatherface again. Sally spent roughly 50 years hunting Leatherface, vowing to take revenge for what he did to her friends and family. This is understandable, as the intense trauma Sally faced that night is one that can sustain a lifetime, and the only way for her to heal/move forward is to confront the killer and kill him instead. The moment she gets a hint that Leatherface might have returned, and witnessed the killings in the cornfield and Virginia’s faceless corpse, she understands that she needs to avenge those she lost all those years ago.
Who Survived In Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022 (& How It Sets Up A Sequel)
While Sally was the resilient final girl in Hooper’s original, she, unfortunately, does not remain so in the Netflix sequel. Encountering Leatherface after all these years, she is baffled by the fact that he barely remembers her. This is an especially infuriating and heartbreaking moment: what is an eternal nightmare for the traumatized is simply a random day for the aggressor, one that is not even worth remembering. While Sally holds her own against Leatherface, she is killed rather brutally and tossed aside. However, before dying, she tells Lila that if she does not end this cycle now, it will haunt her forever, which is partly what prompts her to go after Leatherface alone. While Lila and Melody seem to survive in the end, on the verge of driving away to safety, Leatherface appears out of nowhere, grabbing Melody and decapitating her head on the spot. A screaming and traumatized Lila witnesses this while the car drives away on autopilot, a reversal of the original ending, even if she is the final girl here.
The fact that Leatherface is not dead is the perfect setup for a sequel, as the trail of bodies in Harlow are bound to lead the cops there soon. Will Leatherface go into hiding again or go about killing more people now? Although Lila makes it to safety, she is an already-traumatized girl having survived a school shooting and a massacre, and losing her sister is the last straw in terms of her emotional safety and mental health. It is possible that Lila will, once again, experience survivor’s guilt, and embark on her own to face Leatherface and put an end to his evil once and for all.
The Real Meaning Of Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022’s Ending
The ending of Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022 undercuts the sense of resolution and security it introduces during its climactic fight, as the horrific nature of Melody’s death adds an edge to the ending. Keeping the entire trajectory of Leatherface in mind, it is difficult to see the character as a direct extension of Hooper’s cannibal, as the kills, although well-shot, are devoid of true terror. The introduction of a new generation meshes well with the narrative, however, not much is revealed about Leatherface’s motivations, and how these characters feel, outside of their immediate circumstances. Leatherface’s resurrection – despite being shot at multiple times and wounded by a chainsaw – seems rather contrived, although this can be attributed to his mental tenacity or other unexplained factors involved. Whether a sequel will be greenlit remains to be seen, but this particular sequel lacks the raw appeal of the original on all fronts.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s Post-Credits Scene Explained
Interestingly, Netflix’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre also contains a post-credits scene, which is essentially present in order to set up the narrative for a sequel. In this extremely short sequence, a wounded Leatherface is seen limping along a dirt road, with his handy chainsaw still in his hand. Leatherface is heading towards the old Sawyer family house of the 1974 original, wherein he used to live with his cannibalistic family and carry out murders as per their wishes. This sure does make thematic sense, as Leatherface is now a man without a mission, having lost his only caregiver Virginia, and brutally killed the last of the youngsters at Harlow (except Lila, who might just be back for vengeance). As Leatherface’s identity as a killer is intimately tied to the Sawyer family home, whose walls are adorned with the bones of those they killed, and the memories of torturing innocent souls, him heading back to where it all started makes his next steps crystal clear. Whoever dares trespass on what he deems as his own, should watch out for their backs, as Leatherface seems to be regressing back to who he always was: a dangerous, depraved killer.
