Warning: Spoilers ahead for Netflix’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Here’s Melody and Dante’s plan for Harlow in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022 explained. The entire premise of the Netflix requel is the presence of a younger generation in Texas, who harbor idealistic plans of their own to refurbish a ghost town. Unfortunately, a series of events lead to Leatherface resuming his killing spree after remaining dormant for 50 years, and he targets everyone in Harlow without discrimination.
Reviews for Texas Chainsaw Massacre are mostly negative because the legacy sequel disrespects Tobe Hooper’s original, Texas Chain Saw Massacre, in many ways (mostly thematic). It is never clear whether the presence of Melody, Dante, Lila, and Ruth in Harlow owing to their efforts at refurbishment is wholeheartedly supported by the filmmakers, as there is an ever-present counter theme of gentrification when it comes to their efforts. While none of the residents are overtly hostile towards them (there’s of course, a confederate flag openly hung outside a building, which is terrible enough), there seems to be a veiled disdain towards these “outsiders,” which is never explored well by the film.
The essence of Melody and Dante’s plan in Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the refurbishment of the deserted town of Harlow. Being influencers from San Francisco, the two leveraged their social media presence to raise awareness about the potential of the space to be transformed into a community for young urbanites. As the town is rendered deserted, with most buildings being run-down and unlived in, Melody and Dante presume that the task ahead of them is simple. Keeping this in mind, they expect a bus full of investors to arrive in Harlow shortly so that they can make offers on various buildings and help transform the locality into a thriving hub of sorts.
When Dante goes into Harlow Orphanage to remove the confederate flag hanging in plain view, he encounters an elderly woman named Virginia, who is not supposed to be here, as per the settlements with the bank. However, she insists that she still has rights on the property, claiming that both Dante and Melody are making a mistake, and makes veiled racist remarks towards Dante, a Black man. Understandably, Dante calls the sheriff, who asks Virginia to evacuate, and the stress of the situation makes her considerably sick, leading to her death shortly after in the ambulance.
Although Melody finds out that Virginia did have rights to the property after finding physical proof of it inside the house, this is hardly reason for anyone to blame either her or Dante for the events that occur. The two had politely asked Virginia to present proof, and she had denied, choosing to ask whether it was about the flag instead. While Virginia’s death is an unfortunate accident, it triggers Leatehrface’s murder rampage, accelerating the events of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which ends on a rather jarring (also unfair) note.
