The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) ****1/2

Made as the final film of a three-picture deal for the Golan and Globus-led Cannon Group, Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) is an insane over the top Grand Guignol satire which—courtesy of L.M. Kit Carson's (Paris, Texas (1984); review) brilliant script (and endlessly quotable dialogue)—revels in the '80s excess that it lampoons. As soon as I saw it, in my twenties, I loved it as much as the 1974 original (review) (and continue to) for the daring about-face it took from the tone of its predecessor.

After making the gonzo Lifeforce (review) the previous year, Hooper was shooting TCM2 while simultaneously editing Invaders From Mars, which was released less than two months prior. The madman director's stamp is all over this sequel, brought to life via incredibly immersive set pieces, phenomenal production design, Tom Savini and crew's wonderfully grisly but darkly comedic makeup effects, and the manic energy of the indelible characters (Lefty, Stretch, Chop Top, an expanded Drayton Sawyer, L.G.) unforgettably portrayed by Dennis Hopper, Caroline Williams, Bill Moseley, Jim Siedow, and Lou Perryman.

Tobe Hooper Feature Films Ranked

Texas Chainsaw Massacres Ranked