Review: Netflix’s new ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ doesn’t live up to the promise of its first kill

Elsie Fisher, left, as Lila, Sarah Yarkin as Melody, Nell Hudson as Ruth and Jacob Latimore as Dante in the 2022 horror thriller “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Following in the footsteps of recent reboots “Halloween” and “Scream,” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” attempts to revive a horror icon. Sally Hardesty might not boast as much cultural awareness as Laurie Strode or Sidney Prescott but she deserves respect as the original “final girl.” Unfortunately, this direct sequel to 1974’s “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” doesn’t give the scream queen, played here by Olwen Fouéré, the triumphant return she deserves. It isn’t just Sally who gets short shrift: Director David Blue Garcia’s “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” feints at social commentary on school shootings, gentrification and racism. This cannot be a healthy way to feel, but “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” never evokes the fear that was the hallmark of the original and settles only for disgust at the volume of viscera.