Reviews
FROM THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE TO THE FLOPHOUSE?: ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ (2022) Review
Our beloved face-skinning, chainsaw-wielding Bubba is back in a major way, despite the film around him struggling desperately to keep up.
When I first saw the trailer for this film, I predicted a non-stop groan fest with no redeeming qualities. This is not that, but it has as many upsides as it does problems. In short, it’s better than you’d think, but way worse than you’d hope.
Thematically, the film’s backbone is a lot like the spines the Sawyer family cover their furniture with: more decorative than they are substantive. Racism, gentrification, gun control, it’s sprinkled here and there, but all underdeveloped. There’s a line from the side character Catherine where she says people like things worn down, “they want the history,” she claims, but people don’t want the history of a place, flaws and all. It feels like an appropriate metaphor for how the film looks for meaning, but doesn’t take the time to develop that meaning through conversation.
Leatherface Shines: The Big Boy Delivers
But you didn’t come here for social commentary, did you? You want the BIG BOY. Yes, Leatherface is great in this movie; against all the odds, he’s still fun as hell to watch. He doesn’t have the depth that Thomas Hewitt did, or the big heart of the second film’s Bubba Sawyer, but he doesn’t quite need it. His personality boils down to a grieving, mentally stunted man-child, and actor Mark Burnham portrays that and the hulking hillbilly’s physicality PERFECTLY. He’s sloppy, clumsy, prone to bursts of speed and lightning-fast violence, and all in all menacing in his simplicity. Burnham carries the action, works those set pieces, and picks up the slack with kills where the effects falter.
The acting in this ranges from enjoyable to unbearable. Lila is a compelling character, and Elsie Fisher’s performance sells her. On the other hand, despite being whom we follow for most of the runtime, Mel doesn’t have the same depth despite Sarah Yarkin’s fine-tuned ability to portray pure fear. Lila falls to the background until the film’s ACTUAL climax, which is a shame because the fantastic Fisher becomes fantastically underused as a result. And what can you do about the cannon fodder cast? Everybody else is forgettable, unflavored meat for the grinder, which is fine; after all, you can’t make a sausage without chopping up a few yuppies.
The Misstep of Sally Hardesty’s Strode-ification
The Strode-ification of Sally Hardesty, on the other hand, is truly awful. It’s downright silly in a way that is equal parts comedically bad and dramatically insufferable, so you’ll be able to source some laughs from it at least. Olwen Fouéré chews the scenery as she treats this rivalry that popped up 48 minutes ago like a clash 48-years in the making. The subplot is ultimately unnecessary and treats itself way too seriously; the writers should have probably taken a page from Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2‘s book and played her derangement more like Dennis Hopper’s chainsaw crazy Lieutenant Lefty.
The film, in its score, tries to mimic the dark ambient noise of the original, but it doesn’t have nearly as much texture or grit; it’s not scratchy in the richly mixed audio sense of the 1974 soundtrack; it’s just grating industrial noises that scratch your eardrums unpleasantly. Nowhere is this more evident than Richter’s very loud death. They try to evoke the original through this type of sound, but it’s not nearly as impactful since it feels like a failed attempt to cover up some bad sound design. This, combined with some bad CGI for the kill, took a death I would have been impressed by and turns it into a sloppy mess.
Visual Effects and Cinematography: Hit or Miss
Speaking of CGI, the effects in this film oscillate from really good to really bad at an alarming rate. The policemen and Ruth’s murders? Fantastic. Richter’s skull getting caved in? Hideous. Sally finding Mrs. Mc’s with a skinned-off face? Incredible. The bus slaughter? Woof, the over-reliance on CGI blood in that scene is a tragedy. Some parts are just egregiously bad for a film that clearly has good practical effects on hand. The cinematography altogether is nothing to write home about, with truly weird editing choices in the film’s final act, and some camerawork generating a few cool but not super memorable shots.
If there’s one positive note I can close out on, it’s this film’s ending being one of the most insane I’ve seen in a while, feeling like a Texas Chainsaw parody of A Nightmare on Elm Street. It’s a campy, ridiculous set of final frames that I’m kind of in love with for being that bold; I might return to this just for that closer, especially with that corset tight runtime of 73 minutes, not counting credits. If only the rest of the film was that off the wall.
BOTTOMLINE: I have very mixed feelings about this one. It did not commit the cardinal sin of being boring and is very entertaining at certain points, but I can’t in good faith say this is a good movie. It will most definitely generate a split audience. Fans of Leatherface like myself will enjoy his rampage, but not the kind of terrible filmmaking surrounding that carnage. If you turn your brain off, this is a fine watch, but don’t expect anything higher grade than a gory popcorn flick if you’re checking it out this weekend.
Reviews
Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2025: ‘Buffet Infinity’ Review
Within the found footage subgenre exists an even more niche and untapped market. Screen life has slowly overtaken found footage; hardcore fans, like myself, ache for something different. One of the more interesting sub-subgenres of found footage is something that I don’t think has a name yet, so let’s name it here and now. How about…TV-gone-rogue! The TV-gone-rogue subgenre is small. Ghostwatch got the ball rolling for these gone rogue-like films, but there was radio silence for quite some time. It would be Chris LaMartina’s WNUF Halloween Special that really brought this idea back into the limelight. Many filmmakers have tried to make TV-gone-rogue interesting, and many have failed. That is until Simon Glassman stepped onto the scene with Buffet Infinity.
Buffet Infinity: A Chaotic Tale of Westridge
The town (city?) of Westridge is whisked into chaos when the new Buffet Infinity restaurant rolls into town. Local sandwich shop owner Jennifer Avery (Allison Bench) is the first to take the soon-to-be conglomerate to task with increasingly pointed advertisements. Suddenly, local restaurant owners/workers go missing in droves as Buffet Infinity expands into neighboring businesses. Sinkholes, missing cityfolk, quarantines, and mysterious sounds abound, leaving residents to ask one question…who really has the sauce?
On the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival schedule, the header image for Buffet Infinity shows multiple people T-posing and floating in the sky. I was immediately sold. I had no clue what I was getting into, and I didn’t want to know. The film was introduced as “one of the craziest we have this year.” (Slightly paraphrasing.) What was I about to watch? Little did I know, it was about to be an hour and forty minutes of small-town madness.
Writers Allison Bench and Elisia Snyder, and writer-director Simon Glassman, transport viewers into an upside down world of weaponized local ads; a thriving town invaded by the deep pockets of monopolized capitalism. As someone who grew up in a decently sized town, though probably not large enough to be considered a city, there was a tinge of nostalgia that accompanied Buffet Infinity. Westridge feels cozy and intimate, a town where everyone knows your name. It’s a “baked in a buttery flaky crust” town. Sure, they have their McDonald’s and Burger Kings, but the real townsfolk eat at Jennifer’s sandwich shop–local knitting circles murmur about what they think is in Jennifer’s secret sauce. Simply put, Westridge feels like a home that many people like myself grew up in. And it reminds us of a simpler time that’s long gone.
A Unique Blend of Humor and Eldritch Terror
Buffet Infinity hides its horror well. It slowly guides the viewer into a sense of unease. As easily as the creators have you laughing, they have you squirming. The absurdist joy quickly transforms into Eldritch terrors from beyond. Many filmmakers say they’re inspired by the idea of it’s-not-what-you-see that’s scary, but many times it feels performative. Bench, Glassman, and Snyder have crafted a truly special script that edges you with terror and excitement. They constantly push you to the edge of release, and then back away. It’s the Japanese water torture of exposition. And, for me, it works incredibly well.
One of the most important aspects of Buffet Infinity is the over-capitalization of our lives. While the creators tackle this idea in a tongue-in-cheek manner, their message is highly effective. For the most part. This constant tete-a-tete between Buffet Infinity and the locals is highly amusing, but brings a larger conversation to the forefront. The town I grew up in is a shadow of what it once was. And I know many feel the same about the towns they grew up in. I can already hear the moans of people who dislike this film: “Brandon, it’s not that deep.” And I would highly disagree. Buffet Infinity feels like a reflective protest film–a loud and proud middle finger at what we should have said when the Super Walmart put mom and pops out of business.
Sorry, this review has gone off the rails. Let’s reel it back in a bit.
Why Buffet Infinity Redefines Found Footage
Buffet Infinity is a riotous romp, a hilarious horror that goes from zero to 100 pretty damn fast. Each commercial slowly builds on its last and uniquely tells its story. This film sets a new precedent for the TV-gone-rogue subgenre. Not to directly compare, but a film like WNUF Halloween Special (a film I love) uses its commercials as a coda; it’s a separation of what you saw/heard and prepares you for the next movement. Buffet Infinity uses its commercial to create the story. Instead of watching news pieces, then irrelevant commercials, then back to news pieces, Buffet Infinity breaks the mold. Hell, it creates the mold.
As someone who has been dying to see a Welcome to Nightvale film, Buffet Infinity is the closest thing I could ask for. It is full of killer performances (looking at you, Ahmed Ahmed), is well-crafted, and sets a new precedent on an underutilized side of found footage. Buffett Infinity is a full-course meal. I highly suspect that Buffet Infinity will gather the unwavering support that Hundreds of Beavers gathered and will go on to be considered an instant classic of the 2020s.
Reviews
Brooklyn Horror Film Fest 2025: ‘It Needs Eyes’ Review
We are all very much aware of how much time we spend on our phones. More importantly, anyone on the internet can see how younger generations are impacted by being constantly online. So, Zack Ogle and Aaron Pagniano’s new film, It Needs Eyes, is preaching to the choir. However, it adds creepy layers to the conversations many of us are already having today.
It Needs Eyes follows a teen named Rowan (Raquel Lebish) who is moving in with her aunt after a traumatic event. Her aunt Mella (Lydia Fiore) hasn’t spoken to the family in years. So, her relationship with her niece is strained to say the least. However, she has stepped in now that Rowan’s father is in the hospital. Further widening their divide is the fact that Rowan is glued to her phone.
The Internet Is Scary
We see Rowan watching random videos, as she tries to distract herself from her own thoughts while she worries about her father. However, soon, cat videos aren’t doing it for her, and she starts to find extreme videos online. Things escalate to the point that she is watching self-harm videos and clips of people dying. This addiction begins to make it hard for her to connect with the people around her, including her new neighbor and love interest, Alex (Isadora Leiva).
It Needs Eyes has a protagonist that many can relate to. After all, aren’t we all using these smart devices to hide from our own problems? Who among us hasn’t lost an embarrassing amount of hours watching videos and reels? However, because it’s driving in the internet addiction lane, Rowan’s need for content escalates. She needs darker videos in the same way that someone makes the leap into harder drugs. Her journey parallels nicely with her father’s battle with addiction, which is one of the many things Rowan doesn’t seem ready to face.
Addiction and Loneliness are a Deadly Combo
Rowan’s addiction, loneliness, and inability to fully connect with people not on her phone eventually leads her to stumble across the ultimate score. She discovers a woman named Fishtooth (Lola Blanc) who made videos in the 80s and seemingly disappeared. Rowan cannot let this mystery go and soon begins to follow clues that Fishtooth may be closer than she thinks. This is where the creepy mystery thread begins to weave itself around all of the other threads of the film. Before Fishtooth was introduced, I was starting to worry this movie would just be seven fucked up images in a trench coat.
It Needs Eyes is one of those movies you go back and forth on. I loved discussing the themes of it in the bar after the Brooklyn Horror Film Fest screening. I even really dug some of the twisted imagery and topics it manages to tackle. The movie deserves some respect for how it handles so many issues surrounding internet culture without straying too far from its path. If you’re looking for a dark exploration of how the internet is absorbing us and preventing us from being present in our actual lives, this is your movie. It’s an interesting and at times disturbing reminder that we should all unplug more often.


