Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
A radio host is victimised by the notorious cannibal family while a former Texas Marshal hunts them.
Tobe Hooper's wildly tonal sequel deliberately pivots from the original's grim terror into outrageous dark comedy and splatter excess, giving it some genuine distinctiveness — it's a consciously campy, satirical take rather than a straight retread. Dennis Hopper's unhinged performance as the vengeful marshal and Caroline Williams as Stretch bring committed energy to what is otherwise a thin revenge-chase narrative. The plotting is loose and meandering, functioning more as a series of grotesque set pieces than a coherent story. Tom Savini's practical gore effects are inventive and the underground lair setting has a feverish, lurid atmosphere, but the cinematography is functional rather than artful. The ending deflates rather than satisfies, closing on a note of chaos that feels arbitrary. It occupies an odd, cult-worthy space but falls short of its audacious potential.