Austin American-Statesman from Austin, Texas • 133

3 I CO- Gn don't even like horror films," said Kim Henkel, writer of the original 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre" I I and the director-writer of 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation," the fourth film in the I I tt (T 1A A 1 ll 1 flit unainsaw series, i can i watcn inem. lmioo squeamisn. Perhaps that's just the ticket that was needed on "The Next Generation," which brings the "Chahv saw" franchise back to its Austin roots in a big way. Henkel and director Tobe Hooper developed the first "Chainsaw" while living in Austin in the early 1970s. "The Next Generation," which opens Friday at the Dobie Theatre, was shot in this area and features a cast either from Austin or with strong local ties and a Robert Jacks is Leather-face for a new decade of gore-hounds.

Writer Kim Henkel says Jacks brought out more of "the feminine side" in the slasher. soundtrack that is almost exclusively Austin music. It also stars two actors who were merely up-and-coming talents when it was cast Matthew McConaughey and Renee Zellweger. In the intervening years, both have become stars, which might seem to benefit "The Next Generation" at first glance. "You would think it would have been fortuitous, but it hasn't turned out that way," Henkel said.

He claims that representatives of both actors "have brought considerable byrob patterson special to the american-statesman pressure to bear, feeling like using Matthew's and Renee's names in promoting this picture was untoward a remarkable notion coming from Hollywood, I think." "The involvement of Renee and Matthew has actually had a deleterious effect," Henkel said. "I've read so much stuff that says that somehow the release of this film is a slap in their faces. At the time we cast this, nei- rui The writer behind the first 'Massacre' renews the series' Austin bloodlines in the fourth installment lis 2) WL3 XS ther of them had had any starring roles. Both were very eager to do it and happy to have the roles. There were just a lot of people working for very little to have an opportunity to showcase their talents.

"For some of the press to take the attitude that we are out there trying to exploit them I think is unfortunate and very disappointing." Maybe it's that B-movie stigma "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" carries, even though McConaughey and Zellweger deliver performances of note in "The Next Generation." Henkel says he searched long and hard to get -the right cast, and it shows in the performances of everyone involved, including such Austin talents as Joe Stevens think he's the best actor of the cast," Henkel said) and Robert Jacks (who Henkel feels brought more of "the feminine side" out in the classic role of Leatherface). Whatever the case, Henkel says that the film's release was delayed a number of times, and it has seen only scattered theatrical play in markets like New York and Los Angeles. The good news for fans of the original "Chainsaw" is that "The Next Generation" returns to the mixture of horror and comedy that made the first film so distinctive. "The governing factor was that we felt like the sequels that had followed the original had not captured the spirit of the original, so in a way we felt like we needed to go back to that," Henkel said. But given his druthers, Henkel might have taken the film in a whole other direction.

"If it had been a perfect world, I would have done something entirely different from what I did here," he film news, opinions and movie listings 4 Matthew left, and Renee Zellweger have become big names since they were cast for the latest Texas Chainsaw said. "I would have moved it into an urban situation." Although "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" was a benchmark horror film on its 1974 release, Henkel was nonetheless resistant to getting involved in another edition. "Bob Kuhn, who was one of the owners of the original, basically browbeat me into doing it," said HenkeL who didn't feel qualified in some ways to make his directorial debut on this project "As a writer, I've been around a lot of film production, and even stepped in and directed scenes here and there on films I've been involved in," said Henkel, who also wrote the vastly different "Last Night at the Alamo." "But I had no real experience, and felt that something that requires a lot of action was just not something I would be real equipped to do. Working with actors is one thing, something that I can do, but when it came to all that action stuff, I didn't feel I was on steady ground." Given the collaborative nature of filmmaking, Henkel says that "The Next Generation" didn't turn out quite how he initially envisioned it. But much like the first 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre," it's a film that begs i to be taken on its own terms.

tt "I feel like I've done what I've done, and it's got to speak for itself," Henkel said. "I think there's some peo- pie who are going to get it, and find it amusing and repelling at the same time, and others who just won't get it and run screaming out of the theater and demand their money back. Let's just hope the odds come down on the better side of that." in hi in a iy If 50 October 16, Austin American-Statesman- 4 1997 JJS2 i iJJi i I hUJii UJJei i i i.