The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
The story
In 1986, high school seniors Buzz and Rick harass a pickup truck driven by the cannibalistic Leatherface, leading to a fatal crash. The next morning, Lieutenant Boude "Lefty" Enright, a former Texas Ranger seeking his missing nephew, arrives at the scene. He is contacted by radio DJ Vanita "Stretch" Brock, who provides an audio tape of the attack. As Lefty investigates the mysterious chainsaw killings across Texas, Stretch and her coworker are forced to cover a chili cookoff. The event brings them into contact with Drayton Sawyer, the patriarch of the cannibalistic Sawyer family, setting the stage for a violent confrontation.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
High school seniors Buzz and Rick harass Leatherface's truck, resulting in their deaths. Lt. Boude "Lefty" Enright, searching for his nephew, meets radio DJ Vanita "Stretch" Brock, who gives him a recording of the attack. Stretch and her coworker, L.G. Peters, cover a chili cookoff won by Drayton Sawyer. Chop Top and Leatherface go to the radio station to confront Stretch; Leatherface abducts her while Chop Top bludgeons L.G. Stretch is trapped in the Sawyers' subterranean lair in an abandoned amusement park. Lefty arrives at the lair with chainsaws, vandalizing it and finding Franklin's remains. Leatherface captures Stretch, but she is eventually freed by a dying L.G. The Sawyer family captures Stretch and tortures her at dinner. Lefty arrives, saves her, and engages Leatherface in a chainsaw fight, fatally wounding him. Drayton then kills himself and the rest of the family with a grenade. Finally, Stretch confronts Chop Top at a stone tower, wounding him with a chainsaw and causing him to fall to his death.
- First release year
- 1986
- Runtime (minutes)
- 101
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tobe Hooper
- Writers
- L. M. Kit Carson · writer; Tobe Hooper · director
- Cast and characters
- Dennis Hopper · null; Caroline Williams · null; Bill Johnson · null; Bill Moseley · Chop Top; Jim Siedow · null
- Genres
- black comedy; slasher; comedy horror
- Themes
- revenge; cannibalism; satire
- Tone and mood
- black comedy; gore; satirical; frenetic
- Premise and plot tags
- slasher; comedy; horror; cannibalism; revenge
- Franchise connections
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
- Content notes
- gore
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and audiences due to its shift toward black comedy and gore compared to the original. However, it eventually gained a cult following and is noted for its satirical elements.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 53% · review count: 36; Metacritic · score: 42 · scale: 100 · review count: 13
- Production trivia
- The theatrical one-sheet parodied The Breakfast Club poster.; The song 'Jerry Was a Race Car Driver' samples Chop Top's 'Dog will hunt!' line.; The film was banned in Australia for 20 years.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…