WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Texas Chainsaw Massacre, now streaming on Netflix.
The newest Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) has the distinction of having the highest body count of any TCM movie. While previous films in the franchise focused more on lingering atmosphere and dread, Netflix’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre throws subtlety out the window in favor of graphic gore and brutal deaths.
This sequel also features variety in the horrific ways people are killed. In fact, Leatherface doesn’t get his hands on his signature chainsaw until about halfway through the film. So, below is the total body count in this latest installment.
Leatherface’s “Mother” Dies of Natural Causes in a Police Van
The one death that isn’t at the hands of Leatherface is that of his surrogate mother, Mrs. Mc. She is forced out of her orphanage by the police and rides in the back of a police van with her adoptive son by her side. She is in bad shape physically, often coughing and using an oxygen tank to breathe. After a short while in the van, she passes away ostensibly from natural causes. Later, Leatherface uses her face to make his trademark skin mask.
The Deputy Dies By His Own Hand
The deputy is also in the back of the van with Leatherface and his mother. Once Mrs. Mc. takes her last breath, Leatherface fiddles with her oxygen tank in a futile attempt to revive her. The deputy puts his hand on Leatherface’s, which causes him to snap. He breaks the deputy’s forearm and stabs him in the neck repeatedly with his own exposed bone.
The Sheriff Is Shot and Then Bludgeoned with an Oxygen Tank
While the deputy is being stabbed, he tries lifting up his gun to shoot Leatherface. Instead, he ends up shooting the sheriff, who is driving the van. This causes the van to crash in the middle of a crop field. The sheriff regains consciousness, only to be bashed in the head multiple times with an oxygen tank by Leatherface.
Dante’s Fiancée, Ruth, Is Gutted in the Police Van
Riding in the passenger’s seat is Ruth, Dante’s fiancée. After surviving the crash, she observes Leatherface cutting Mrs. Mc.’s face off and wearing it as a mask. She tries to sneak out of the van unsuccessfully, as Leatherface appears by the passenger door and brutally digs a knife into Ruth’s stomach.
Dante Has His Face Slashed Open with a Butcher Knife
Later on, Dante and Melody peruse the now-abandoned orphanage. Dante is ambushed by Leatherface, who slashes him in the face with a butcher knife. Dante picks himself up and leaves the orphanage, only to die shortly afterward from his wound.
Richter Has the Most Brutal, Visceral Death of All
After witnessing Dante’s death, Richter enters the orphanage with his gun drawn. Leatherface catches Richter off-guard and, after a brief struggle, Richter has his neck shoved into a glass shard of a broken window. He falls to the ground bleeding out and notices Melody hiding under the nearby bed. Suddenly, Leatherface takes a sledgehammer to Richter’s head and beats it into a bloody pulp.
The Busload of Investors Are Victims of a Proper Chainsaw Massacre
Melody and her sister, Lila, escape the orphanage and enter the nearby bus filled with investors. They begin to leave when something scrapes the side of the bus. The driver goes out to investigate, only to have his severed head tossed back into the bus. Leatherface steps onto the bus, notices a group of millennials filming him, and proceeds to massacre everyone with his chainsaw. This ratchets up the body count significantly as Leatherface makes his way through the bus, slaughtering about two dozen people in the process, although Lila and Melody manage to escape.
Sally Hardesty Loses Her One-on-One Rematch with Leatherface
After surviving the events of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Sally Hardesty returns decades later to avenge her dead friends and brother. Armed with a shotgun, she has a short-lived showdown with Leatherface. He runs up to Sally and shoves his chainsaw through her stomach, then tosses her body into a nearby pile of garbage. Barely alive, Sally gets a couple of shots in Leatherface before finally passing on.
Melody Is Brutally Beheaded as Leatherface’s Final Victim
Believing Leatherface to be defeated, Melody and Lila get into a car and plan a route out of town. In true slasher fashion, Leatherface appears once more, pulls Melody out of the moving car and graphically beheads her with his chainsaw as her sister watches in horror.
To see Leatherface’s massive body count, Texas Chainsaw Massacre is on Netflix now.
About The Author
