Trivia / Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation

• Box Office Bomb: Budget: $600,000; Box office Gross: $185,898
• Cast the Runner-Up: Matthew McConaughey had just graduated college and planned on moving to California when he auditioned for this movie. He read for the part of a young motorcyclist who rescues Jenny at the end and rides off with her into the sunset (a role that was eventually eliminated). Before he left, Kim Henkel asked if he knew of anyone who might be right for the role of the villain, Vilmer. McConaughey suggested two friends from acting class and left. He was about to get in his truck and drive to California when he stopped and realized, "What was I thinking?" He immediately turned around and asked Henkel, "Hey, can I audition for Vilmer?" Henkel gave him a spoon from the kitchen, told him to pretend it's a knife and tasked him with scaring his secretary. Then, in the middle of the audition, he told him to pretend his mechanical leg was malfunctioning. McConaughey was so convincing that he won the role of Vilmer on the spot.
• Channel Hop: The film was produced independently, but later picked up by Columbia Pictures. The film sat on the shelf for a long time before Columbia finally partnered with Cinepix Film Properties for a theatrical release. Sony released it on DVD in 2003, and the disc is now out-of-print. According to Amazon, the film is (as of March 2018) distributed digitally by Lionsgate. Scream Factory released the film on Blu-ray in December 2018.
• Franchise Killer: This film was such a flop, it ended the original continuity and subjected it to several reboots starting in 2003.
• Old Shame: For Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey. The latter legally tried to prevent it from being released.
• The Other Darrin: Robert Jacks replaces R. A. Mihailoff as Leatherface.
• Screwed by the Lawyers: A home video example. When Scream Factory announced the collectors edition Blu-ray release of the movie, the original art for the slipcover featured Zellweger & McConaughey’s names and characters on the front was quickly changed to omit the two with drag Leatherface on the cover instead. Given they consider it an Old Shame, it’s safe to assume their lawyers requested they removed them altogether.
• The Shelf of Movie Languishment: The film was shelved in 1995 after showings in film festivals until 1997 when it was finally released to cash in the careers of Zellweger and McConaughey.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Studio heads planned for Leatherface to be brutally unmasked in this iteration.
  • Gunnar Hansen was asked to return as Leatherface, but he wanted more money than the studio was willing to pay. Bill Johnson, who replaced him in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, was also offered the role.
• Working Title: The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

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