In 1999, William Tony Hooper, the son of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre director Tobe Hooper, began filming All American Massacre. It was to be a part-sequel, part-prequel to Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 focusing on the character of Chop Top, memorably played by Bill Moseley. After months of on-and-off filming, the release date came and went, and fans have been wondering ever since why it vanished and remains unreleased. This documentary sets out to find out what happened to the film and provide insight into what could’ve been.
Right away, the filmmakers hit a roadblock when Bill Moseley declines to be involved with the production. I know they probably weren’t going to score an interview with Buckethead (who played Leatherface in All American Massacre), but it’s a shame they couldn’t get Moseley. They do track down the guy who played Grandpa in the movie, and his recollections and photographs at least give you a glimpse of what was like on set. However, this really isn’t enough to base a whole documentary on.
So, the filmmakers pivot and get more into the various conspiracies surrounding why All American Massacre was never released. Honestly, the most obvious answer is that the studio/rights holder sent Hooper a cease-and-desist order. All American Massacre more or less started as an effects reel to show off what Hooper could do before it grew to be something more ambitious. It’s possible he gave up on the flick just because he didn’t want the hassle of a lawsuit. That doesn’t stop the movie from spinning various unlikely scenarios as to why it was never completed.
In Search of All American Massacre: The Lost Texas Chainsaw Film is just over an hour long, so it goes down rather smoothly. If you’re a fan of the series and the overall What If? factor of what could’ve been, you will get some enjoyment out of this, even if you probably know all this info already. If you’re unfamiliar with the lost sequel, you may dig it too, although you could probably find out all you needed to know about All American Massacre from a YouTube video that’s a third the length of this documentary. It also doesn’t help that they talk to the same five or six talking heads.
It's clear director Edward Payson was passionate about this project and the subject. I just think once he knew Moseley wouldn’t be interviewed that he should’ve packed it in and left the documentary unfinished. Just like All American Massacre.
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