Matthew McConaughey, born in 1969 in Uvalde, Texas, made an early mark in the horror genre with his role in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994). This film, a cult favorite, features McConaughey as the unsettling Vilmer, a character that foreshadows his later dramatic range. While he later became known for romantic comedies and award-winning performances in dramas, his work in this film remains a notable entry in the realm of grindhouse cinema, highlighting his versatility even in his formative years.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
On May 22nd, 1994, four teenagers: Barry, Heather, Jenny, and Sean, attend their school’s prom party. When Heather discovers Barry cheating on her with another girl, she storms out of the dance, followed closely by Barry, who tries to explain himself. Their argument is interrupted by Jenny and Sean, who are in the backseat, smoking marijuana. Heather takes a detour off the freeway, and while distracted, collides with another motorist, who passes out in the ensuing confusion. Jenny, Heather, and Barry leave Sean to look after the unconscious motorist, while they search for help. They stop at an office trailer, where they meet Darla, an insurance agent, who promises to call her boyfriend, a tow truck driver named Vilmer. They leave the office and begin heading back towards the wreck, only for Heather and Barry to become separated from Jenny in the darkness. Vilmer soon shows up at the scene of the wreck, killing the motorist, before chasing Sean in his truck and backing over him. Heather and Barry discover a dilapidated farmhouse in the woods, where they are held at gunpoint by the owner, W.E. Barry asks to use the restroom, to which W.E. agrees, leading him inside, while Heather is attacked by Leatherface on the porch. He catches Heather and stuffs her in a meat locker. Barry discovers a corpse in the bathtub before he is killed by Leatherface with a sledgehammer. After killing Barry, he impales Heather on a meat hook. Jenny returns to the scene of the wreck, where she is met by Vilmer, who offers her a ride. She accepts, only for Vilmer to threaten her, before showing her the bodies of Sean and the motorist. Jenny jumps out of the truck and runs into some nearby woods. She is soon attacked by Leatherface, resulting in a lengthy chase. She seeks refuge from Darla, who reveals herself to be in league with the killers when W.E. shows up and beats her with a cattle prod. The two put her in Darla’s trunk and she leaves to pick up some pizzas for dinner. After being tormented by Vilmer, Jenny momentarily escapes, attempting to drive off in Darla’s car. She is stopped by Vilmer, who knocks her unconscious. She soon awakens at a dinner table, surrounded by the family, who reveal they are employed by a secret society to terrorize people that may cross their path. A man named Rothman shows up, reprimanding Vilmer for his methods, before revealing an array of scars and piercings on his torso and licking Jenny’s face. Rothman leaves and Vilmer terrorizes his family and Jenny, killing Heather by crushing her skull under his cybernetic leg, and knocking W.E. unconscious with a hammer. Vilmer and Leatherface prepare to kill Jenny, who breaks free and, using the control to Vilmer’s leg, escapes. Jenny reaches a dirt road, where she is rescued by an elderly couple in an RV. However, Leatherface and Vilmer run them off the road, resulting in the RV falling on its side. Jenny emerges from the vehicle unscathed and continues running, with Leatherface and Vilmer in hot pursuit. A plane swoops down on Vilmer, killing him when one of the wheels grazes his skull. Leatherface screams in anguish, while Jenny looks on. A limousine pulls up and Jenny jumps in the backseat, where she is met by Rothman, who apologizes, explaining her experience was supposed to be spiritual and Vilmer had to be stopped. He offers to take her to a police station or a hospital, dropping her off at a hospital, where she speaks to an officer. Sally Hardesty, being pushed on a gurney, meets Jenny’s gaze as the film ends.
