Lets be honest. The franchise is a mess and it's never going to reach the heights of the original or even the remake. The 3D timeline is an abomination and 2022 is just awful. I love TCM 2, and 3 has some great bits. But god is 4 embarrassing. So let's try to fix them.
So I looked up Hooper and Henkel's original concept for TCM 2.
It was going to be named 'Beyond The Valley of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' and originally involved an entire town full of cannibals, not just the Sawyer family. And the Hitchhiker survived and was supposedly tied to a tree by the family due to his injuries. And Sally was slated to return as well.
In my opinion they could've done this for the third and fourth movies.
It would be an easy explanation to have the town of Newt be cannibals and instead of Leatherface suddenly having new family members, he goes to known associates of the family, "neighbors" if you will.
Leatherface somehow survived and is taken in by the Slaughter Family's "Neighbors" the Sawyers.
Chop-Top is the family member who's taken alive.
Those neighbors would be Tex, Alfredo and Tinker.
Leatherface would have severe burns from the grenade and a hole in his stomache.
And instead of Sally, it's Stretch, cause Sally is institutionalized.
Stretch and Benny would work together to save Michelle
In the Next Generation. An easy fix is that.
Leatherface is in the Grandpa role. Gunnar Hansen would return to play him.
The whole "Illuminati" conspiracy is just the town conspiracy of the town cannibals.
There would be a side plot of Stretch meeting Sally. She fills her in on everything that happened. Lefty's death and the cannibal town of Newt.
The new Leatherface is the daughter from TCM3 and instead of being cringey and awful, she is completely and utterly unhinged and enjoys it more than Bubba ever did. The best part? She's takes her doll's name, Sally. The final mockery of the one who got away.
Vilmer and W.E are the other members of this new family with the Mayor of Newt as the matriarch and she bares the conspiracy for all to hear. Claims that "cannibalism is the trade and life stock of this town. Always has been. The Slaughter Family was the backbone, they inspired the rest of us."
And then a returning Chop-Top as the guest of honor.
An aged Bubba makes happy cannibal noises at his brother's arrival.
"Far out Bubba, you're the new Grandpa!"
Chop-Top tells Bubba and the new Leatherface "it's time to kill the fucking bitch"
Stretch comes to the rescue and blasts the family, killing W.E, Vilmer and head cannibal Mayor.
While the new Leatherface chases after Jenny and Chop-Top proclaims he's gonna finish what he started all those years ago.
…and Bubba finally finds the strength to get up. He even puts on the old Pretty woman mask and takes his old chainsaw. They won't get away, not this time. "dog will hunt" as his brother always said. This is for Nubbins. For Drayton and for Grandpa.
They chase Stretch, Jenny and Michelle throughout the town. The slaughterhouse, the old Slaughter farmhouse and the mental hospital where Sally is waiting for them.
It ends with Jenny and Michelle double teaming killing the younger Leatherface, Sally shoots Bubba in the chest with a shotgun and Sally saws his fucking head off and finally, Stretch kills Chop-Top
"Any last words?"
"The saw is fami-" Stretch shoots him in the head.
Stretch, Michelle, Jenny and Sally all leave from a safe distance. Stretch gets a call on her walkie talkie from Benny
"Are you safe? over"
"Yes, I got Michelle and the latest survivor and even Sally. We're all at a safe distance to watch the fireworks over"
"Good, over"
and Benny presses the button and suddenly the entire town of Newt blows the fuck up. A result of Benny planting C4 all around the town of Newt and finally ending the Cannibal town.
End of franchise
This is a neat way to end the series, or at least the original timeline Cause
the original timeline never declines in quality.
Leatherface stays consistent in the first three movies, passes down the saw to his adoptive daughter and returns for one final massacre
All the survivors return for one final confrontation with the town
Chance for All-American Massacre to happen
One big family reunion
And a proper conclusion to the franchise...that will never be fucked up by shitty sequels
