The failed movie Dennis Hopper called a “joke”
As well as starring in several of the greatest, most important, and most influential movies ever made, Dennis Hopper has also appeared in some genuine abominations, which is admittedly fitting when his on and off-screen career has suffered from more than its fair share of ups and downs.
On one hand, there’s Hopper, the rising star, talented performer, and acclaimed filmmaker who was involved in James Dean’s Rebel Without a Cause and Giant, Cool Hand Luke, True Grit, Easy Rider, Apocalypse Now, Blue Velvet, and Speed over the course of several decades.
On the other, there’s the guy who decided that signing onto Super Mario Bros, Meet the Deedles, The Crow: Wicked Prayer, Boiling Point, and Catchfire was a good idea, the latter of which he openly trashed when laying waste to the production company responsible despite the fact he was also the director.
Based on his comments on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, it’s not hard to decipher where it falls in Hopper’s own estimation. He did at least do a sterling job chewing on the scenery in Tobe Hooper’s follow-up to his game-changing 1974 classic, but that didn’t mean he was above criticising almost every aspect of its existence.
Part of the issue may have been caused by the slasher sequel being released less than a month before David Lynch’s Blue Velvet, with the period between August and September of 1986 additionally doing a helpful job of showcasing the two sides of Hopper’s wildly inconsistent filmography in a ridiculously short space of time.
“God, I hate to mention them in the same breath,” he lamented via Movie Chat, “Blue Velvet‘s a wonderful film and Chainsaw is a joke. It just seems unfair to talk about them together”. According to Hopper, the only reason he agreed to be in the film was because he could play golf with Willie Nelson at the musician’s country club, which was located relatively close to the set in Austin, Texas.
That would be as good a reason as any, even if it was one Hopper ended up regretting. Unlike its revolutionary predecessor that ushered in a brand new era for horror, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 was a box office bomb that didn’t find much favour among critics, with the tonal shift from a realistic nightmare to borderline parody of its own success proving a step too far for many.
It did at least gift the world with the sight of Hopper going shopping for chainsaws and then maniacally wielding one of them with a glint in his eye and a cigar hanging out of his mouth, so there’s that. He may not have enjoyed the experience, but his contributions to the world of Leatherface were swiftly shunted into the background when Blue Velvet arrived in cinemas 28 days later.
