48 years after the notorious killing spree orchestrated by Leatherface in 1973, a group of young entrepreneurs—Melody, Dante, Lila (Melody's sister), and Ruth (Dante's girlfriend)—set out to the deserted Texas town of Harlow to auction off its neglected properties with the hopes of transforming it into a trendy area. While exploring a decrepit orphanage, they stumble upon an elderly woman named Ginny, who asserts she still possesses ownership documents for the property, igniting a heated dispute that is briefly disrupted by a silent, looming figure lurking upstairs.
In a sudden turn of events, Ginny suffers a heart attack, prompting a frantic rush to the hospital, with Ruth and the mysterious man accompanying her. Their arrival is met by an investor named Catherine, along with other potential buyers arriving in a large bus, diverting the attention of Melody and Dante. Meanwhile, Lila finds solace in the company of local mechanic Richter, sharing her traumatic past as a survivor of a school shooting, and expressing her deep fear of firearms.
Tragedy strikes when Ginny passes away en route to the hospital. Before the man goes on a violent rampage, Ruth sends a desperate text to Melody. The man is revealed to be Leatherface, who brutally murders the ambulance officers and crashes the vehicle. When Ruth regains consciousness, she encounters the horrifying sight of Leatherface skinning Ginny's face to wear as a mask. In a desperate attempt to call for aid, Ruth meets her gruesome end at the hands of Leatherface, who soon treks back to Harlow.
During a property auction, Melody receives the gut-wrenching news of Ruth's demise through her texts. She and Lila decide to leave, but Richter overhears them discussing Ginny's death and seizes their keys, demanding proof of their claim before returning them. The duo heads back to the orphanage, determined to find answers.
Meanwhile, Sally Hardesty, the only survivor from Leatherface's previous rampage, now transformed into a hardened Texas Ranger, sets off to investigate Ruth's attack. In the orphanage, Melody uncovers the truth that Ginny had been wrongfully evicted. However, chaos unfolds when Leatherface arrives, attacking Dante in a horrific act of violence. As Melody hides, Leatherface retrieves his chainsaw, ushering in a terrifying stormy night in Harlow.
Amidst the turmoil, Catherine and Lila find shelter on the bus, but Dante finds himself near death after fleeing the orphanage, where Richter soon suffers a grisly fate at the hands of Leatherface. Determined to escape, Melody takes the initiative to find the bus keys from Richter's remains. Together, she and Lila venture onto the bus, only to be met with Leatherface's gruesome assault as he slaughters everyone inside, including Catherine.
In a desperate flight from the mayhem, Melody and Lila encounter Sally, who locks them in her car while she confronts Leatherface. In a tense standoff, she demands that he remembers the pain he inflicted, but he merely walks away, unfazed. As Leatherface turns his attention to the sisters, Sally intervenes, saving them by shooting him. Just as Melody receives the car keys to escape, Leatherface ambushes Sally, fatally injuring her.
As chaos ensues, Melody rams into Leatherface with Sally's car, but becomes trapped in a crash while urging Lila to flee. In a heartbreaking moment, as Leatherface approaches, Melody pleads for forgiveness for Ginny’s eviction. As Lila aims her empty gun at him, Sally shoots Leatherface once more before collapsing, leaving a haunting warning that the terror will never fully leave them.
With Lila armed with Sally's shotgun, she pursues Leatherface into an abandoned building, but it's not long before she is ambushed. Just as hope seems lost, Melody arrives and seizes Leatherface's chainsaw, using it against him and sending him plunging into a pool of water. After escaping, Lila finds Sally’s hat, symbolizing her bravery as they begin their drive home.
However, the horror is far from over. Leatherface rises once again, dragging Melody out of the car before decapitating her. Overwhelmed, Lila watches in terror as her self-driving car takes her away from Harlow, leaving Leatherface to dance in the streets with his chainsaw and Melody's head—a chilling reminder of his vicious legacy. He then makes his way back to the site of his horrific acts from 1974, closing the chapter on a nightmarish saga.
