Renée Zellweger Thinks Her Cult Horror Movie With Matthew McConaughey Was Shot Illegally

The "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" series is a strange beast. Tobe Hooper's original movie is a classic — and an unrelenting exercise in pure terror — but some of the sequels are a little bit wacky. This brings us Kim Henkel's "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation," the franchise's disreputable (but entertaining) fourth installment that saw Matthew McConaughey and Renée Zellweger allegedly break the law to get it made. Both actors have since moved on to bigger and better things, but Zellweger hasn't forgotten about her punk rock roots. As she told Yahoo Movies:

"It was ridiculous. How we pulled that off, I have no idea. I'm sure none of it was legal... But what an experience. It was kamikaze filmmaking."

Some of the best horror movies ever made exist thanks to filmmakers and actors breaking the law. Acquiring shooting permits and all that jazz is time consuming and expensive, after all. Sure, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation" isn't a masterpiece — it isn't even one of the best horror movies of the '90s. However, Henkel's flick admirably embodies the DIY spirit that produced some classics, and that counts for something. That said, breaking the law wasn't the only challenge Zellweger and the gang had to contend with to keep costs down.

These days, Renée Zellweger is probably used to living lavishly and being well taken care of on movie sets. However, she hadn't cracked the A-list when she signed up to play Jenny, a teenager who just wants to worry about prom, in "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation." In fact, the "Bridget Jones" star had to live modestly along with the rest of the cast and crew during the shoot. Here's what Zellweger had to say on the matter in the aforementioned interview:

"We all shared a tiny Winnebago that belonged to the producer of the film. Makeup was [in] the front seat, and then there was a table in the middle for hair, and then there was a tiny little curtain back by the bathroom, that's where you put your prom dress and flower on."

Despite this, Zellweger had a great time making "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation" and seems to look back on the experience with fondness. Zellweger credited the project for giving her great workouts, as she spent a lot of time running away from chainsaws, and fitness is sometimes worth breaking the law for.