The original 1974 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was a true landmark for horror - a disturbing, violent and deranged descent into madness in the sweltering Texas heat. It's undoubtedly one of the very greatest horror movies of all time for good reason. There's just something truly grimy and nasty about it - much of which has to do with the film's grueling production - that leaves an unforgettable impact on your eyes and mind.
Tobe Hooper's terrifyingly palpable masterpiece has since been immortalized thanks to its own legacy and the franchise it kicked off. The saga of Leatherface, the series' wordless, cannibalistic, chainsaw-wielding villain, has expanded through seven other films, comic books and even a video game. While they certainly have their fans, none of the sequels, prequels or remakes have come close to capturing that same nasty and controversial energy of the first.
The first new addition to the franchise in four years, following 2017's Leatherface, is slated to be released this year exclusively on Netflix. Directed by David Blue Garcia with a screenplay by Chris Thomas Devlin, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (no 'the') will act as a direct sequel to Hooper's original film and ignore all the other entries. Similar to the new Halloween films' approach towards Michael Myers, Leatherface will now be a much older, but no less deadly, antagonist.
The film stars Nell Hudson and Elsie Fisher as Melody and Lila, a pair of sisters who run afoul of the terrifying Leatherface (Mark Burnham) and must enlist the help of the sole survivor of the original massacre, Sally Hardesty (Olwen Fouéré). Producer Fede Álvarez has noted that they filmed in an old school way, using vintage lenses and crafting practical effects for the gore. As of now, the film is scheduled to drop onto Netflix sometime later this year.
'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' will release exclusively on Netflix in 2021.
