The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise is one of the horror genre’s most famous and successful. Tobe Hooper first introduced us to the terrifying man known as Leatherface back in 1974 in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This first film is considered one of the most frightening films ever made to this day. It gave off such a real-life vibe that petrifies still fans. It’s also one of the few who manage to pull off the daylight horror subgenre. Now, fans are preparing to meet the masked menace once again when he debuts on Netflix in the new film Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Netflix has been known to grant directors creative and artistic freedom, making for some truly memorable films in its catalog. The streaming service's new addition to the popular franchise was co-written by someone who has made great horror in the past, which prompts the question: could we see a rebirth of the series? Halloween and Scream have recently seen new life. Even Chucky has seen a resurgence in popularity with its new USA series. So as we prepare to see the return of another famous slasher, here is everything we know about the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre film.
Plot: What Will The Film Be About?
This all-new tale will continue the story from the 1974 film with the sole survivor of the original massacre, Sally Hardesty, returning to claim her revenge against the cannibalistic killer who butchered her friends. Texas Chainsaw Massacre will take place almost 50 years after the original, similarly to what Halloween (2018) did of continuing the story after the original classic. The story will follow a group of friends who arrive in the town of Harlow, Texas, to start a business, unaware of the bloody slayings from decades prior that continue to haunt the town. Something else they are unaware of is that the murderer is still alive and has been living in hiding ever since—that is, until they unwittingly disturb his guarded living. Now, after years of hiding, the legendary chainsaw-wielding cannibal will reemerge from the shadows to reignite his killing spree.
The new Texas Chainsaw Massacre will ignore all sequels after the original, which were more or less unrelated or even connected to the first film. As context for any who haven't seen it, the story followed Sally and company coming across the Sawyer family home after investigating reports of vandalized graves and subsequently being murdered and devoured. The film centered on Leatherface and his family, who controlled the mentally deranged killer to do their bidding and terrorized anyone who came across their territory. The entire clan was deranged, but the focus was always on the skin-mask-wearing psychopath as he mercilessly carved up Sally's friends.
The Cast of Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Leatherface will be played by Mark Burnham (Snowfall), taking over from the late Gunnar Hansen. The name Leatherface derives from the masks he wears made from the faces of his victims to cover his facial deformities. There is no information yet if anyone else from the Sawyer clan will appear. As far as we can tell, Leatherface has been in hiding alone, but that does not mean that we won't see any of his relatives. Olwen Fouéré plays Sally Hardesty, taking over for Marilyn Burns, who passed away in 2014. Leatherface had killed her friends and brother before capturing her. She was forced to attend a cannibalistic family dinner in which she was almost killed but miraculously escaped. When the killer reemerges five decades later, Sally seeks to avenge everyone she lost.
In the list of newcomers, Sarah Yarkin (Happy Death Day 2U) will play Melody, a young entrepreneur from San Francisco. Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade) will play her teen sister Lila, a hobby photographer who gets around in a wheelchair. However, she is clearly seen standing in the photo above (blue shirt), so perhaps it will be a ruse of some kind, or she won't need it at all times? Jacob Latimore (The Chi) will play Dante, a close friend to the sisters who travel to Texas with them. Other characters to be featured include Moe Dunford as a man named Richter, Alice Krige as Mrs. Mc, Nell Hudson as Ruth, Sam Douglas as a man named Herb, and William Hope as Hathaway, the Sheriff of Harlow. John Larroquette will also reprise his role as narrator from the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the 2003 remake. As this is a direct sequel to the 1947 original film, we could be seeing other familiar faces. However, it's uncertain as many of the actors from the original film have since passed away.
Release Date & Everything Else We Know
If fans are a bit put off by the idea of yet another sequel in the franchise, when the past eight didn't exactly live up to the hype of the original, they can breathe easy as this incarnation looks to be in good hands. Fede Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues have backed this film as producers and story writers, as reported by Deadline in 2019. Their previous collaborations include the 2013's Evil Dead, arguably one of the best horror remakes, 2016's Don't Breathe, and its 2021 sequel. While neither one of the filmmakers helmed Texas Chainsaw Massacre, they did handpick the director. Texas native David Blue Garcia made his directorial debut with Tejano in 2018 and is the man behind the camera chosen for Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Additionally, the film's script was based on a story by Fede and Rodo and was re-written by Chris Thomas Devlin. This legacy horror is the first film written by the writer whose previous experience comes from working on the sets of many short films such as Dr. Harvey or: How I Stole Einstein's Brain and Lost My Mind.
Because Texas Chainsaw Massacre will be a sequel to the original film, fans can expect the same grizzly violence that made the original famous and can be delighted knowing it's in good hands. The film will drop onto Netflix on February 18, 2022. It's been hinted that this could be the end of the road for Leatherface, but let's be realistic: classic slashers never have final chapters. If fans love this outing, there will likely be more to follow.