No marketable horror brand is ever going to be left alone, but few have such a checkered history as the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise. The series launched with one of the most iconic entries in the history of the genre back in 1974, but since then the concept has been run into the ground on more than one occasion.
However, the latest reboot appears to be going back to basics, and it at least comes with some decent pedigree. Evil Dead and Don’t Breathe‘s Fede Alvarez is producing Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which is hoping that a bit of old school blood and gore will give the tiring property a new lease of life. After all, over the last 47 years we’ve seen sequels, remakes, reboots and almost everything in between, but none of them have been able to hold a candle to the original.
Simply titled Texas Chainsaw Massacre, director David Blue Garcia will helm from a script by Chris Thomas Devlin, with Mark Burnham cast as a 60 year-old Leatherface. Olwen Fouere, Elsie Fisher, Sarah Yarkin, Moe Dunford, Alice Krige, Jacob Latimore, William Hope and more are also part of the ensemble, many of whom will inevitably meet a grisly demise.
Production wrapped last month, and while there’s no locked-in release date yet, it could realistically arrive in time for Halloween season. In a sign that things are moving forward at a rapid pace, Texas Chainsaw Massacre has unsurprisingly been rated R for ‘strong bloody horror violence and gore, and language,’ which is music to the ears of the fans. Plot details remain under wraps, but Alvarez has promised practical VFX and says it’s going to be depraved, so it might not be for the faint of heart.