For my money Leatherface is one of the scariest horror movie characters in history. Not just because he’s a homicidal maniac with a chainsaw but because he’s actually believable. Trust me, I’ve been to parts of Texas where you can totally picture people like ol’ Leatherface roaming the countryside looking for unsuspecting co-eds to murder.
Sadly we haven’t seen much from the star of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in awhile. There was an attempted prequel, cleverly titled Leatherface, that came and went in 2017 and the forgettable remake back in 2003 (Jesus, I feel old) but aside from that, the property and character have pretty much faded into the legendary annals of horror history.
But that might soon change. Bloody Disgusting is reporting that Fede Alvarez (Don’t Breathe and the Evil Dead remake) is looking to produce a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequel for Legendary Pictures. Great news! Even better, more interesting news: Alvarez’s sequel would take the approach employed by David Gordon Green and Danny McBride’s Halloween, forgetting the sequels that came before it and instead creating a direct follow-up to Tobe Hooper’s original 1974 masterpiece.
That’s right, it’s time to ignore every other Texas Chainsaw film aside from the first one! I don’t know how I feel about that because some of the sequels were enjoyable and downright bonkers but the decision to ignore them would greatly increase the potential for a brand new Texas Chainsaw series and something that feels more like the first movie. Sometimes it is best to just hit the restart button and start from scratch. That might upset some purists but it’s necessary if you want to get back to the roots of the first film and try to create something in the same vein.
And I really hope they do make something similar to Hooper’s original. It still stands up as one of the most disturbing, scary horror movies in history. It’s brutal and proudly unforgiving. It’s such a raw film, stripped bare of all the bells and whistles that so many horror films have. If Alvarez and whichever director is eventually chosen to lead this project can give us even a sliver of that magic then we will all be eternally grateful.
Alvarez’s filmography suggests that he and whoever he chooses to direct this sequel will aim for something much more authentic and far less polished than the 2003 remake. And the box office success of the aforementioned Halloween sequel suggests that audiences are ready to get back to the roots of the series. Everything is lining up just right for Leatherface so I say it’s damn time we rev up his engine again.