Leatherface is back.
Again.
Because of course he is.
A24 just handed the keys for the whole Texas Chainsaw Massacre house to Curry Barker, a 25 year old kid.
Getting his start in YouTube sketch comedy, he shot an $800 horror movie, threw it online for free, and racked up over 2 million views. Then Obsession happened at TIFF, which sparked a $14,000,000 bidding war. Now, A24 wants him to reimagine Tobe Hooper’s 1974 classic (you know the one that felt illegal to own on VHS?).
The producer list is stacked with names. Roy Lee. Steven Schneider. Pat Cassidy. Ian Henkel. The legendary Kim Henkel, who co-wrote the original with Hooper, is on board too. You don’t get Henkel on board if you’re going to pump out just another straight-to-streaming slog.
Most remakes of TCM have been trash (in my opinion). Some of them are actually decent or okay, while most are forgettable swings at a movie that never really needed a sequel to begin with. The original is a grease stain on a gas station rag and a HIGH ASS bar.
I am honestly excited to see if Barker brings that grit. YouTube horror kid to A24 hot seat is a wild career arc, and A24 has been quietly building one of the most interesting horror slates in the industry. Barker is definitely following a path that is similar to the one that I am forging.
The ingredients are there. Whether the meat ends up on the plate is another story (see what I did there?).
The real test is restraint. If they polish it up too much, it becomes just another $30 mill slasher. Too artsy and it is not Chainsaw (at least not one that is going to please anyone).
You need the grime and stank. I want to feel like I can to smell the house and that someone is watching from behind plastic sheeting.
What are you thinking? Think Barker can pull it off, or is this another new name that Hollywood is going to grind up and spit out?