Fans have been waiting a long time for a proper reboot of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and now, it finally seems like they’re going to get one. Fede Alvarez, the director/writer of the 2013 Evil Dead reboot and Don’t Breathe, is all set to produce a remake of the slasher classic for Legendary Pictures. Through his Bad Hombre Films banner, he’ll be mapping out a gory reimagining of the 1974 flick.
Rather than recruit a longtime veteran of the industry to pen the script though, Alvarez has decided to go with Chris Thomas Devlin. This is an interesting choice, given the newcomer’s limited experience. The screenwriter has never taken on a job as high-profile as this before so hopefully he’ll be up to the task.
For those who have somehow never seen the original, the remake or any of the many sequels, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre tells the story of a group of adolescents who inadvertently find themselves being hunted by a demented family of cannibals. The film starts out innocently enough, as a bunch of young adults head into the forgotten parts of the Lone Star State to visit an old homestead. What happens next, however, terrified an entire generation of viewers while simultaneously redefining the horror genre for decades to come.
The main antagonist of the movie is the now instantly recognizable character of Leatherface. His grisly crimes were loosely inspired by those of old-time serial killer Ed Gein, though the plot itself is fictional. The low-budget flick became a sleeper hit back in the seventies, despite protests and bans in several countries due to its violent content. Since then, countless horror pics have tried to replicate the frights of Tobe Hooper’s masterpiece with varied success.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot is expected to get off the ground in the near future, while the original is currently available to stream on Netflix.