This Halloween, prepare to witness the true origins of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
We are, of course, referring to Leatherface, Julian Maury and Alexandre Bustillo’s long-anticipated prequel that has taken on a greater meaning since the death of Tobe Hooper, a recognized mainstay of Hollywood’s horror genre thanks to his involvement in Poltergeist, Salem’s Lot and of course, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which spawned a million nightmares in 1974 with its tale of deranged cannibals residing in America’s Deep South.
Now, almost 45 years since its inception, Maury and Bustillo are prepped and ready to deliver a freaky origin story centering on one of cinema’s greatest movie monsters. Working from a script penned by Seth M. Sherwood, Leatherface is little over a month away from its limited theatrical release, and the folks over at Bloody Disgusting have relayed a creepy new poster to stoke the embers of excitement.
Casting-wise, we know that the prequel features Jessica Madsen, Sam Coleman, Sam Strike and James Bloor as four inmates who manage to claw their way out of a mental hospital, and the official plot synopsis reads as so:
In Texas, years before the events of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, in the early days of the infamous Sawyer family, the youngest child is sentenced to a mental hospital after a suspicious incident leaves the sheriffs’ daughter dead. Ten years later, he kidnaps a young nurse and escapes with 3 other inmates. Pursued by authorities including the deranged sheriff out to avenge his daughter’s death, the young Sawyer teen goes on a violent road trip from hell, molding him into the monster known now as Leatherface.
Flanked by Jigsaw, Jeepers Creepers 3 (?), and long-awaited sequel Cult of Chucky, Leatherface is part of a killer wave of high-profile horror movies arriving this Halloween, and you can expect Maury and Bustillo’s prequel to rev up the family chainsaw in time for October 20th. An exclusive DirecTV release is also planned for September 21st.
