Legacy sequels, specifically ones for the horror genre, are having a moment right now. Recent films like Scream and Halloween, have not only been long awaited tonics for their respective franchises but also manage to modernize and terrify new audiences. In what was once considered to be a dormant franchise, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is about to receive its own legacy sequel with the simply titled Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the trailer that was recently released provided a glimpse into what we can expect.
While the Texas Chainsaw films haven’t received the same acclaim as it’s contemporary counterpart, Halloween, the original film was influential in its own right but like many horror franchises, it’s been bogged down by mediocre sequels and studio mismanagement. The studio that had originally owned the rights to the franchise, Lionsgate, delayed the release of Leatherface in 2017 and this delay caused them to lost the rights which were then sold to Legendary Pictures who immediately began plans to revive the franchise.
The trailer opens with a young woman crashing her vehicle into a field and as she looks out into the empty field, we hear her scream echoing through the wide-open space. We then cut to a group of young entrepreneurs as they arrive in Harlow, Texas with ambitions to gentrify the ghost town, make some money and create a safe place to live. Little do they know that the villainous Leatherface is stalking them and begins to brutally slaughter the new arrivals.
In a page taken from 2018’s Halloween, the sole survivor of Leatherface’s original rampage, Sally Hardesty, is making a return to Harlow to exact revenge for her murdered friends and protect this new group. The gore is on full display as there are several shots of Leatherface hitting a victim in the friend with a massive hammer and in what is sure to be one of the most talked about scenes in the horror genre during 2022, Leatherface makes his way onto a party bus and begins to systematically and brutally murder each occupant of the bus even as they begin to record him on their respect smartphones.
The brief 150 second trailer provided a solid glimpse into what we can expect from this reboot/legacy sequel highlighting the hallmarks of this overlooked franchise; brutal kills with massive amounts of gore, a desolate Texas town that plays host to a murderer and the struggle to escape. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is set to premiere on Netflix on February 18, 2022.
Featured Image Credit: Texas Chainsaw Massacre
