Texas Chainsaw Massacre Reboot Spotlights the Savage Family Behind Leatherface

If you thought The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was just going to limp along with tired old tricks, think again. The reboot is officially in the works, and it's got a new director who might just know how to give Leatherface a fresh coat of blood—uh, paint. That director is Curry Barker, who you might recognize from his YouTube days and, more recently, for taking a hard left into horror after mostly doing comedy. Yes, it’s another one of those comedians-turned-horror-filmmakers, following in the footsteps of Jordan Peele and Zach Cregger. But with Barker, there’s a twist that makes this reboot worth keeping an eye on.

Who Is Curry Barker—and Why Is He at the Saw?

Barker’s not just some random up-and-comer. He already made a splash with his horror film Obsession—which, for the record, holds a shockingly high 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and is about someone making a wish that goes completely sideways (classic horror setup, stellar execution apparently). That movie helped land him the Texas Chainsaw gig, and his involvement was only recently confirmed by A24. That’s right, the A24 folks are throwing their weight behind this, and if you’ve watched their horror track record, you know that at least their worst movies are interesting.

Sticking Close—but Not Too Close—to the Original Recipe

Barker sat down with Total Film and gave a pretty honest rundown of what he's bringing to the table for Leatherface. First, he’s not about to reinvent the wheel—don’t expect flying chainsaws or a musical number. But he’s also not just making a carbon copy of the original. In his words:

'I think of it as respecting the source material. I absolutely love the original film, but I want to do something that's different. I'm not gonna stray away too far from what we know, but just making it stronger.'

'Really, I want to lean into the uncomfortability of the family. I want to lean into the rawness of what’s going on there. There's some really messed up stuff happening at that farm. I genuinely feel there’s so much potential for that concept that has not been realized.'

So the focus is still on the Sawyer family and the pure, unfiltered chaos at their farmhouse. Barker clearly wants to push the boundaries of 'how uncomfortable can we make this?' without losing the old-school edge. In fact, he’s pretty open about thinking the best parts of the franchise haven’t even been explored yet.

Favorite Chainsaws—and Some Franchise Chaos

If you're wondering what previous TCM movies Barker actually likes, he singled out the 2003 Marcus Nispel remake with Jessica Biel and R. Lee Ermey as a legitimate favorite—calling it 'a decent remake' (which, let’s face it, is high praise compared to some of the other sequels and reboots). Still, as Barker points out:

'There's so much that that concept hasn't really leaned into or hasn’t dived [into]. So, I actually feel like there's a lot to explore, so I'm really excited about it.'

Let’s Be Honest: This Franchise Is a Mess

• This new Barker-directed movie will be the tenth (!) Texas Chainsaw Massacre film since Tobe Hooper’s blood-soaked 1974 original. If you thought Halloween had a confusing timeline, Texas Chainsaw gives it a run for its money.
• The franchise swings between nasty pure horror (like the original and the 2003 remake) and dark comedy—the second movie, for example, leans so hard into camp that you almost forget people are getting murdered.
• The Sawyer family tree keeps growing (and mutating?) with every sequel. There was Chop Top in Part 2, and even Alexandra Daddario’s character in the head-scratcher that was Texas Chainsaw 3D.
• Just to complicate things, there’s also the prequel Leatherface from 2017, which tries to explain Leatherface’s origin story. Short answer: it’s complicated, and continuity is pretty much an afterthought.

If any horror series is crying out for a clean, terrifying reboot, it’s this one. The good news: Barker sounds like he knows there’s more to be done with the whole 'insane cannibal family' thing.

Still Early Days, but There’s Hope

Barker’s vision is just entering development, so don’t expect new photos of Leatherface any time soon. But if his take on Obsession is anything to go by, there's a good chance this franchise finally gets the reboot it deserves—fewer timeline headaches, more nightmares. Stay tuned, because things are about to get messy in Texas (again).