As a new filmmaker offering a new take on Leatherface more than 50 years after the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Curry Barker recently teased his plans for the reboot.
The YouTube comedian and filmmaker, who was announced as the writer and director of the upcoming reimagining last month, explained that he’s intrigued by “the uncomfortability of the family” that raised the chainsaw-wielding serial killer.
“I think of it as respecting the source material,” he told Total Film. “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.”
Barker added, “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.”
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Noting that the 2003 Marcus Nisplel-helmed remake “was my favorite” of the franchise, Barker recalled, “It was like my first horror movie I’d ever seen when I was a kid, and I actually think it’s a decent remake.”
“Still, there’s so much that that concept hasn’t really leaned into or hasn’t dived [into],” said Barker. “So, I actually feel like there’s a lot to explore, so I’m really excited about it.”
Last month, Deadline reported that Barker has been tapped to write and direct the Texas Chainsaw Massacre reimagining from A24 (seperate from the studio’s TV series in the works from JT Mollner and producers Glen Powell and Dan Cohen at Barnstorm).
The franchise originally began with the 1974 horror classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, created by Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel and starring Gunnar Hansen as the murderous Leatherface.