‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’: A24 Enlists Buzzy ‘Obsession’ Director Curry Barker For Reimagining Of Iconic Horror Film

A24 is getting into the world of legacy horror projects after “Crystal Lake,” a prequel series set in the world of “Friday the 13th,” and is also developing both series and a new feature iteration of Tobe Hooper‘s landmark 1974 slasher “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”

Now, there is a rather large update concerning that next “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” film, as A24 has selected on-the-rise director Curry Barker, according to a report hailing from Variety.

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If you’re not familiar with the horror franchise, it focuses on a rural family of serial killers and cannibals (influenced by real-life deranged killers like Ed Gein) that tend to prey on young outsiders to their small Texas town. Leatherface, being the main character of the slasher IP, who weilds a massive chainsaw and wears the faces of his victims as a horrific mask of sorts. It would go on to have a massive impact on the horror genre and help to motivate various filmmakers to go darker, such as Ridley Scott, who has cited the movie in the past for inspiring his work on “Alien.”

Barker’s (a comedic actor and director) most recent release was the Blumhouse and Focus Features film “Obsession,” which has been gathering a lot of buzz via positive critical response ahead of the movie coming to theaters on May 15. Nabbing such a high-profile horror IP before the movie has been shown to a general audience would suggest that A24 was impressed.

Roy Lee and Steven Schneider of Spooky Pictures, Stuart Manashil, Exurbia Films‘ Pat Cassidy, Ian Henkel, and Kim Henkel are producing this new take on “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. Executive producer Ben Ross of Image Nation is also among the producing team.

The filmmaker has already reunited with Blumhouse on the pic “Anything But Ghosts” (serving as director, co-writer, and star), as the in-production horror movie “centers on two fraudulent paranormal investigators who are forced to face real ghosts, and the lies underpinning their business.”

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Alongside this new movie, JT Mollner (“Strange Darling”), Dan Cohen, and Glen Powell are putting together a “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” series, and Linda Cardellini is playing the new Palema Voorhees (Jason’s mother and the original killer) in A24’s “Crystal Lake” show.