Following last week’s announcement that Curry Barker has been tapped to helm a new reimagining of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the Obsession filmmaker has made his first public comments on the project.
“I love the original,” Curry said of Tobe Hooper’s 1974 genre-defining classic during a recent Q&A hosted by Total Film. “I think that one is really raw and was really good for its time. And I actually think the 2003 remake is actually quite good too, but it could also be from, there’s a nostalgia there.”
He added, “A lot of people are excited about [the reboot], but a lot of people are like, ‘Put this thing to bed. It’s all been done.’ I beg to differ. Seriously. I really think that the potential for that series has not been fully realized. I actually feel like a lot of the remakes went the opposite direction than it should have gone.”
Barker continued, “I’m really excited to do a Texas Chainsaw Massacre that’s not just about a guy chasing some people around with a chainsaw; that has some heart to it. You care about these characters and want to see them survive, and it’s brutal.”
A24 is behind the new film, which will be produced by Spooky Pictures’ Roy Lee & Steven Schneider, Exurbia Film’s Pat Cassidy, Ian Henkel, & Kim Henkel (co-writer of the original film), and Stuart Manashil. Ben Ross of Image Nation serves as executive producer.
A24 is concurrently developing a Texas Chainsaw Massacre TV series spearheaded by Strange Darling filmmaker JT Mollner.
Barker recently wrapped production on his next horror film, Anything But Ghosts, starring Aaron Paul. Obsession opens in theaters on May 15.