Movies
‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ Prequel ‘Leatherface’ Finally Dated for Release?
Witness the beginning of your end.
More than the other big horror series’, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise has headed down some pretty unexpected paths over the years. In the wake of three follow-ups to the original classic, we got a remake, a prequel to the remake, and then a sequel to the original. Up next, a prequel to the original film explores the teenage years of the chainsaw-wielding maniac.
According to IMDb, the Seth M. Sherwood-penned Leatherface is slated for release on January 2, 2017 (although that’s a Monday), though we’re still waiting on the official confirmation of that. If the date is accurate, that surely must mean that we’ll be seeing the long-awaited trailer very soon. At the time of writing this post, we haven’t even seen a teaser, which is odd considering how long ago filming wrapped.
*UPDATE: We have just confirmed that this date is not correct. Stay tuned.*
The current incarnation of Leatherface is rated R “for strong bloody violence, disturbing images, language and some sexuality/nudity.” Millennium Films is listed as distributor, although Lionsgate had originally been set to release the film. No word on where this stands.
In Leatherface, Jessica Madsen plays one of four inmates (Sam Coleman, Sam Strike, James Bloor) who escape from a mental hospital. One of them becomes the title character and iconic slasher. The quartet kidnap a young nurse (played by Vanessa Grasse) and take her on a road trip from hell. Along the way, they are pursued by an equally deranged lawman (Stephen Dorff) out for revenge. The Conjuring‘s Lili Taylor plays Mother Sawyer.
Leatherface was directed by Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, the duo behind the slasher masterpiece Inside (À l’intérieur), as well as Livide and Among the Living.
When we talked with the filmmakers, they told us the film is “a brutal and nihilistic road movie that we hope will surprise and delight the fans…”
Before updating the video nasty Faces of Death, director Daniel Goldhaber and writer Isa Mazzei explored the dangers of online life in tech-thriller Cam, their feature debut that was acquired by Netflix in 2018 after making waves on the festival circuit.
At the end of last year, the Netflix exclusive quietly departed from the streaming platform, left without another streaming home.
It’s not an isolated story; Mike Flanagan’s Hush also left streaming entirely for a period until it was finally picked up on both physical media and other streaming services.
While the tech-thriller currently isn’t available to watch on Netflix, Tubi, Hulu, or any other platforms, that’s not a problem for Cam thanks to a very cool move by Goldhaber: the director has made his breakout film accessible to watch online for free via his website.
As his site notes: “CAM is unfortunately not currently available to view on any platforms, so you can watch it here if you like :).“
No subscriptions or fees necessary, just hit play.
Cam follows Alice (Madeline Brewer), who works as an online cam girl obsessed with her ranking on the cam site. The higher her ranking goes, the more it draws unwanted attention, and Alice soon finds herself replaced on her own show with a doppelganger.
Written by Mazzei, a former camgirl, it uses the horror thriller premise to examine the life of a sex worker; Alice’s career ambition is directly at odds with the shame it brings to her family, and how she tries to spare them from it by keeping them in the dark. It only compounds her danger when the doppelganger enters the equation in Goldhaber’s engaging thriller.
For a deep dive into the treacherous world of Cam, listen to Horror Queers’ episode on it now.
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