Netflix’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre First Look and Premiere Date Released

October might be behind us and most movie fans might be looking for ways to get into the holiday spirit, but Netflix released a gift for horror fans today with our first looks at the upcoming Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which come courtesy of Entertainment Weekly. The photos themselves might not shed too much light on what to expect from the outing, with one image featuring the young stars and potential victims from the new film, as well as the silhouette of the iconic Leatherface himself. You can check out the all-new photos below and see the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre when it lands on Netflix on February 18, 2022.

While the series has earned a complicated canon, thanks to sequels, reboots, and prequels, this new film takes a page from 2018’s Halloween to serve as a direct sequel to the original that largely avoids any of the events of its predecessors.

“I think the first movie really hit a nerve when portraying that culture clash between the countryside and the city,” producer Fede Álvarez shared with the outlet. “Back in the ’70s, the hippies were representing the youth of the city. This time, they’re more like millennial hipsters from Austin who are very entrepreneurial and have a dream of getting away from the city and back to the countryside. They’re trying to gentrify small-town America — and let’s just say they encounter some pushback.”

A direct sequel also means the return of an older version of the original film’s major villain, as this film is set to deliver us an “Old Man Leatherface.”

“It’s basically the same character, who is still alive,” Álvarez pointed out. “Our take on it was this guy probably disappeared after everything he’s done. You know, how do you catch a guy who has a mask? Once he removes the mask and runs away, it’s very easy for him to hide somewhere. This story will pick it up many, many years after the original story. He’s been in hiding for a long, long time, trying to be a good person. These people arriving in this town are going to awaken the giant.”

The filmmaker added, “It was quite a search [to find a new Leatherface actor]. Gunnar Hansen passed away. If Gunnar had been alive, I’m pretty sure he would have played [the part], so we were trying to find someone that could have been Gunnar today. We tried to find the best next thing. When [Mark Burnham] showed up, we definitely felt like, ‘This is the guy.’ He had all the physicality we needed from him on camera. He has such an imposing figure.”

Stay tuned for details on the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre before it premieres on Netflix on February 18, 2022.

Are you looking forward to the new film? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!