Once again, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise rights are up for grabs. In the early months of 2025, word broke that high-profile producers and film studios were eyeballing acquiring this saga to make more theatrical films. Among those with an eye on the project are Strange Darling writer/director JT Mollner and potential leading man Glen Powell, while filmmaker Osgood Perkins (Longlegs) has also allegedly expressed interest to Neon Films about producing a new Texas Chainsaw movie. More than 50 years after Leatherface first revved up his chainsaw, this franchise clearly still has a grip on artists and studio executives alike.
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With Final Destination Bloodlines making oodles of cash, the prospect of rebooting the similarly enduring Texas Chainsaw saga for a new generation looks extra appealing. However, Texas Chainsaw isn’t the same thing as Final Destination or most other horror franchises. In fact, this is one saga that shouldn’t get any more sequels. Let’s let Leatherface rest.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre Isn’t A Franchise
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre premiered in 1974 as an instant pop culture phenomenon. However, unlike other hit horror films, it took a while for a sequel to materialize. Halloween II dropped three years after the first Halloween; A Nightmare on Elm Street 2, Saw II, and Paranormal Activity all debuted within a year of their respective first installments. By contrast, it took director Tobe Hooper 12 years to produce The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.
Unlike most other horror sequels, this follow-up was no retread of the familiar. Massacre 2 was an anarchic overhaul of the original, that greatly expanded the cast (hello, Chop Top!) and embraced more dark comedy and social satire. The unique relationship and immense amount of time between the first two Texas Chainsaw movies made them transfixing anomalies, not indicators that Leatherface could sustain endless sequels like Jigsaw or Jason. Subsequently, Hollywood’s struggled to recapture the magic of the Texas Chainsaw movies. Two 1990s sequels, including Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, were greeted with shrugs. A pair of grimy 2000s reboots/remakes went nowhere. Texas Chainsaw 3D is only remembered now for inspiring the comically bad phrase “do yer thing, cuz!”
At some point, the film industry must accept that Texas Chainsaw movies after 1986 just aren’t going to cut the mustard. Even the Saw franchise delivered the cult favorite Saw VI after the dismally received Saw V. Meanwhile, the Texas Chainsaw movies just keep sinking lower and lower in reception, with 2022’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre scoring some of the worst reviews in the history of the franchise.
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Where Else Could You Take Texas Chainsaw Massacre?
Even from the viewpoint of a cynical studio executive, it’s hard to see what possibilities lie within the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, given that the 2022 sequel already went down the obvious modern horror rabbit hole of “legacy sequel.” That feature saw Sally Hardesty (now played by Olwen Fouéré) returning from the original film to be Massacre’s equivalent of Laurie Strode in Halloween (2018). Meanwhile, the original was already given a straightforward remake in 2003. Truly, Leatherface’s story has been chopped up every way possible.
Even the possibility of strong filmmakers like Mollner or Perkins influencing this franchise going forward isn’t super encouraging. After all, wouldn’t it be better for these artists to spend their time making new original works? Within those confines, they could create unpredictable bursts of horrifying anarchy that live up to the similarly unbridled terror of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Anchoring them to a brand name with a dismal post-1986 track record sounds like such a waste. There are other endpoints for talented indie artists than just franchises and sequels.
Unfortunately, given how much Hollywood loves wringing every last penny out of recognizable brand names, it’s doubtful Leatherface will stay dormant for long. Eventually, those Chainsaw rights will get picked up, and yet another incarnation of this character will cut through the silver screen. However, all signs point to that being an outright terrible idea. There’s just nowhere else to take this franchise while the deluge of poor Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequels provides a terrible track record for further installments to follow. Even though Leatherface is unkillable, that doesn’t mean the franchise he headlines should also endure forever.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is now streaming on Tubi and Prime Video.
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Image courtesy of Warner
