Curry Barker isn’t just here to put another coat of blood on a fifty-year-old franchise. The filmmaker wants to dig deeper, and he’s already being upfront about where his focus will land.
Barker, a YouTube comedian and filmmaker announced as the writer and director of the upcoming A24 reimagining, explained his interest. He is drawn to the unsettling dynamics within the family that raised Leatherface. Speaking to Total Film, he didn’t hold back on where he plans to take things.
“I want to lean into the uncomfortability of the family, I want to lean into the rawness of what’s going on there. There’s some really messed-up stuff happening at that farm.”
Barker said.
What interests Barker most is exploring the Sawyer family specifically, not just the franchise’s most iconic character, Bubba “Leatherface” Sawyer. That’s a notable shift from how most entries in the series have operated. While the focus has often been on teens meeting gory fates at the hands of the cannibals, some films have explored the Sawyer family dynamic before. Characters like Chop Top were introduced in the second film. Bold choices were also made in Texas Chainsaw 3D in 2013.
Barker, though, sees real untapped ground here.
“I’m really excited to do a ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ that’s not just about a guy chasing some people around with the chainsaw. [One] that has some heart to it, you know? Where you care about these characters, and you want to see them survive, but you know… is still brutal.”
Before landing this gig, Barker was known for his YouTube and comedy work. He then made the leap to horror. This follows a path similar to Jordan Peele and Zach Cregger. His screenplay for Obsession, a feature that currently holds a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, is what helped get him here.
Obsession originally earned an NC-17 rating before being adjusted to secure an R-rated theatrical release. This speaks to just how far Barker is willing to push material. Barker also confessed that his favorite entry in the franchise is the 2003 remake. This version was directed by Marcus Nispel. It focused on Leatherface and his family terrorizing a group of young adults. He called it “actually a decent remake.”
The new film will be produced by Roy Lee and Steven Schneider of Spooky Pictures, alongside Stuart Manashil. Pat Cassidy, Ian Henkel, and original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre co-writer Kim Henkel of Exurbia Films also produce. A24 is also separately developing a Texas Chainsaw Massacre television series. JT Mollner, the Strange Darling filmmaker, is attached to direct. Glen Powell and Dan Cohen are producing.
Barker’s film will be the tenth entry since Tobe Hooper’s 1974 original, which introduced Leatherface and the Sawyer family to the world. The franchise was put on ice after Netflix’s 2022 reboot, before A24 secured the rights in a competitive bidding war.
No release date has been announced for Barker’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre yet. Watching Obsession, arriving in theaters May 15, may offer early hints about his creative instincts before the chainsaw revs up again.
