The highly anticipated Leatherface sequel will be returning with an “R” rating for the newly revealed titled Texas Chainsaw Massacre (yes that is the new title). The MPA has confirmed that this morning, according to bloody-disgusting.com; comforting news for fans of the old macabre classic. The “R” rating is due to; “Strong bloody horror violence and gore, and language”. If you haven’t seen the poster for Leatherface’s sequel, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, here you go.
David Blue Garcia is directing this bloody sequel. Written by Chris Thomas Devlin. Luckily for all of us, Kim Henkel, who co-wrote the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, is on board as a producer along with Ian Henkel and Pat Cassidy, with all three producing it under Exubria Films.
Leatherface Brings Along An Old Friend
The MPA’s reasoning for the rating got me slightly worried. The magic of the original is that most of the gore is implied. Like when Leatherface hangs the teen with the glasses and afro, Jerry, on a hook, we hardly see any blood. The only blood we see is the dried blood in the buckets, under where he hangs and convulses. I’m not saying there isn’t any gore, we do see most of the blood and gore during the final scene where Sally is forced to have dinner with the all-male cannibals. Oh and Grandpa Sawyer. That last scene is most of the blood and gore that we see.
What did give me hope is that Kim Henkel is back. Although I would have preferred to also have him be part of the writing of the script. Kim Henkel is slated as a producer, which should still give him the ability to chime in creatively, which he should since Tobe Hooper passed in August of 2017.
Fede Alvarez directed the Evil Dead and followed that up with Don’t Breathe in 2016. He did justice to Sam Raimi’s original, so I am hoping he can do the same for Tobe Hooper’s original, which hasn’t seen film come close to being as audacious and subversive as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
A Couple Morsels of Trivia
Did you know that the character of Leatherface was based on none other than Richard Milhouse Nixon? Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel wrote the original screenplay during Watergate and Tobe Hooper was not a fan of his presidency. Oh and the chainsaw? That came to Tobe Hooper in 1972 when he was in a packed hardware section of a Montgomery Ward during a Texas Christmas. He romanticized about taking one of the many chainsaws that were on the display and hacking away at the crowd.
