Netflix has finally released the official trailer for its Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequel – giving our first proper, blood-soaked look at Leatherface in 2022.
A direct sequel to 1974’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (note the space), this ninth installment in the long-running horror franchise will see the famous killer wreaking his customary havoc on a group of unsuspecting millennials in a Texas ghost town.
Emmy award-winning cinematographer David Blue Garcia is on hand as the movie’s director, with Evil Dead and Don’t Breathe filmmakers Fede Álvarez and Rodo Sayagues in tow as producers. In short, expect blood, gore and jump scares aplenty.
You can check out the new trailer for Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which is scheduled to hit Netflix on February 18, 2022, below. And yes, that is a Tesla Model S in the teaser.
One of the most anticipated new horror movies of 2022, Texas Chainsaw Massacre will star Eighth Grade lead Elsie Fisher alongside Sarah Yarkin, Jacob Latimore and Nell Hudson as a group of social media influencers who unwittingly stumble upon the skin-clad killer.
The trailer also gives us our first look at Olwen Fouéré as Sally Hardesty, who takes over from the late Marilyn Burns in a role that has spanned several films in the franchise.
As for how Netflix’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre will compare to its (now historic) predecessor, director Garcia told Entertainment Weekly: “I think the [1979] movie really hit a nerve when portraying that culture clash between the countryside and the city. 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,” Garcia added, “and let’s just say they encounter some pushback.”
Like the original, then, Texas Chainsaw Massacre looks set to intersperse moments of social commentary with its traditional slasher horror – though we get the feeling that most viewers will be watching specifically for the latter.
Judging by this new trailer, too, it seems no expense has been spared in the violence department (see bus scene).
Analysis: A genre and franchise boost
Given how far (and frequently) Netflix movies have come in the last decade, it’s not often that the streamer lacks for quality in a specific genre. A stellar catalogue of horror movies, though, has alluded Netflix thus far.
Sure, the company has commissioned several successful original scarers like Bird Box and the Fear Street trilogy in recent years, but horror remains a genre that hasn’t enjoyed the same attention and, by extension, acclaim as others on the service.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre will, therefore, look to breathe new life into Netflix’s horror offering, as well as into the decades-old franchise it hopes to resurrect.
Speaking of which, Leatherface isn't the only iconic villain making a long-awaited return in 2022. Several other horror movie franchises are preparing to dust off the cobwebs – the likes of Jeepers Creepers, Hellraiser and Evil Dead are set to follow Scream’s lead with reboots and long-awaited sequels in the coming year.
Hopefully, then, 2022 will keep its horror firmly planted on our movie screens.
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