New Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie heads to Netflix

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
(Image credit: Vortex)

The newest Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie is on its way to Netflix.

The upcoming film was originally intended to be released theatrically, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, Legendary Pictures has chosen to skip the big-screen by selling the global distribution rights to Netflix. Currently, there's no word on when the streamer plans to release the film but with the spooky season on its way, it would make sense for it to drop in October.

This fresh take on the classic horror IP is directed by David Blue Garcia and produced by Don't Breathe and Evil Dead filmmaker Fede Alvarez. The movie is positioned as a sequel to Tobe Hooper's 1974 original. Much like the latest Halloween and Candyman movies, this latest will disregard the various Texas Chainsaw sequels in the continuity (and there's A LOT) and pick up where Hooper's flick ended.

The infamous ending shows the final girl Sally Hardesty, covered in blood, screaming in the back of a pick-up truck, as she's driven away from the murderous Leatherface swinging his signature weapon. Sally is set to return for the sequel but will be played by Olwen Fouéré as original actress Marilyn Burns died in 2016.

As for the story, the new sequel picks up several years after the events of the first in a world where no one has seen or heard from Leatherface. It follows Melody (Nell Hudson), a woman who is left with no option but to bring her younger sister Lila, played by Eighth Grade's Elsie Fisher, on a business trip to Texas. 

According to Alvarez, and surprising no one, the pair will meet the chainsaw-wielding maniac. "It is a direct sequel, and it is the same character. It is old man Leatherface,” he told Bloody Disgusting's Boo Crew podcast, adding that the movie likely won't be a slick modernization of the franchise. "Everything is classic, old school gags. A lot of the approach that we had with Evil Dead – never VFX, to do everything on camera. It’s a very old-school approach to filmmaking. Vintage lenses… it’s very similar to the original film."

Jacob Latimore, Moe Dunford, Alice Krige, Sarah Yarkin, and Jessica Alain co-star in the movie and will no doubt either be chased, captured, and eaten by cannibals, or chase, capture, and eat like cannibals.

Eager for more scares before Texas Chainsaw Massacre arrives? Check our list of the most anticipated upcoming horror movies of 2021 and beyond.

Gem Seddon

Gem Seddon is GamesRadar+'s west coast Entertainment News Reporter, working to keep all of you updated on all of the latest and greatest movies and shows on streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Outside of entertainment journalism, Gem can frequently be found writing about the alternative health and wellness industry, and obsessing over all things Aliens and Terminator on Twitter.