The horror genre is one of those seemingly recession-proof categories of film that will always bring die-hard fans back again and again. That said, it's been quite a while since we last saw a bonafide slasher classic debut on the silver screen. Now that seems poised to change with the imminent return to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre universe -- titled Leatherface. The film has been in development for quite some time, and now it appears that it has landed on an ideal release date of October 2017.
According to a new report from EW, the upcoming Texas Chainsaw Massacre prequel has landed an a near-perfect release window. The film will debut in October, thus making it a go-to Halloween viewing experience for horror fans. Certain release dates make sense for specific genres, and the release of a horror movie in October typically serves as a reliable indication that a studio has quite a bit of faith in the film to draw in the Halloween crowds. Now it's just a question of how many bodies the titular killer will stack up before the credits roll.
Although we don't know much about the upcoming prequel, it seems to have come together in the creepiest way possible. Leatherface producer Christa Campbell recently posted a photo from the set of the movie to her Twitter account, and it's a legitimately chilling look at the skin-wearing killer.
That's what makes Texas Chainsaw Massacre such an interesting franchise. It's one of the few slasher series that can actually deliver scares when the central killer is out in the open in broad daylight. Freddy, Jason, and Michael can't say the same for themselves.
What we do know about the prequel is nothing less than chilling. Leatherface will center on a group of teenagers who kidnap a nurse during an escape from a mental institution. Taking her on the road with them, the group of young boys terrorizes the woman -- which eventually corrupts one of the young boys' minds and warps him into the vicious serial killer/cannibal known as Leatherface. Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury will direct the prequel, with The Conjuring's Lili Taylor and Blade's Stephen Dorff headlining the affair.
It's worth mentioning that we have a few minor concerns about a Texas Chainsaw Massacre prequel that will delve into the childhood of Leatherface. We have seen what happens when horror movies try to explain or rationalize a serial killer's origin story, and it often doesn't work out for the best. Rob Zombie tried the exact same thing with Michael Myers in his two Halloween films in 2007 and 2009, and the results were less than ideal. That said, everything that we know about Leatherface seems to promise a suitably creepy story that will honor the legacy of Tobe Hooper's original film.
We will bring you more horrifying details related to Leatherface as new information related to the Texas Chainsaw prequel becomes available to us. The film will hit theaters in October.
