Obsession director Curry Barker says his new Texas Chainsaw Massacre will be brutal and emotional, and praises the 1974 original as being “good for its time.” Director Curry Barker has already landed a critical hit at festivals with his horror, Obsession, due out next month. Next he’s headed for more familiar territory – a remake ... Texas Chainsaw Massacre | Director Curry Barker promises “brutal” reboot, says original was “good for its time”
Obsession director Curry Barker says his new Texas Chainsaw Massacre will be brutal and emotional, and praises the 1974 original as being “good for its time.”
Director Curry Barker has already landed a critical hit at festivals with his horror, Obsession, due out next month. Next he’s headed for more familiar territory – a remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Numerous filmmakers have attempted to extend and reboot the franchise in the past, and Barker is keenly aware that there’s a line of thinking that the whole series has run out of creative mileage.
“A lot of people are, like, ‘put this thing to bed, it’s all been done,'” Barker said in comments published by Dread Central. “I beg to differ. Seriously. I really think that the potential for that series has not been fully realised.”
Previous remakes “went the opposite direction it should have gone,” he said, implying that previous directors have played up the franchise’s slasher aspects rather than its characters and suspense.
“I’m really excited to do a Texas Chainsaw Massacre that’s not just about a guy chasing some people around with a chainsaw, that has some heart to it,” Barker said. “You care about these characters and want to see them survive, and you know, it’s brutal.”
Of the various attempts at updates and sequels, Barker said that Platinum Dunes’ 2003 remake, simply called The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, was “pretty good,” though conceded that his affection for it could be down to nostalgia. (Director John Landis once said that the remake looked like a shampoo commercial.)
What Barker said about Tobe Hooper’s 1974 original may leave some cinema lovers harumphing to themselves, however. “I love the original,” he said. “I think that one is really raw and was really good for its time.”
We’d argue that Texas Chain Saw (the space is weird yet important) is an absolute classic. Shot in horrendous conditions, it’s one of those rare films where the heat and stench of decay emanate from every frame. It’s both a horror film and an art film, capturing the utter madness of a disillusioned, fearful America reeling from political and economic crises.
Again, history is littered with filmmakers who’ve tried to follow it, and even Hooper himself couldn’t capture its essence; his 1986 sequel has lots to enjoy, but it’s wildly different from its predecessor. We’ll have to wait and see whether Barker’s version can curry favour with horror fans. (Sorry.)
