Over at Bloody Disgusting they’ve announced that the reboot-sequel to Tobe Hooper’s 1974 classic, Texas Chainsaw 3D is to feature archive footage from the original and has also squeaked out of getting an NC-17 rating.
Texas Chainsaw 3D, which picks up directly where The Texas Chainsaw Massacre left off, follows the cannibal dynasty, the Newtons, on their quest to ensure their every face is crafted from that of an unfortunate teenager’s.
Over on the 3D Focus site, the film’s Lead Stereoscopic Engineer (the people who put the ears on the back of mice), Markus Lanxinger, revealed that the film was made with consideration for the fans in mind:
“We felt quite a bit of responsibility on set. The producer and the director were very concerned about it. For that reason they had some of the original cast enrolled in the movie. Everybody on the crew was required to watch the original [Texas Chainsaw Massacre]. I think that inspired us to do something that lives up to it. I could tell that the producer and director wanted to make something that appealed to the fans of the franchise.”
It’s a refreshing sound bite to read considering that reboots are usually soft targets in the horror field, those reliable old war horses which always bring in at the box office whether the franchise fans like it or not. Sounds like this latest entry could dispel that myth.
Lanxinger also discussed the post-production 3D conversion session of the film dropping the bomb which would generate many a squeal from fans of the original:
“There were very few shots that we ended up converting on that film and the ones we did tended to be the archive footage and stills from the original movie.”
It’ll be intriguing to see how they’re integrating scenes from the original without it appearing like a blatant recycle. It’s possible the film might open with the final moments from the first entry, to give the new version a spot of context.
The film also avoided a death knell due to being re-cut after the initial submission to the MPAA gave it an NC-17 rating. It has since been granted an R rating, scaring away any fears of box office oblivion.
Texas Chainsaw 3D will be released in theaters January 4th, 2013.
So, scenes from the original making it into the new sequel, do you think it’s a good idea? Does the thought of Leatherface popping out at you in 3D get you giddy for January? Have your say in the comments below.