Key Takeaways:

Essential Insights

• Franchise History: The original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was released in 1974 and started a franchise that struggled to maintain its success.
• A24’s Acquisition: A24 acquired the rights to the franchise in 2025, aiming to revitalize it with a fresh approach.
• Barker's Role: Director Curry Barker is set to write and direct the reboot, following his success with Obsession.
• Box Office Success: Barker’s Obsession grossed $372.6 million worldwide, showcasing the potential for low-budget horror films.

In 1974, Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel astounded audiences with their groundbreaking original slasher. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (TCSM) sparked a new era of elevated horror and cemented long-lasting genre tropes. However, cinematic follow-ups never matched the magic of the first film. While franchises such as Halloween flourished, TCSM stalled. The eight Texas Chainsaw Massacre films received low ratings—13 to 50% on Rotten Tomatoes—and disappointing box office returns.

A24 won the cursed IP in a 2025 auction (via Deadline). Best known for hyper-original films, the indie studio announced plans for a creative reimagining of Hooper’s story that still preserves its mighty legacy. A Variety report from April 2026 revealed that Barker was signed on to write and direct the indie studio’s teased reboot. While Barker was a relative unknown at the time, he shot into mainstream acclaim a month later when Focus Features released his feature debut.

Obsession marked the introduction of a thrilling new name in horror. The original feature was reminiscent of low-budget, experimental horror gems such as TCSM and drew crowds to the theater. The film’s successful release proved that A24 knew what it was doing when it tagged Barker to lead the upcoming reboot.

Barker’s Obsession is a Modern-Day Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Barker’s Obsession bears a strong resemblance to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in its low-budget production and high box office success.

In the summer of 1973, 29-year-old director Hooper gathered a group of amateur filmmakers to shoot bold, new horror. Filmed on location over five weeks, the project cost just $140,000 to make—$951 thousand with inflation. With an original story and a cast of unknowns, the movie had little to market on. However, Hooper’s disturbingly raw feature stood out against the highly produced horror of the time, and crowds flocked to see the spectacle. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre grossed $30.9 million at the worldwide box office, $210 million when adjusting for inflation. That’s over 215 times the production budget.

In 2024, 26-year-old Barker and his collaborator, Cooper Tomlinson, filmed Obsession over 20 days on a mere $750,000 budget. Coming from YouTube, Obsession marked the filmmakers’ first feature-length production. Populated by a cast of little-known actors, the indie feature had a respectable theatrical debut in 2026 but grew in popularity as word spread about this daring new feature—culminating in a $372.6 million worldwide gross.

The runaway success of Barker’s fresh horror has been likened to that of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. In the 1970s, Hooper proved that a well-crafted horror could be produced outside the high-dollar Hollywood machine. In 2026, Barker proved that original, low-expense horror still has power in an age when IP rules Hollywood.

Barker Has A Knack for Raw, Experimental Horror

The unique horror of 1974’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre came from its rough authenticity. To be successful, A24’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre revival will need to avoid an overly produced or formulaic film—the fatal flaw of previous follow-up attempts. Barker’s limited but mighty filmography suggests that he has a knack for minimally produced, original, and gripping stories—making him the ideal TCSM writer-director.

Barker’s 12 short films and one feature were all produced on meager budgets, without large casts or special effects. Still, even his sub-20-minute shorts are more terrifying than some high-budget Hollywood horror. Like 1974’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Barker’s films deconstruct classic formulas and sidestep audience expectations to create destabilizing terror. Barker is specifically deft at gradually escalating the mundane into the fantastical, making the action feel terrifyingly plausible.

While filming Obsession, Barker and his small cast and crew tried out ideas and saw what stuck. As such, the unfiltered horror ventures into strange, divisive narrative beats that mainstream Hollywood usually trims in service of mass appeal. This unique daring is Obsession‘s ultimate triumph. This daring also makes Barker a fit captain for the upcoming Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot. Still untainted by the Hollywood machine, Barker has a shot at maintaining the franchise’s special rawness.

A24’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre should not mimic the 1974 film, which could translate to a soulless reproduction. Rather, the studio’s reimagining needs to capture the free and edgy spirit of the original while delivering the unexpected. Having proven his ability to do just that, Barker has what it takes to resurrect the 50-year-old franchise once and for all.