10 Status Updates On Iconic Horror Movie Franchises

5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Jason Voorhees Pinhead Ghostface Freddy Krueger
Vortex/Bryanston

Last Film Entry: Leatherface (2017)

What's Going On? Few horror franchises have had as skewed and multi-stranded a continuity as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

To break it down, there are the four initial Chainsaw pictures that all follow the same canon. Then there was the 2003 remake, which itself was given a prequel. From there, 2013's Texas Chainsaw 3D served as a direct sequel to Tobe Hooper's 1974 original picture, and the eighth and most recent entry in the franchise is 2017's Leatherface - which is a prequel set in the same continuity as the original '74 effort and Texas Chainsaw 3D.

With the franchise rights having by now switched from Lionsgate and Millennium Films to Legendary Entertainment, a new instalment in the Chainsaw series wrapped production earlier this year. Produced by the Evil Dead remake's Fede Alvarez, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker David Blue Garcia is on directing duties for what is inventively titled The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

The title may not be the most intriguing of names, yet the plot of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre should at least raise some interest from franchise fans. Picking up 47 years after the events of the very first movie, here we'll get to see a 60-year-old Leatherface (Mark Burnham), an older Sally Hardesty (Olwen Fouere taking over from Marilyn Burns), and will largely centre on two sisters on a business trip in Texas.

A specific release date has yet to be set for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but the film was previously targeting a late 2021 release.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.