Leatherface (2017 film)

Leatherface
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Screenplay bySeth M. Sherwood
Based onCharacters
by Tobe Hooper
Kim Henkel
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyAntoine Sanier
Edited by
  • Sébastien de Sainte Croixe
  • Josh Ethier
Music byJohn Frizzell
Production
companies
Distributed byLionsgate
Release dates
  • August 25, 2017 (2017-08-25) (Leicester Square)
  • October 20, 2017 (2017-10-20) (United States)[1]
Running time
90 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.5 million[3]

Leatherface is a 2017 American horror film directed by Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, written by Seth M. Sherwood, and starring Stephen Dorff, Vanessa Grasse, Sam Strike, and Lili Taylor.[4] It is the eighth installment in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (TCM) franchise, and works as a prequel to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013), explaining the origin of the series' lead character.[5][6][7]

It is the third and final installment of the Millenium Films' alternate continuity and chronologically the first of the alternate continuity.

Following the financial success of Texas Chainsaw 3D, a sequel went into development from director John Luessenhop for a planned shoot in Louisiana, but failed to receive the greenlight to move forward. In favor of avoiding the convoluted continuity of the previous films while going in an unexpected direction, Seth M. Sherwood pitched Leatherface to Millennium Films as a prequel that would follow the titular character in a mentally competent state, enduring trauma that transforms him into the intellectually disabled murderer seen in the previous films. Maury and Bustillo signed on as directors after reading the screenplay, impressed with what they found to be a unique take on the long-running franchise.

Principal photography commenced in Bulgaria in May and June 2015, with locations and sets chosen for their resemblance to the Texas terrain and as homage to the series' previous films. After being temporarily shelved by Lionsgate Films in 2016, the film was made exclusive via DirecTV on September 21, 2017, before receiving a wider release on video on demand and limited theaters, simultaneously, in North America on October 20, 2017. It received generally mixed reviews from film critics, and garnered $1,476,843 worldwide. Lionsgate and Millennium Films lost the rights to produce future Texas Chainsaw Massacre films because of its delay in release.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Release was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Barkan, Jonathan (June 30, 2017). "FrightFest 2017: Cult of Chucky's World Premiere Leads a Stellar List of Horror". Dread Central. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  3. ^ "Leatherface (2017)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on November 3, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  4. ^ Chitwood, Adam (September 7, 2015). "First 'Leatherface' Poster Teases the Horror Origin Story". Collider. Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Slash Film 8-14-14 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Miska, Brad (July 28, 2014). "Leatherface's Puberty: New 'Texas Chainsaw' Details! (Exclusive)". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  7. ^ Dickson, Evan (August 13, 2014). "Texas ChainsawMassacre Prequel is Now Titled Leatherface and Has a Writer". Collider. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.