Texas Chainsaw 3D will contain footage from Tobe Hooper’s original

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

The producers of TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D are really trying to stretch the film’s connection to the original, so much so that we’ve recently learned the sequel will contain footage from the 1974 classic.

In a recent interview, CHAINSAW Lead Stereoscopic Engineer Markus Lanxinger went on the defensive to discuss the film’s supposed fidelity to Hooper’s version:

“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.”

This of course, leads into the big reveal that not only will the original’s footage be appearing, but it will also be post converted into 3D:

“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.”

Finally, Lanxinger weighed in on the film’s “R” rating and, to coin a Chas Balun-ism, “gore score”:

“It initially had an NC-17 rating so we recut the movie and it got an R rating. There are certainly some gory elements but I also think there is quite some suspense in the movie. I think in America it’s very easy to get an R rating for violence and blood scenes. There are plenty of those but there are also moments where it is just scary with a suspense build up so I hope some of those scenes are going to stand out, not just the gory scenes.”

I admit to being a bit torn here. On the one had, I admire the filmmakers’ intentions to not make a cash-grab sequel and pay homage to the original. Yet the trailer for this one was pretty rough and not in a good, Grindhouse way. More in a direct-to-video quality, “This is going to be released in theaters?” sort of way. What do you think, Schmoes? Does TEXAS CHAINSAW look good enough to get your green when released into theaters January 4th? Comment below!