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Fede Alvarez, David Blue Garcia Talk ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ 2022

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Texas Chainsaw Massacre

In retrospect, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre might just be the most chaotic franchise in horror history. We’ve seen every origin story, reboot, remake, and sequel we could imagine, and yet Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead) and David Blue Garcia (Tejano) have a brand new chapter on its way to Netflix on February 18th.

Set almost 50 years since the events of the first film, the task was a daunting one, and one they decided to approach, much like the original film, as simply as possible.

iHorror spoke with Alvarez and Garcia earlier this week, and they were clear from the beginning, that Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022 focused on story first.

“It all goes back to the original,” Alvarez explained. “You start with the killer, Leatherface. Who are the people that he kills? In the original movie, in my mind, he represents hate and fear of what you don’t understand and what you can’t make sense of. So he kills it. In the original films that why they chose those kind of hippie, cool kids from the city that wear clothes that are completely inappropriate for people in the countryside. That’s why he reacts the way he does. He just can’t understand what’s going on. He just kills them all. There doesn’t seem to be any other reason.”

TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE Elsie Fisher as Lila, Sarah Yarkin as Melody, Nell Hudson as Ruth and Jacob Latimore as Dante. Cr. Yana Blajeva / ©2021 Legendary, Courtesy of Netflix

For the new film, they decided nothing was more 2022 than hipster/influencer culture. Their protagonists have literally purchased an entire isolated town that they plan on gentrifying, turning it into a cultural oasis against the Texas landscape. Of course, there are a couple of residents still living in the town, and one of them has a very deadly temper.

“Visually speaking, I wanted to revisit the original,” Garcia added. “In my memory, I remember it a certain way but I wanted to watch it fresh right before I made this movie. I watched Fede’s Evil Dead and I watched Texas Chain Saw Massacre 1974 and this is what came out of that. They were the last images that went into my brain and I feel like they sort of combined and melded and came out in a certain way. Something with the story with the way it’s written in the original and in this film is that it starts really big and wide with the Texas sky and sweeping landscapes and then the image just starts to squeeze. It gets more claustrophobic. It puts you in a town and an orphanage and in a crawlspace and then finally in a bus and in a car. It gets smaller and smaller and smaller.”

They also began with a voice that is all-too-familiar to fans of the original 1974 film. Actor John Larroquette returned to his very first film role, narrating the events that took place in that isolated Texas town. Back then, it was a favor to his friend Tobe Hooper.

Garcia said the actor was amused that it had become such an iconic franchise, but he was happy to return to lend his voice once again.

“We did a recording session with him,” the director said. “He read the lines, the first time and I don’t think he practiced. Maybe he practiced at home. But he did it perfectly on the first take. As a director, I just have to say, ‘one more for safety.’ That’s just something you have to do as a director. John was sort of laughing. He was like, ‘I’ll give it to you but you don’t need it.’ I’m pretty sure we used the first take at the end of the day.”

Garcia also shared that it was important there be moments of levity within the film. In returning to watch the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, he notes there is an undeniably dark sense of humor to some of the scenes, and it was important to sprinkle those same moments throughout the new film in an attempt to tonally match what came before..

Meanwhile, Alvarez was focused on bringing Leatherface back to his origins, grabbing onto something he felt was missing from some of the films that followed.

“In the original film, you can see Leatherface after killing someone, he’s terrified,” the writer/producer pointed out. “Kind of running around. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s a mess. Which is very unique for a killer. You don’t really see Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers acting like, ‘Boy I really made a mess with this one.’ They’re very determined and cold. Leatherface, you can see the human behind the monster. You can see him making mistakes and regretting it and being nervous about it. So, we wanted to kind of bring that back. He’s not just a killing machine. You can see what’s going on inside him.”

Did they succeed or fail? We’ll let you decide. Texas Chainsaw Massacre hits Netflix this Friday, February 18, 2022. Look for our official review coming later this week as well as an interview with some of the film’s stars.

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Watch Deleted Predator Tree Chase Scene From ‘Prey’

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To celebrate the 4K UHD, Blu-ray™ and DVD release of last year’s movie Prey, 20th Century Studios has made available a deleted animated storyboard scene. In this clip, we see our heroine Naru in a foot chase with the Predator through the tree tops of the forest canopy.

The movie is already loaded with beautiful chase scenes and suspenseful set-ups but it is a shame we never got to see this one incorporated into the movie.

Prey came out on Hulu in 2022. It was a critical hit and fans seemed to love the unique stand-alone storyline. People did fall in love with Naru’s canine companion Sarii, whose real name is Coco. She had no previous film experience and was trained specifically for the movie.

The first video is the scene without commentary. The second one includes commentary from director Dan Trachtenberg.

With Commentary:

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Halloween 3D: The Sequel to the Rob Zombie Remakes That Almost Happened

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One of the most popular horror movie franchises of all time is none other than Halloween. The horror slasher Michael Myers is an icon among horror fans and pop culture. While the franchise has a large fan base and has produced many films, this also means that there is controversy among certain films. The Rob Zombie remakes are among some of the most controversial in the franchise. While both films did well at the box office, fans are split on whether they like it or not. It’s mainly due to the extreme violence and gore, giving Michael Myers a background on his childhood, and the grungy Rob Zombie filming style. What many fans don’t know is that a 3rd film was planned and almost happened. We will dive into what the film would have been about and why it never happened.

Movie Scene from Halloween (2007)

Rob Zombie’s first Halloween remake was released back in 2007. There was excitement among both fans and critics for a fresh start to the Halloween franchise after endless sequels. It was a box office hit making $80.4M on a $15M Budget. It did poorly with critics and was split among fans. Then in 2009, Rob Zombie released Halloween II. The film didn’t do as well at the box office as the first film but still made $39.4M on a $15M Budget. This film is even more controversial among both critics and fans alike.

While the second film wasn’t received as well, it still made over twice the film’s budget, so Dimension Films greenlit a 3rd film to the series. Rob Zombie stated he would not return to direct the 3rd film due to the horrific time he had with the company while making the second film. This would lead the company to approach a new writer and director while the second film was still in production due to them assuming Rob Zombie wasn’t coming back for a third film.

Movie Scene from Halloween (2007)

The 3rd film in the Zombie-Verse was going to be titled Halloween 3D. It would take the same approach of being filmed in 3D as many other franchises have done with its 3rd entry. 2 different scripts were written for this film at the time. Unfortunately, neither script was pursued and only one made it into 10 days of production before ultimately being scrapped. Miramax then lost the rights as the contract deal expired in 2015.

Script Idea #1

The first script was conjured up by filmmakers Todd Farmer and Patrick Lussier. It would follow the theatrical ending of Halloween 2 as the director’s cut had not yet been released. The story would follow the idea that Laurie killed Dr. Loomis and was hallucinating when she thought it was Michael Myers. Michael would disappear only to reappear and take off with Laurie by his side as a murder pair. The two would leave to find their mother’s corpse and dig her out of the ground. A group of teenagers stumble upon them and all are killed except for one who is named Amy. A standoff ensues with Sheriff Brackett being killed by Laurie and Michael Myers being hurdled in a burning Ambulance into a dam. Michael Myers is presumed dead.

Movie Scene from Halloween II (2009)

Then jumping ahead in the story, Laurie is housed with Amy in the same psychiatric hospital. Michael returns for Laurie and a blood bath ensues inside the J. Burton Psychiatric Hospital. This would ultimately lead to a final standoff at a giant festival where Michael plants a bomb in his stomach from his mother’s urn and it explodes. It wounds Laurie and she tells Michael she is not like him leading to him stabbing her in a final attempt before death. She dies and then Michael dies as well while Amy watches in horror.

Script Idea #2

The second script was written by Stef Hutchinson shortly after the first script fell through and follows the theatrical ending of Halloween II. It opens at the Nichols home in Langdon, Illinois a few days before Halloween. The son is plagued by terrifying nightmares about the boogeyman and is attacked by him in his bedroom. The mother wakes up to the screams to find her husband dead beside her and she runs into Michael, and he kills her. The story then jumps ahead to Halloween day where we see a retired Brackett laying flowers at Laurie’s grave. It has been 3 years since that dreadful night when both Loomis and Laurie died. Michael Myers’s body was never recovered. The new sheriff Hall checks on Brackett only to find his house littered with cases related to Michael Myers. Brackett’s niece Alice walks in to find the two talking.

Movie Scene from Halloween II (2009)

Jumping ahead in the story we find that Michael Myers crashes the homecoming game where both his niece Alice and her best friend Cassie are. They are chased back to the school where Brackett runs to after Alice tips him off as to what is going on. A showdown occurs where Brackett must choose between saving Cassie or killing Michael. He chooses to save her, and Michael disappears into the night. A confused Brackett wondering why Michael didn’t kill him goes back home only to find a severed head on the Nichols porch which is right across the street from his house. He then enters the home to see the name Alice written in blood on the wall. Alice was Michael Myers’s true obsession and only made it seem like he was after Brackett’s niece. He then tries to phone Alice’s home to no answer. The movie then pans to her slaughtered parents and Alice burning at the stake. Michael Myers watches with his head titled as she burns.

Movie Scene from Halloween II (2009)

These are both unique script ideas and something that would have been interesting to see play out on the big screen. Which one would you have liked to see come to life on the big screen? Let us know in the comments below. Also, check out the trailers for the 2 Rob Zombie remakes down below.

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Watch The New ‘Wizard of Oz’ Horror Film ‘Gale’ on New Streaming App

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There is a new horror movie streaming app available on your digital devices. It’s called Chilling and it’s currently streaming Gale Stay Away From Oz. This movie got some buzz last year when a full-length trailer was released, since then, it hasn’t really been promoted. But recently it has become available to watch. Well, sort of.

The movie streaming on Chilling is actually a short. The studio says it’s a precursor for an upcoming full-length movie.

Here’s what they had to say on YouTube:

“The short film is now live [on Chilling app], and serves as the setup for the feature film that will be going in to production soon.

Long gone are the days of emerald cities and yellow brick roads, the enchanting tale of the Wizard of Oz takes a haunting turn. Dorothy Gale (Karen Swan), now in her twilight years, bears the scars of a lifetime entangled with the paranormal forces of a mystical realm. These otherworldly encounters have left her shattered, and the echoes of her experiences now reverberate through her sole living relative, Emily (Chloë Culligan Crump). As Emily is beckoned to confront the unresolved matters of this bone-chilling Oz, a terrifying journey awaits her.”

One of the most incredible things we took away from the teaser other than how moody and creepy it is, was how much lead actress Chloë Culligan Crump resembles Judy Garland, the original Dorothy from the 1939 original.

It’s about time someone continued this story. There are definitely elements of horror in Frank L. Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz book series. There have been attempts to reboot it, but nothing has ever quite captured its eerie but jovial qualities.

In 2013 we got the Sam Raimi directed Oz the Great and Powerful  but it didn’t do much. And then there was the series Tin Man that actually got some good reviews. Of course, there is our favorite, 1985’s Return to Oz starring a young Fairuza Balk who would later become a teen witch in the hit 1996 movie The Craft.

If you want to watch Gale just go to the Chiller website and sign up (we are not affiliated or sponsored by them). It is as low as $3.99 a month, but they are offering a free seven-day trial.

Latest Teaser:

First Regular Trailer:

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