Get Ready for an Animated ‘Texas Chain Saw Massacre’

Get ready for the (animated) Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

We’ve just gotten our first look at the upcoming “hand-animated rotoscoped version” of the iconic slasher film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. This new interpretation of the beloved (and feared) Tobe Hooper horror film is due for release in 2027.

Fans’ next chance to see more of the film will come on Texas Chain Saw Day (a real holiday, sure) when the Hooper Texas Chain Saw Massacre returns to theaters for one night only, with a “short behind-the-scenes featurette offering an exploration of the rotoscoping process and a first look at additional hand-animated footage from the film while production is still underway.”

Bryanston Distributing Company

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Now more than 50 years old, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre continues to terrify new generations of audiences. It’s widely regarded today as one of the most important horror films in history — a recent documentary called Chain Reactions examined its expansive impact — and continues to spawn new sequels and remakes. (Although the last one of those, 2022’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre on Netflix was, uh, pretty crappy.)

The original Massacre is returning to theaters (with that first-look at the rotoscoped Texas Chain Saw) on August 18, 2026. Fans in LA and Austin have access to special event screenings — the L.A. one featuring Massacre cinematographer Daniel Pearl, and the Texas one with cast members Teri McMinn and Allen Danziger. And the screenings will also include “an original four-minute theatrical-only audio experience” created by Dread Central, Be Afraid Media, and the Creepy podcast.