There’s a Rotoscoped Reimagining of ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ Coming Our Way!

The annual Texas Chain Saw Massacre Day is approaching this August 18th, honoring Tobe Hooper‘s singular horror classic. To celebrate, Dark Sky Films and Exurbia Films have announced that they have a rotoscoped reimagining of the film currently in production!

That’s right, we’ll soon have a new interpretation of TCM as a fully handcrafted animated feature that the press release stresses DOES NOT INCLUDE THE USE OF AI. Damn straight.

For those unfamiliar with rotoscoping, it’s the animation technique used in early Disney classics like Snow White, Cinderella, and animated features including The Lord of the Rings, Heavy Metal, and Fire and Ice.

Paul Beck (A Scanner Darkly), an Austin-based multimedia artist whose collaborations with acclaimed filmmaker Richard Linklater helped redefine modern rotoscoping, serves as Animation Director and Art Director.

The release notes that “every frame will be illustrated by hand using the labor-intensive animation technique in which artists meticulously trace live-action footage frame by frame. Employing no artificial intelligence, the production relies exclusively on the craftsmanship and decades of experience of veteran artists to preserve the performances, atmosphere, and intensity of the original film while presenting audiences with a striking new visual experience.”

Texas Chain Saw may seem like an odd choice to get an animated version, but I personally love this concept. Hooper’s film about teenagers who stumble onto a house of horror has always been one that’s based in pure, primal madness. Perhaps an animated version will have a new unsettling sense of sun-baked terror to the premise.

Said Beck, “The original Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a masterpiece that changed cinema forever. Our goal is to honor its legacy by reimagining it through the timeless art of hand-drawn rotoscoping, giving audiences a completely new way to experience a film they thought they already knew.“

Audiences will get their first look at the hand-animated rotoscoped version of  through exclusive exploration footage of the project during the annual Texas Chain Saw Day, presented by Dark Sky Films and Fathom Entertainmen, on August 18th. For one day only, theatergoers nationwide will see a behind-the-scenes featurette that includes a sneak peek of hand-animated footage from the film while production is still underway.