Curry Barker is preparing his chainsaw for action. Despite his highly anticipated film "Obsession" not yet being in theaters, A24 has entrusted him with the keys to the iconic horror franchise "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Barker is in negotiations to write and direct his own interpretation of "Texas Chainsaw," which will stand apart from a Glen Powell, Dan Cohen, and JT Mollner-produced A24 TV series.
Barker's rise in Hollywood is a rare sight these days. After emerging from the world of YouTube sketch comedy, he shot a $800 horror movie and put it on YouTube for free, where it amassed over 2 million views and caught Hollywood's attention. He then became the talk of the Toronto Film Festival last fall when his under $1 million budgeted movie "Obsession" became the biggest sale of the fest, going to Focus Features for around $15 million, a sum that makes it one of the biggest indie sales ever in terms of budget to purchase price ratio. The feature, which Barker wrote, directed, and edited, is a Monkey's Paw-style tale of a young man who wishes that his friend would love him more than anything in the world, with the results ending in spooky disaster. A24 was among the finalists for "Obsession," and the "Texas Chainsaw" project now puts them in business with the hot filmmaker.
The hiring of Barker signals an intention to breathe new life into the 50-year-old franchise and perhaps speak to a younger audience. While Barker has so far gravitated toward original concepts, he has spoken publicly about his love for "Texas Chainsaw." Details of his take on the property are not known, but he follows in the footsteps of horror auteur Zach Cregger, who is putting his own spin on "Resident Evil" over at Sony.
"Obsession" opens on May 15, and Barker is preparing to embark on a press tour. It's been a whirlwind for him as he just completed principal photography on his sophomore feature "Anything But Ghosts," which he wrote, directed, and co-starred in for producers Jason Blum and Roy Lee. Lee will produce the new "Texas Chainsaw" along with his Spooky Pictures partner Steven Schneider. Stuart Manashil and Exurbia Films' Pat Cassidy, Ian Henkel, and Kim Henkel will also produce as will Powell and Cohen via Barnstorm. Ben Ross of Image Nation will executive produce.
"Texas Chainsaw" is one of the most storied horror franchises in existence, which also happened to have scrappy independent roots. Made for only $150,000 in 1974, the original movie pushed the bounds of the genre and became one of the most profitable movies ever made. Numerous films have been made over the decades, some successful, some not, almost always outside the Hollywood system. When A24 landed the rights to the intellectual property, it marked a new chapter as it was now in the hands of a company known for elevated, thoughtful fare that also knows how to appeal to the Gen Z demographic.
Barker is represented by Underground, UTA, and Yorn Levine.
