A hand-animated rotoscoped reimagining of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre is in production from Dark Sky Films and Exurbia Films

It's been more than 50 years since Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre first terrified audiences in 1974. The initial movie spawned several sequels, and A24, which recently secured the rights, is set to launch a TV series and also a new film directed by Curry Barker.

However, A24 won't be the only company to reimagine Hooper's masterpiece. Dark Sky Films and Exurbia Films just announced that a hand-animated rotoscoped version of the film is currently in production. The pioneering animation technique was used in early Disney movie classics, including Snow White and Cinderella. The film is expected to debut as an all-new feature in 2027, and the companies stressed the animation will be done without any use of AI.

Animation and Art Director Paul Beck is leading the project. He's an Austin-based multimedia artist, who has worked with the likes of filmmaker Richard Linklater. Beck served as the lead animator on the films Waking Life, A Scanner Darkly, and Appollo: 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood. He's also exhibited his paintings, sculptures, and films internationally.

According to a press release, every frame in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre reimagining will be illustrated by hand, using a labor-intensive animation technique in which artists trace live-action footage frame by frame. In that same press release, Beck said, "The original Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a masterpiece that changed cinema forever," adding, "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."

Beck will be joined by a team or artists with extensive experience in animation, visual effects, and illustration. Max Peake will serve as Lead Animator alongside Nate Bayless, whose credits include Apollo 10½, Undone, Tower, and BoJack Horseman. With nearly two decades in animation and visual effects, Bayless will oversee the project's special effects animation. Jeremy Martinez, an award-winning illustrator and caricaturist whose credits include Amazon Prime's Undone and Fox's Let's Be Real, will serve as Background Artist.

Audiences will have the opportunity to get their first look at the hand-animated rotoscoped version of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre through exclusive exploration footage of the project during the annual Texas Chain Saw Day, held by Dark Sky Films and Fathom Entertainment, on August 18.

Tickets for Texas Chain Saw Day are available here.