Breaking news coming to light today after months of speculation and rumors, as it’s been brought to the surface that A24 is digging their farmhands deeper into the slasher legacy with a TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE SERIES.
STRANGE DARLING filmmaker and THE LONG WALK screenwriter JT Mollner is spearheading a TV series based on the iconic Tobe Hooper property, with Glen Powell and Dan Cohen executive producing. along with Spooky Pictures’ Roy Lee (Weapons) and Steven Schneider (Paranormal Activity), Stuart Manashil (His House), Image Nation’s Ben Ross (Late Night with the Devil), and Exurbia Films’ Kim Henkel, co-creator of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
Per Deadline, Mollner said, “I’ve said publicly that I’m not interested in remaking perfect films, and the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a perfect film. Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel created something bold, transgressive, and truly seminal that holds up even today as the gold standard for horror. When the opportunity for a long-form exploration into this world arose, I saw it as a fresh way in, as well as a way to honor the existing folklore. I can’t imagine better partners for this approach than A24. This is truly an honor.”
A movie is also in early development with the same producing team and ImageNation, however, Mollner isn’t attached to that project. The movie isn’t packaged yet, and it’s not clear if it’s headed to Netflix as previously reported.
Looks like A24 is becoming the new legacy slasher home, with CRYSTAL LAKE premiering later in 2026 and the Sawyer TCM series following sometime next year.
In February 1989, video shop owners were targeted with the promise of immense Poltergeist profits with the final installment of the trilogy ready to be consumed by movie aficionados looking for their perfect Friday night scare at the local video rental outlet. With today being the 30th anniversary, a monumental milestone for tragically Heather O’Rourke‘s final film, I figured let’s rewind back to the film’s initial era and take a look at the exclusive VHS promo given to multiple video store chains to get this film in their shops!
Taken straight from a VHS copy belonging to the curator (unadjusted tracking and all) of Poltergeistiii.com, it truly is a beautiful vintage piece of history that, unfortunately, makes me a little sad at the same time. Of course, all horror fans are aware of the untimely death of the genre’s favorite young demon attraction, Heather O’ Rourke, before the film was ultimately finished. So anytime I see the film or promos regarding it, that’s always in the back of my mind. After the passing of O’Rourke, the director, cast, and crew didn’t even want to continue, and the film was almost scrapped altogether. But, the powers that be pounded too much money in the project, and insisted the film be finished, so here we are. While many consider the rounded out trifecta the weakest installment of the trilogy, I, for one, appreciate the film for what it is, (and come on, it’s a fun popcorn flick) and have all the respect in the world for Heather’s final on-screen appearance.
Anyways, I’m rambling. On to why you’re even here beloved VHS heads!
The seven-minute retailer promo offers some really cool facts, behind-the-scenes shots (not seen in other featurettes), interviews with the cast and crew, and of course details on the monster magic used to perform in the film! Including the infamous garage puddle scene! The retail price for the video was advertised to shop owners as $89.95 a piece (and now you know what contributed to those pesky overdue fees), and purchases included a rad as hell 6-foot tall standee of Reverend Kane, an original theatrical poster to display, and a custom-made mobile counter display of the film to grab the attention of rental goers! What I wouldn’t give to own one of those retro rental artifacts!
Check out this national piece of VHS treasures below and give Poltergeist III a revisit today!
When a fictional body that started as a side character in a novel becomes a full-blown horror icon known throughout the world and prompts its own autobiography to be written, you know we’ve got something special here. And so it is with the good doctor that author Brian Rafterty has gone to great lengths and leaving no “quid pro quos” on the process of how famed author Thomas Harris brought Hannibal Lecter to life and all the juicy details that lie in between, taking him from the book to the big screen, spilling the delightful tea along the way in “HANNIBAL LECTER: A LIFE”.
So let’s flip through this book a bit:
We begin with the true birth of a monster, dating back to 1935 with real-life killings and interviews with murderers that later inspired Thomas Harris’ idea for a cannibalistic character—something completely opposite of his “shy demeanor” and a relative noting, “the most non-violent person he’d ever known.” and the book that started it all with “RED DRAGON” and Harris’ painstaking effort into writing this character that the author notes, “wore him out”.
The book became an instant hit, and “RED DRAGON’ hit Hollywood in the form of MANHUNTER, where the world got to see Lecter for the first time in the flesh, played by Brian Cox. While the studios were basically breaking down the door for the rights, the journey wasn’t anything but easy…
Of course, it was 1991’s THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal of the maniac psychiatrist that really solidified Lecter’s name in the stars of pop culture icons, bringing down a hammer (in the most polite way possible) of psychological fear into movie goers. Raftery really goes the distance, taking us through each film’s journey and providing everything you could possibly want to know about LAMBS, including never-before-seen correspondence between Thomas Harris and director Jonathan Demme. As well as every film thereafter, including the severely underrated HANNIBAL series, which was pulled off the air way too soon, in my humble opinion.
“HANNIBAL LECTER: A LIFE” also includes the true-life inspirations for Clarice Starling and discussions with former FBI profiler John Douglas; entries of which are both incredibly fascinating and informative, pulling in the true-crime enthusiast that resides in so many of us. Speaking of which, alongside the jeopardy knowledge of history that is soaked into these pages, the book builds an argument that credits Thomas Harris and his iconic creation of Hannibal Lecter with modern society’s fascination with serial killers.
The book has a little something for everyone: horror fans, true crime aficionados, cinephiles, and aspiring authors. However, if you’re not a fan of modern climate political deep dives, which is something I think a lot of us are trying to escape from, skip the prologue entirely and just dive into the rest. Other than that, it’s a must-read for all the aforementioned and learn a few things about this legendary character that I never thought about, or believed I needed to know- but pass me a glass of Chianti because I’m sure happy I do now.
