Celebrating Our 20th Anniversary!
by Alex Billington
July 21, 2026
Source: YouTube
“Sally, I hear something. Stop!” Dark Sky Films & Fathom have announced that August 18th is officially Texas Chain Saw Day, in honor of the original release of the horror classic back in the 70s. It first opened in theaters in October 1974. The recent 4K restoration of this horror was re-released back in 2024 already (here’s that trailer). Directed by Tobe Hooper, the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is an iconic horror masterpiece still influencing cinema today. Five friends stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something with a chainsaw. Starring Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, Gunnar Hansen. For the 2026 Texas Chain Saw Day, B-D reports that it will also include an exclusive behind-the-scenes featurette exploring the painstaking art of rotoscoping, the century-old animation technique. The film is being fully animated using rotoscoping (no AI, all by hand) by director Paul Beck (A Scanner Darkly, Apollo 10-1/2) for a fresh new take on this classic. Fathom is hosting a special event screening on August 18th in theaters nationwide if you want to see it on the big screen again.
Here’s the official trailer (+ artwork) for Fathom’s Texas Chain Saw Day 2026 celebration via YouTube:
You can rewatch the 50th Anniversary trailer for Hooper’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre right here for more.
50 years ago, five youths on a weekend getaway in the Texas countryside fell prey to a butcher in a mask made of human skin and his cannibalistic family and horror cinema would never be the same. Violent, confrontational, and shockingly realistic, director Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre terrified audiences in a way never thought possible when it was unleashed on a politically and socially tumultuous America in 1974. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is directed by American filmmaker Tobe Hooper, his second feature film at the time after Eggshells (1971) and before Eaten Alive (1976). The script is written by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper; from a story by Kim Henkel. Produced by Tobe Hooper. It was made for less than $140K in in total but had trouble finding a distributor. The film first opened in theaters on October 11th, 1974, earning a surprising $30M at the box office during its first run. The 4K restoration of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre premiered a few years ago. Dark Sky re-released it in theaters on October 1st, 2024 and it’ll play again on August 18th, 2026. For more info + tickets, visit Fathom’s site. Who wants to join?
