THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE Kicks Off 50th Anniversary at SXSW

Image Courtesy of Dark Sky Films

MPI Media Group and Dark Sky Films announced the launch of a year-long series of wide-ranging special events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the release of the landmark horror film THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE.

The festivities are set to kick off with an audience-capturing social activation at this year's SXSW Film Festival. Fans will be treated to the live creation of an ice sculpture unveiling the new 50th anniversary of TCM logo with a chainsaw-wielding Leatherface.

A local Austin-based ice sculptor will create the bloody carving in real-time using a real chainsaw at The Stay Put located on Downtown Austin's Historic Rainey Street. The live sculpture demo will take place on Saturday, March 9th from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm CST with photo opportunities from 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm. Brand ambassadors will be on-site with giveaways and additional info about THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: 50th Anniversary Chainsaw Edition.

In late 2024, Dark Sky Films will release a multi-disc set, which will include the new 4K UHD edition of the film, a Blu-ray bonus disc containing new extra features, and an exclusive VHS release of the movie. The special edition collector's set will be housed in a custom-created box shaped like a chainsaw that will feature iconic sounds from the film when it's opened.

Throughout the spring and summer of 2024, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE will continue to treat fans with special appearances and fan panels at various conventions throughout the country including one of the largest Chainsaw reunions ever with twelve guests appearing at this year's Texas Frightmare Weekend in May.

In August, the re-release of the restored film will premiere at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, where it is a part of the revered institution's permanent collection. Following that, screenings of the film will begin in selected theaters around the country, including major events in Los Angeles and Chicago. "Word of Mouth" showings and promotional screenings will kick off the Halloween season at film societies, museums and theaters.

Decades before "found footage" hits like The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE was promoted as being based on true events, further heightening its dreadful draw. The story of a van full of young people who happen upon a desolate farmhouse and meet their bloody fate at the hands of a strange and sadistic family - including a masked chainsaw-swinging lunatic known as Leatherface - the movie created many of the elements that would come to characterize the slasher genre: power tools as murder weapons, the killer as a large, hulking, masked figures, and the systematic killing of helpless young victims one by one.

ABOUT MPI AND DARK SKY FILMS The MPI Media Group is a leading producer, distributor and licensor of films. Founded in 1976, Chicago-based MPI Media Group remains one of the largest independent entertainment companies producing and distributing a compelling slate of the world’s most respected cinema, documentaries, performances and television programs. MPI’s wholly owned subsidiary Dark Sky Films is an independent film production and distribution label founded in 2008, working with emerging talent as well as established veterans to develop, package, produce and finance feature films and episodic television projects. Representing films from some of most talented directors working today, such as Ti West’s The House of the Devil and The Innkeepers, and Jim Mickle’s Stake Land, Dark Sky continues to identify original talent and projects to bring a vibrant slate of films to the world market, with original productions and releases such as Girl on the Third Floor, We Are Still Here, Deathgasm, Emelie, Catfight and, most recently, Darlin’ and Bliss. | Follow us on twitter: @darkskyfilms @mpimediagroup.