Dark Sky Films today announced new additions to this year’s Texas Chain Saw Day, presented by Dark Sky Films and Fathom Entertainment, the annual nationwide celebration of Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which is now officially recognized as a holiday by the National Day Archives, returning to theaters for one night only on August 18, 2026. Dark Sky and Exurbia Films have also released the first official still from the hand-animated rotoscoped version of the landmark horror film, currently in production for a planned 2027 debut.

Fans looking to see more will have only one opportunity this year: during Texas Chain Saw Day, when theaters nationwide will exclusively present a short behind-the-scenes featurette offering an exploration of the rotoscoping process and a first look at additional hand-animated footage from the film while production is still underway.

In another Texas Chain Saw Day exclusive, Dread Central, its parent company Be Afraid Media, and the Creepy podcast have teamed up to produce an original four-minute theatrical-only audio experience that will play before the film exclusively in theaters on August 18. 

Narrated by the creator of Creepy, Jon Grilz, and several of his narrators, the chilling prologue recounts the horrific events of August 18, 1974, taking audiences inside one of horror cinema’s most infamous murder sprees before the chainsaw ever revs. Produced specifically for the theatrical event, the audio experience will only be heard by audiences attending Texas Chain Saw Day screenings.

Fans in Los Angeles and Austin will receive even more as part of two special event screenings. At Regal LA Live! in Los Angeles, legendary The Texas Chain Saw Massacre cinematographer Daniel Pearl will participate in a live Q&A following the August 18 screening. In Austin, original cast members Teri McMinn and Allen Danziger will take the stage for a Q&A following the film at AMC Barton Creek. Special guest moderators for both events will be announced soon.

The rotoscoped version of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre transforms Tobe Hooper’s 1974 masterpiece through the painstaking art of rotoscoping, with artists tracing the original live-action footage frame by frame entirely by hand and without the use of artificial intelligence. Designed to preserve the performances, atmosphere and intensity of the original while creating an entirely new visual experience, the project is led by Animation Director and Art Director Paul Beck, an Austin-based multimedia artist and longtime Richard Linklater collaborator whose credits include Waking Life, A Scanner Darkly and Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood, alongside Lead Animator Max Peake, Lead Animator and Special FX artist Nate Bayless and Background Artist Jeremy Martinez.

Presented by Dark Sky Films and Fathom Entertainment, Texas Chain Saw Day brings The Texas Chain Saw Massacre back to theaters across the country in a new 4K presentation for a one-night-only event on August 18, 2026, the date forever associated with the film’s terrifying story.

Tickets for Texas Chain Saw Day are available now online and at participating theatre box offices (theatre locations are subject to change). For more information, please visit Fathom Entertainment.