On the Cuttin’ Edge

New Line Cinema is scouting locations in the Southwest for “Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III.” It begins shooting in eight to 10 weeks and will--said a New Line rep--”hopefully revitalize the franchise” of the “Chainsaw” series.

The 1974 original--a landmark in the gore genre--was followed by a disastrous sequel, several years back, which deviated from the relentless original pic by going goofy. With “III,” said a New Line rep, “we’re going back to hard-core horror.”

Ken Henkel, who co-scripted the original, will be a consultant to “III,” which is now casting. Jeff Burr (“The Stepfather II,” upcoming) directs. Splatter novelist David Schow scripts.

The story line: A young woman en route to Los Angeles from Florida is waylaid in Texas, where she meets the infamous Leatherface and his “adopted” cannibalistic family. Uh-oh . . .