The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

1974
18
1h 23m

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

197K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer1:39

B-Horror Psychological Horror Slasher Horror Splatter Horror Teen Horror Horror

Five friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Some... Read allFive friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.Five friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

197K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

1,826

118

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 4 wins & 2 nominations total

Videos3

Trailer 1:39

Official Trailer - 50th Anniversary

Trailer 1:40

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: 40th Anniversary

Trailer 1:40

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: 40th Anniversary

Trailer 0:31

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Photos322

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9:57

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
There were lines of gibberish written in the script for Leatherface. Tobe Hooper would sit with Gunnar Hansen and tell him what the lines meant, and the actor had to figure out a way to say that without actually speaking. In the scene where the Old Man comes home and starts yelling at Leatherface about the door, Hansen remembers a take where he communicated a little too verbally. Hooper told him "there was too much intelligence in the character," and the shot was redone. "My one chance to have a line," says Hansen.

Goofs
When Leatherface chases Sally into the house the first time and she escapes through an upstairs window, he corners her on the stairs and she leaps out a window off the hallway on the second floor. However, when Leatherface appears in the empty window frame after she jumps, he's standing in an attic window with a gable.

Quotes
[first lines]
Narrator: The film which you are about to see is an account of the tragedy which befell a group of five youths, in particular Sally Hardesty and her invalid brother, Franklin. It is all the more tragic in that they were young. But, had they lived very, very long lives, they could not have expected nor would they have wished to see as much of the mad and macabre as they were to see that day. For them an idyllic summer afternoon drive became a nightmare. The events of that day were to lead to the discovery of one of the most bizarre crimes in the annals of American history, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Crazy credits
Opening credits prologue: The film which you are about to see is an account of the tragedy which befell a group of five youths, in particular Sally Hardesty and her invalid brother, Franklin. It is all the more tragic in that they were young. But, had they lived very, very long lives, they could not have expected nor would they have wished to see as much of the mad and macabre as they were to see that day. For them an idyllic summer afternoon drive became a nightmare.

The events of that day were to lead to the discovery of one of the most bizarre crimes in the annals of American history, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

AUGUST 18, 1973

Alternate versions
Restored version released in 1998 on DVD includes outtake and alternate footage.

Connections
Featured in Studio S: Vem behöver video (1980)

Soundtracks
Fool for a Blonde
Roger Bartlett & Friends

User reviews1.1K

Featured review

10/10

The one... the only... The Texas Chainsaw Massacre!

Let me begin by saying that there are precious few movies that can actually scare the crap out of you, and this is one of them. The tension that this movie generates is overwhelming at times, and if you watch it with someone who's never seen it before, be sure to keep your eye on them. You'll probably notice a look of disbelief on their unsuspecting face.

Anyone who doesn't like being scared will end up being unable to finish this movie. People who have a taste for the brutally bizarre will probably hit play again after the credits roll. In light of all this, I must also say that in some respects, TCM's bark is much worse than it's bite. Being banned in so many countries for so long, and having a title that includes the phrase 'Chainsaw Massacre', has seemingly led many people to believe that there is an undue amount of gore in it. However, there simply isn't. Gore is not where the scares are in this one. The scares come from the absolutely brutal and bizarre scenarios that befall poor Sally Hardesty.

In closing, I'd also like to go out on a limb and make the following grandiose statement: TCM is the greatest horror film of all time! Not bad for Tobe Hoopers' first effort.