Hooper's apocalyptic landscape is a desert wasteland of dissolution where once vibrant myth is desiccated. [33] A real hammer was used for the climactic scene at the end, with some takes also featuring a mock-up. [41] Sources differ on the film's final cost, offering figures between $93,000 (about $511,000 inflation-adjusted) and $300,000 (about $1,600,000 inflation-adjusted). Its plot concerns a family of cannibals living in rural Texas, who abduct customers from their gas station. Director It has since gained a reputation as one of the best and most influential horror films. [176][177], The film has been followed by eight other films to date, including sequels, prequels and remakes. [36] The on-screen blood was real in some cases,[37] such as the scene in which Leatherface feeds "Grandpa". The 1974 film is the antithesis of the slick, MTV-influenced, cynical cash-in mentality that informed the later remake. Pam enters soon after and trips into a room filled with furniture made from human bones. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is an American horror franchise consisting of nine slasher films, comics, and a video game adaptation of the original film. [50] The film eventually grossed more than $30 million in the United States and Canada[51] ($14.4 million in rentals), making it the 12th highest-grossing film initially released in 1974, despite its minuscule budget. The 2003 remake, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, directed by Marcus Nispel, written by Scott Kosar and produced by Michael Bay, is based on the events of the first film, but for the most part, it follows a different storyline. The film delves into Leatherface's early years when he is adopted by the Hewitts and learns to kill and terrorize his victims. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. [35], The special effects were simple and limited by the budget. The film stars Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Moe Dunford, Nell Hudson, Jessica Allain, Olwen Four, Jacob Latimore, and Alice Krige. [174], In 1982, shortly after The Texas Chain Saw Massacre established itself as a success on US home video, Wizard Video released a mass-market video game adaptation for the Atari 2600. [26] He regarded Leatherface as having an intellectual disability and having never learned to speak properly. He tries to hit her with a hammer, but he is too weak. It is all the more tragic in that they were young. []. [19] Eventually the producers sued Bryanston for failing to pay them their full percentage of the box office profits. The timeline of the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" series is a knot of prequels, sequels, remakes, and do-overs. [157] She placed it in a lineage of violent films that depict women as weak and incapable of protecting themselves. A chainsaw-wielding Dennis Hopper, a few death traps, and Sam Neill playing the Antichrist. [140] "If Psycho began an exploration of a new sense of absurdity in contemporary life, of the collapse of causality and the diseased underbelly of American Gothic", he writes, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre "carries this exploration to a logical conclusion, addressing many of the issues of Hitchcock's film while refusing comforting closure". The original film was released in 1974, directed and produced by Tobe Hooper and written by Hooper and Kim Henkel. They continue toward the homestead, intending to return to the gas station once it has received a fuel delivery. He sees the house and finds Pam, still alive, inside a freezer. I worked from the original script by David Schow and the heavily edited theatrical release of director Jeff Burr, but had more or less free rein to write the story the way it should have been told. They stumble upon a nearby house, and Kirk calls out for gas, entering through the unlocked door, while Pam waits outside. As the group is attacked one by one by the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface. A seventh film, Texas Chainsaw 3D, was released on January 4, 2013. When they refuse to pay, he burns the photo, and slashes Franklin's left arm with a straight razor. They wouldn't wash my costume because they were worried that the laundry might lose it, or that it would change color. Hooper produced the film for less than $140,000 ($800,000 adjusted for inflation)[3] and used a cast of relatively unknown actors drawn mainly from central Texas, where the film was shot. The franchise focuses on the cannibalistic spree killer Leatherface and his family, who terrorize unsuspecting visitors to their territories in the desolate Texas countryside, typically killing and subsequently cooking them. (Exclusive)", "Texas Chainsaw Massacre review it's Leatherface vs gentrifiers in nasty sequel", "Netflix's 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre': Film Review", "Review: From hippies to hipsters, 'Texas Chainsaw' is back", "Texas Chainsaw Massacre review: Is Netflix's horror sequel any good? ", "Cannibalistic Capitalism and other American Delicacies: A Bataillean Taste of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre", "Access and Excess in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Texas_Chain_Saw_Massacre&oldid=1119661437, This page was last edited on 2 November 2022, at 19:18. ", "Netflix Picks Up 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' From Legendary (Exclusive)", "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre box office rankings", "A Nightmare on Elm Street box office rankings", "The Hannibal Lector series box office rankings", "DWildstorm Updates Publishing Plans for Horror/Movie Titles", "Classic horror movies on the Atari 2600", "Texas Chain Saw Massacre Online Game Announced", "Bill Moseley Played Chop Top in a 'Chainsaw 2' Sequel We May Never See", "Mortal Kombat X Kombat Pack 2 Characters Revealed, Includes Leatherface, Xenomorph and More", "Meet Mortal Kombat X's newest fighters: Leatherface, Alien and Triborg", "[Exclusive] Leatherface Joins Slasher Game 'Dead by Daylight' TODAY! ", "Season Six Reloaded: The Haunting of Verdansk Descends Upon Warzone and Modern Warfare", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Texas_Chainsaw_Massacre_(franchise)&oldid=1118836685, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Wikipedia articles needing rewrite from August 2022, Wikipedia articles in need of updating from January 2022, All Wikipedia articles in need of updating, Articles to be expanded from February 2022, Articles to be expanded from November 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. [119] Horror filmmaker and heavy metal musician Rob Zombie sees it as a major influence on his work, including his films House of 1000 Corpses (2003) and The Devil's Rejects (2005). The inspirations for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre are surprisingly diverse, ranging from director and co-writer Tobe Hooper's attempt to make a modern retelling of Hansel and Gretel to real-life . [42][44] Wizard Video's other commercial release, Halloween, had a slightly better reception,[45] but the limited number of copies sold has made both games highly valued items among Atari collectors. [6] He had already developed a story involving the elements of isolation, the woods, and darkness. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2003 R 1 h 38 m IMDb RATING 6.2 /10 144K YOUR RATING Rate POPULARITY 887 32 Play trailer 2:22 2 Videos 99+ Photos Crime Horror After picking up a traumatized young hitchhiker, five friends find themselves stalked and hunted by a deformed chainsaw-wielding loon and his family of equally psychopathic killers. [46], At The Game Awards held in December 2021, a new game, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, based around the original film was announced to be released by Gun Interactive, the company behind Friday the 13th: The Game. An adaptation of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was planned by Northstar Comics, but never came to fruition. [12][27] John Larroquette performed the narration in the opening credits. The ending, as well as the fates of several characters, was also altered. Guest on Bus: [records Leatherface on his phone] Try anything and you're cancelled, bro. In an electric stand-up special, Deon Cole ponders romance, racist hotel showers, post-coital bedtime prayers and why he loves women of a certain age. [141], Robin Wood characterizes Leatherface and his family as victims of industrial capitalism, their jobs as slaughterhouse workers having been rendered obsolete by technological advances. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Parsley formed a company named MAB, Inc. through which he invested $60,000 in the production. It is credited with originating several elements common in the slasher genre, including the use of power tools as murder weapons, the characterization of the killer as a large, hulking, faceless figure, and the killing of victims. With the help of a radio DJ he finds his way to their underground slaughter shop, where a battle of epic proportions will soon rage. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is without a doubt Tobe Hooper's masterpiece and an utterly flawless motion picture experience and its impact on the unsuspecting viewer, neither can nor will be replicated, ever again. Here is a handy guide to keep things sorted out. [185][186][187][188], This article is about the 1974 film. Leatherface and the hitchhiker bring down one of the desiccated bodies from upstairs, that of their Grandpa. For them an idyllic summer afternoon drive became a nightmare. [19], On August 28, 1974, Louis Peraino of Bryanston agreed to distribute the film worldwide, from which Bozman and Skaaren would receive $225,000 (about $1,200,000 inflation-adjusted) and 35% of the profits. Printed direct on high quality William Turner 190 paper stock. When it comes to the slasher genre, there are many iconic killers who lead these movies, and one of the earliest and most memorable of them is Leatherface from 1974's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre . [34] Most of the filming took place in the farmhouse, which was filled with furniture constructed from animal bones and a latex material used as upholstery to give the appearance of human skin. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. [23] The scene in which Leatherface kills Kirk with a chainsaw worried actor William Vail (Kirk). It grossed less than its predecessor and has received a largely negative reception from film critics. [83] John McCarty of Cinefantastique stated that the house featured in the film made the Bates motel "look positively pleasant by comparison". [35], Several comic books based on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre films were published in 1991 by Northstar Comics entitled Leatherface. Hooper reportedly hoped that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) would give the complete, uncut release print a "PG" rating due to its minimal amount of visible gore. [44] In 2012, the film was named by critics in the British Film Institute's Sight & Sound magazine as one of the 250 greatest films. "[145], In Kim Newman's view, Hooper's presentation of the Sawyer family during the dinner scene parodies a typical American sitcom family: the gas station owner is the bread-winning father figure; the killer Leatherface is depicted as a bourgeois housewife; the hitchhiker acts as the rebellious teenager. [70] In 1981, the 83-minute version submitted by Greater Union Film Distributors was again refused registration. Is 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' based on a book? [144] She elaborates on Wood's analysis, stating that the Sawyer family's values "reflect, or correspond to, established and interdependent American institutions but their embodiment of these social units is perverted and transgressive. [165][166] The British Board of Film Classification had long since refused a certification for the uncut theatrical version and in 1984 they also refused to certify it for home video, amid a moral panic surrounding "video nasties". Roger Ebert, writing for the Chicago Sun-Times[79], Critics later frequently praised both the film's aesthetic quality and its power. Horror and exploitation films almost always turn a profit if they're brought in at the right price. [63] In 1998, despite the BBFC ban, Camden London Borough Council granted the film a license. Sally carries with her the picture of her friends taken in 1973. The hitchhiker recognizes Sally and taunts her. [44][100] In 1999, Richard Zoglin of Time commented that it had "set a new standard for slasher films". The Texas countryside is an important aspect in bringing The Texas Chain Saw Massacre to life. [7] He credited the graphic coverage of violence by San Antonio news outlets as one inspiration for the film[8] and based elements of the plot on murderer Ed Gein, who committed his crimes in 1950s Wisconsin;[9] Gein inspired other horror films such as Psycho (1960) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991). [120][121], The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was selected for the 1975 Cannes Film Festival Directors' Fortnight[60] and London Film Festival. At the time, this was considered to be the first of several sequels in the series to be produced by New Line Cinema, but was not a commercial success, and New Line had no further involvement in the series. [25] For her last call-back he requested that she wear short shorts, which proved to be the most comfortable of all the cast members' costumes. The film's most notable character, Leatherface, is one of the most well-known villains in cinema history, notable for his masks made of human skin, his blood-soaked butcher's apron and the chainsaw he wields. [8] The "lack of sentimentality and the brutality of things" that Hooper noticed while watching the local news, whose graphic coverage was epitomized by "showing brains spilled all over the road", led to his belief that "man was the real monster here, just wearing a different face, so I put a literal mask on the monster in my film". [129] It was also voted the greatest horror film of all time in Slant Magazine's 2013 list of the greatest horror films of all time. [48] The plot of the film would have centered on Chop Top detailing his past in an interview with a news crew, before carrying out a new series of murders. The group forces him out of the van and drive on. [90], It has often been described as one of the scariest films of all time. [38] Burns's costume was so drenched with stage blood that it was "virtually solid" by the last day of shooting. [107] Leonard Wolf praised the film as "an exquisite work of art" and compared it to a Greek tragedy, noting the lack of onscreen violence. The film was marketed as being based on true events to attract a wider audience and to act as a subtle commentary on the era's political climate. In this sequel, influencers looking to breathe new life into a Texas ghost town encounter Leatherface, an infamous killer who wears a mask of human skin. [10][11][12][13] During development, Hooper used the working titles of Headcheese and Leatherface.[14][15]. Feb 18, 2022. Co-written by Kim Henkel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is, just as Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960) and Deranged (Alan Ormsby, Jeff Gillen, 1974), inspired by the heinous crimes of Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein, and introduces gritty Texas-atmosphere in a sizzling heat with discomfort, disgust and death along with the now almost mythical . Although the character of Leatherface and minor story details were inspired by the crimes of murderer Ed Gein, its plot is largely fictional. After telling Vail to stay still lest he really be killed, Hansen brought the running chainsaw to within 3 inches (8cm) of Vail's face. [47], The Texas Chain Saw Massacre premiered in Austin, Texas, on October 1, 1974, almost a year after filming concluded. [151][154][155] The specific case of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre provides support for this argument: three men are killed in quick fashion, but one woman is brutally slaughteredhung on a meathookand the surviving woman endures physical and mental torture. The story of the infamous cinematic serial killer Leatherface began with Tobe Hooper's 1974 low-budget horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. They didn't have enough money for a second costume. Although it managed to recoup its relatively small budget, the film was not considered a financial success. Director Tobe Hooper has confirmed that "it's a film about meat"[161] and even gave up meat while making the film, saying, "In a way I thought the heart of the film was about meat; its about the chain of life and killing sentient beings. [159], According to Jesse Stommel of Bright Lights Film Journal, the lack of explicit violence in the film forces viewers to question their own fascination with violence that they play a central role in imagining. [57] In San Francisco, cinema-goers walked out of theaters in disgust[58] and in February 1976, two theaters in Ottawa, Canada, were advised by local police to withdraw the film lest they face morality charges. [160], The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has been described as "the ultimate pro-vegetarian film" due to its animal rights themes. 1974's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre draws inspiration from several real-life events that caught the attention of legendary director Hooper. 22" x 30" 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. Bilbo's Texas Landmark - 1073 State Highway 304, Bastrop, Texas, USA. In 2014 a more extensive 4K restoration, supervised by Hooper, using the original 16mm A/B reversal rolls, was carried out. After 48 years of hiding, Leatherface returns to terrorize a group of idealistic young friends who accidentally disrupt his carefully shielded world in a remote Texas town. Starring Dennis Hopper, Caroline Williams, Bill . [157], In one study, a group of men were shown five films depicting differing levels of violence against women. I don't know if it was intentional, I assume it was. [114] According to Rebecca Ascher-Walsh of Entertainment Weekly, it laid the foundations for the Halloween, Evil Dead, and Blair Witch horror franchises. ", "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' Franchise Carving Out Television Series, New Film Deal [Exclusive]", "Texas Chainsaw Massacre TV Series coming via Legendary Pictures? The site's critical consensus states, "Thanks to a smart script and documentary-style camerawork, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre achieves start-to-finish suspense, making it a classic in low-budget exploitation cinema. [12] In addition, Mark Burnham portrays an older Leatherface, replacing the late Gunnar Hansen, while Olwen Four plays Sally Hardesty, replacing the late Marilyn Burns. Original directors, Ryan and Andy Tohill, were fired a week into filming and were replaced with David Blue Garcia. So this kind of moral schizophrenia is something I tried to build into the characters. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre belongs in a select company (with Night of the Living Dead and Last House on the Left) of films that are really a lot better than the genre requires. [23] Teri McMinn was a student who worked with local theater companies, including the Dallas Theater Center. [48], The Texas Chainsaw Massacre content has been featured in the video games Mortal Kombat X,[50][51] Dead by Daylight,[52] Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Warzone respectively.[53]. "[19] They signed the contract with Bryanston and, after the investors recouped their money (with interest),and after Skaaren, the lawyers, and the accountants were paidonly $8,100 (about $44,500 inflation-adjusted) was left to be divided among the 20 cast and crew members. Hooper and Henkel were involved in three of the later films. [104] In his book Dark Romance: Sexuality in the Horror Film, David Hogan called it "the most affecting gore thriller of all and, in a broader view, among the most effective horror films ever made the driving force of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is something far more horrible than aberrant sexuality: total insanity. [71] It was later submitted by Filmways Australasian Distributors and approved for an "R" rating in 1984. [22][23][24] Involvement in the film propelled some of them into the motion picture industry. August 18, 1973. When comparing The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to the other top-grossing horror film series A Nightmare on Elm Street, Child's Play, Friday the 13th, Halloween, the Hannibal Lecter series, Psycho, Saw, and Scream and adjusting for the 2011 inflation,[16] The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the eighth highest grossing horror film series in the United States, with a combined gross of $304.6 million,[17] only outperforming the Child's Play film series with approximately $203million. "[97], The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is considered one of the greatestand most controversialhorror films of all time[98][99] and a major influence on the genre. [19] They asked Bill Parsley, a friend of Hooper, to provide funding. [72][73] It was banned for periods in many other countries, including Brazil, Chile, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Singapore, Sweden and West Germany. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was banned in several countries, and numerous theaters stopped showing the film in response to complaints about its violence. [5] The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) is set 13 years after the events of the first film. Directed by Jonathan Liebesman, written by Sheldon Turner and produced by Michael Bay, it explores the roots of Leatherface's family and delves into their past. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre True Story The real-life model for terrifying horror movie psychos like Leatherface, Buffalo Bill, and Norman Bates was a man named Ed Gein, whose actual exploits were even more shocking than the movie plots they inspired. It is considered to be the first of the 1970s slasher films, and originated a great many of the clichs seen in countless later low-budget slashers. The film follows a group of friends who fall victim to a family of cannibals while on their way to visit an old homestead. By Vinnie Mancuso Oct 15, 2020. [9] Legendary Entertainment subsequently acquired the franchise's rights with interest in developing television and film projects.[10][11]. A dark grey cell indicates that the character was not in the film or that the character's presence in the film has yet to be announced. The film skipped a theatrical release and was instead released on Netflix, on February 18, 2022. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1995) R | 87 min | Comedy, Horror, Thriller 3.3 Rate 50 Metascore A group of teenagers get into a car crash in the Texas woods on prom night, and then wander into an old farmhouse that is home to Leatherface ( Robert Jacks) and his insane family of cannibalistic psychopaths. Watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre | Netflix Official Site Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022 | Maturity Rating: R | 1h 23m | Horror Movies In this sequel, influencers looking to breathe new life into a Texas ghost town encounter Leatherface, an infamous killer who wears a mask of human skin. The ninth film, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, takes place 48 years after the events of the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre and is in continuity with the original series. That photograph was destroyed by The Hitchhiker in the original as they didn't want to buy it from him. There, Heather discovers that she is part of the Sawyer family, who were killed by the townspeople following the events of the 1974 film, as well as a cousin of Leatherface. Signed and Numbered by Marty McEwen. [153] Critics argue that even in exploitation films in which the ratio of male and female deaths is roughly equal, the images that linger will be of the violence committed against the female characters. Due to the film's violent content, Hooper struggled to find a distributor, but it was eventually acquired by Louis Perano of Bryanston Distributing Company. [108], Leatherface has gained a reputation as a significant character in the horror genre,[109][110] responsible for establishing the use of conventional tools as murder weapons and the image of a large, silent killer devoid of personality. The writer of the miniseries, Mort Castle said: "The series was very loosely based on Texas Chainsaw Massacre III. [1][15] The film received mostly negative reviews. There is a post credit scene in which Leatherface walks towards the farmhouse. They stop at a gas station to refill their vehicle, but the proprietor tells them that the pumps are empty. According to Seth M. Sherwood, writer of the prequel Leatherface (2017), the eighth film is part of a continuity that consists of Leatherface, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), and Texas Chainsaw 3D. The film features an appearance by novelist Kinky Friedman as well as film critic Joe Bob Briggs. [126] Empire also ranked it 46th in its list of the 50 greatest independent films. The driver flees, and Sally escapes in the back of a passing pickup truck as Leatherface maniacally flails his chainsaw in the air in anger and defeat. As the chainsaw wielding, former slaughterhouse employee who wears his victims' faces as masks, Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) is hard to forget. Director David Blue Garcia Writers The Texas Chain Saw Massacre [note 1] is a 1974 American slasher film produced and directed by Tobe Hooper from a story and screenplay by Hooper and Kim Henkel. The blood the hitchhiker smears on the van is gone in the long shot a few seconds later. [122] Entertainment Weekly ranked the film sixth on its 2003 list of "The Top 50 Cult Films". He borrows Franklin's pocket knife and cuts himself, then takes a single Polaroid picture of Franklin, for which he demands money. His intentional misinformation, that the "film you are about to see is true", was a response to being "lied to by the government about things that were going on all over the world", including Watergate, the 1973 oil crisis, and "the massacres and atrocities in the Vietnam War". An idyllic Saturday afternoon drive through the Texas hill country becomes a nightmare for five teen-agers when they fall prey to a bizarre, cannibalistic family, and the masked, chainsaw-wielding monster, Leatherface. [101] The Times listed it as one of the 50 most controversial films of all time. Some Read allFive friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. To research his character in preparation for his role, Hansen visited a special needs school and watched how the students moved and spoke. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. The film gives Leatherface's background, a real name (Thomas Brown Hewitt), as well as a possible reason for his wearing masks, namely a skin disease which has caused his nose to rot away. [156] Another study, investigating gender-specific perceptions of slasher films, involved 30 male and 30 female university students. With its shocking costuming, implied gore, and cannibalistic antagonists, the movie continues to top lists of the best horror movies of all time. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, released in 1974, written and directed by Tobe Hooper, was the first and most successful entry in the series. See production, box office & company info, Indisbutably a classic of cinema, and not just horror cinema. Leatherface's first mask is featured, as well as the first murder he commits using a chainsaw. [38], The series of comics featured none of the main characters seen in the original film (Topps Comics Jason vs. Leatherface series is exempt) with the exception of Leatherface. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has appeared on various home video formats. Even bad guys have to change their look from time to time. The concept for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre arose in the early 1970s while Tobe Hooper was working as an assistant film director at the University of Texas at Austin and as a documentary cameraman. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1,862) 5.6 1 h 40 min 1986 X-Ray R Lefty Enright (Dennis Hopper) seeks to avenge the murder of his kin by Leatherface, Chop-Top, The Cook and Grandpa.
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