The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Christopher H

  
  It is not as bloody and shocking as the title may suggest, but "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is a competently-made chiller nonetheless. The plot is pretty basic and straightforward. Five teenagers are going to a weekend getaway home, and once they get their they are… More
  It is not as bloody and shocking as the title may suggest, but "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is a competently-made chiller nonetheless. The plot is pretty basic and straightforward. Five teenagers are going to a weekend getaway home, and once they get their they are victimized by a family of cannibals. The actors who play the teenagers are pretty bland, with the possible exception of the wheelchair guy, but the actors that play the maniac family steal the show. The dinner scene at the end is the ultimate high-point of the film. The edgy performances of the actors combined with the claustrophobic camera work is terrifying and chilling. The gritty low-budget settings give the movie charm and the realistic approach gives the film a documentary feel. The movie can get pretty slow at times but "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" still manages to be a rather entertaining piece of gritty 70's horror cinema.

• Directors C

  
  This movie is relentlessly disturbing and jaw droppingly shocking. No horror film in the history of cinema could be more unethically entertaining. Horror films today usually try to carry narrative's that make some sort of sense and its these storylines that always cause the film… More
  This movie is relentlessly disturbing and jaw droppingly shocking. No horror film in the history of cinema could be more unethically entertaining. Horror films today usually try to carry narrative's that make some sort of sense and its these storylines that always cause the film makers to hit a brick wall and forget that they are trying to scare people out of their minds. The reason The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is so scary is because it carries no explanation for all these mad killings. Slasher film's should contain no character development in my opinion and this movie couldn't be more of a milestone of exploitational slasher horror even though barely any blood is seen. To sum up, the cult classic is a truly terrifying experience that draws you in as if you are there.

• Graham J

  
  This movie is so gritty and grimey, 70's classic.

• Brad W

  
  The Texas Chainsaw Massacre give you the chills just saying the title, because now after seeing it, I consider it one of the greatest horror films I have ever seen. What started as a simple slasher film created one of the most famous murderers in horror history, Leatherface. The… More
  The Texas Chainsaw Massacre give you the chills just saying the title, because now after seeing it, I consider it one of the greatest horror films I have ever seen. What started as a simple slasher film created one of the most famous murderers in horror history, Leatherface. The story is great, its simple and it creeps the crap out of you, and it is just like Halloween, cheesy and great. The cast is great too, the looks ontheir faces when dying are priceless, and they really help the film seal the deal. This film is bloody, scary, cheesy, and almost perfect in every way, and it started one of the most memorable and scary chase scenes in film history, I love Leatherface.

• Melvin W

  
  Hitchhiker: You could have dinner with us... my brother makes good head cheese! You like head cheese?  "Who will survive and what will be left of them?" The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a brutal, disturbing, filthy, terrifying and disgusting film. It's one of those… More
  Hitchhiker: You could have dinner with us... my brother makes good head cheese! You like head cheese?  "Who will survive and what will be left of them?" The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a brutal, disturbing, filthy, terrifying and disgusting film. It's one of those movies that makes it hard to trust anyone in this world; especially hillbillies. This is one of the most effective and well done horror films ever done. It's a no nonsense look at the disturbing goings on in rural house. Leatherface, for good reason, is one of the more disturbing horror icons ever. Unlike Freddy and Jason, this villain is an all too real part of the world. The first time we see him snatch two of the friends is such a freaky scene, especially when he gets the man. Tobe Hooper just let's it play out. He doesn't throw in a heavy score at that moment for a jump scare. He knows how disturbing the scene is by itself and let's Leatherface do what he has to do. When he slams that big metal door shut and we hear a low droning score is easily one of my favorite horror movie moments. It's just so well done, it's ridiculous. When people say, "They don't make horror movies like they used to" this is what they are referring to. Now horror films are to worried about special effects and gore, which I do like too. It's just, given the choice, I'll take this over any modern gorefest. This is so raw without being gory. It manages to sicken the viewer without showing blood squirting out of mouths and intestines being pulled out. It's scary because its characters are so realistic. The only movie that comes close to this in the same kind of way that has been made in the last ten years is, The Devils Rejects. It had that same filthy, raw production value, just less effective and more bloody. For any horror fan, this is one of those movies that's impossible to not like. If you don't like it, you're not much of a fan. This is a movie that weeds out the posers. Without a doubt The Texas Chain Saw is Hooper's undisputed masterpiece, which is saying a lot because he has Poltergeist to his credit also. This is a movie that will live on as one of the greatest horror films ever made. In a way I love that this movie was remade because it got a lot of younger audiences interested enough to watch the original. That's a great thing too because The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a must watch, so watch it. Jerry: That's the last goddamn hitchhiker I ever pick up. 

• Kevin M

  
  When I watch horror movies i don't really look forward to a well written story or character dev. since for a horror movie it's very rare. I didn't really expect it either with this movie, but after i was done watching I was really, really surprised. I was so surprised I… More
  When I watch horror movies i don't really look forward to a well written story or character dev. since for a horror movie it's very rare. I didn't really expect it either with this movie, but after i was done watching I was really, really surprised. I was so surprised I couldn't even believe myself, so I immediately went to read reviews, then i couldn't believe my eyes. A horror movie with actual effort into it, it was a actually almost amazing. But, it still doesn't make it the best. But I hope I live to see the day of a great horror film.

• Jason C

  
  This is a brilliant piece of work, and one of the greatest horror movies ever produced. Tobe Hooper created an assault on the senses, as filthy as it is intense. The scenery and characters practically tug at your nostrils with the stench of death. The psychological torture that… More
  This is a brilliant piece of work, and one of the greatest horror movies ever produced. Tobe Hooper created an assault on the senses, as filthy as it is intense. The scenery and characters practically tug at your nostrils with the stench of death. The psychological torture that becomes the dinner scene, sticks with me everytime I watch it. I can't promise you'll enjoy this. In modern horror movies, what you see is what you get. So hopefully, you're not desensitized to the film's greatness. I love it, probably always will. It's spot in history is secure.

• xGary X

  
  A group of friends on a road trip unwitting stumble into the lair of a chainsaw wielding psychopath. Celebrated as one of the all-time horror greats, Texas Chainsaw Massacre is more an exercise in the macabre than outright gore. In fact, there is very little in the way of blood and… More
  A group of friends on a road trip unwitting stumble into the lair of a chainsaw wielding psychopath. Celebrated as one of the all-time horror greats, Texas Chainsaw Massacre is more an exercise in the macabre than outright gore. In fact, there is very little in the way of blood and guts and the murders happen swiftly and without gruesome detail. The reason that this film is so unsettling is the way that Leatherface is so matter of fact about it all; despite the fact that his victims are pretty girls, he has no interest in molesting them in any way. They are just meat, pure and simple. He basically treats human life with no more respect or reverence than any other animals and the constant references to slaughterhouses and the furniture and trophies fashioned from bones of all kinds, animal and human indiscriminately mixed, highlight this fact. In a way it could be interpreted as the most militantly vegetarian film I've ever seen! Despite the low budget it's surprisingly well directed and it effectively cultivates an atmosphere of a disturbing world where the normal rules of society just don't apply. I personally felt it needed a bit more plot and dialogue to hang these themes upon and when the film degenerated into constant screaming and running around it got a lot less interesting. Still certainly worth seeing as a cornerstone of an entire genre but for me, Night Of The Living Dead was a far more complete package.

• Ken S

  
  Terrifying and hilarious!

• danny d

  
  to think of this film as a typical horror/slasher film would be missing the point. far more, this film is a commentary on the obsurdety of much of the worlds criminal activity. this point is illustrated at the outset by the radio brodcast of the bizarre crimes across america that… More
  to think of this film as a typical horror/slasher film would be missing the point. far more, this film is a commentary on the obsurdety of much of the worlds criminal activity. this point is illustrated at the outset by the radio brodcast of the bizarre crimes across america that was playing in the background when the story begins. the scene where leatherface chases sally was haunting and her entire ordeal is the greatest fear of anyone who realizes that those things really happen. the scene where grandpa tries to club sally is filled with great irony, it is a painful scene to watch yet it allows for the escape. in a usually weak genre of horror this is one of the few films with depth and purpose.

• AJ V

  
  Although this movie has an excellent cautionary tale, and interesting group of killers, it's not all that scary, in fact it's somewhat slow. I liked the ending most of all, but overall this is a good horror movie, and it's considered a classic, so if you love horror… More
  Although this movie has an excellent cautionary tale, and interesting group of killers, it's not all that scary, in fact it's somewhat slow. I liked the ending most of all, but overall this is a good horror movie, and it's considered a classic, so if you love horror movies, you really should see it.

• familiar s

  
  Horror/Suspense/Thriller/Mystery movies being my first priority (favorite genres), when I realized that I'm missing this classic, I directly went for it. While the movie was brutal, I didn't find it as horrifying as I was expecting. From what I'd read about the movie, I… More
  Horror/Suspense/Thriller/Mystery movies being my first priority (favorite genres), when I realized that I'm missing this classic, I directly went for it. While the movie was brutal, I didn't find it as horrifying as I was expecting. From what I'd read about the movie, I was expecting tremendous terror from it. However, my expectations weren't fully met with. The relatively excessive amount of gore in the current movies may have been the cause for it. Having said that, I admit that I quite liked the movie. Considering its era, it was surely brutal & terrifying. All the actors and actresses were unfamiliar to me. Nevertheless, almost everyone gave a great performance which I think is the biggest contribution for my liking towards this film. I haven't watched its remake and don't intend to, but I'll surely grab it if I get a chance. That probability being too low, I don't think it's going to happen in the near future. Oh, and one more thing: I preferred this to the remake because, as usual, the originals bear a higher rating & are generally relatively greater than the remakes (however, when the original is a black & white flick, I go for the remake if there's not much difference in their ratings).

• Stella D

  
  ok how come no one told me this is a comedy XD

• El Hombre I

  
  When it comes to American horror, there aren't many films that deserve more respect than The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. In 1974 writer/director Tobe Hooper, along with film school graduates and stage actors from the local university in central Texas, set out to tell a story… More
  When it comes to American horror, there aren't many films that deserve more respect than The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. In 1974 writer/director Tobe Hooper, along with film school graduates and stage actors from the local university in central Texas, set out to tell a story inspired by the acts of Wisconsin killer Ed Gein. Little did they know that they would be collaborating on one of the most important independent films of all time. Critics panned it and people walked out upon its' initial release. In time, that would all change and it's interesting to note that it has since been inducted into Museum of Modern Art. Unfortunately, there are a number of sequels as well as a remake, however none match the original film's intensity. I won't elaborate on it too much because I'm sure most of reviewers here have no doubt seen it (probably hundreds of times) and most likely already own it in some format. The camerawork does a great job of catching the desolate Texas highway and the boiling heat. The sounds, which feel as if they creep down the back of your shirt then run down your leg, are a real treat. The gore and nudity are almost a zero factor in a "less is more" low budget filmmaking style. Something horror filmmakers today should learn. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Texas_Chain_Saw_Massacre#Legacy <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view¤t=TheTexasChainsawMassacre4.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/TheTexasChainsawMassacre4.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

• Martin S

  
  Yeah it was good. Probably a lot scarier if you watch it alone in the dark....I didn't....but there is a nice weird suspense.

• jd c

  
  "Entertainment Weekly" magazine voted this the second scariest film ever made, behind The Exorcist (1973). I met Tobe Hooper. I even had drinks with him. He's like a big, soft-spoken teddy bear. I even told him, "I can't believe you're the mind behind… More
  "Entertainment Weekly" magazine voted this the second scariest film ever made, behind The Exorcist (1973). I met Tobe Hooper. I even had drinks with him. He's like a big, soft-spoken teddy bear. I even told him, "I can't believe you're the mind behind such a horrifying film." It seemed like he'd be the director of a Care Bears movie. He's one of the most kind, gentle, laidback people I ever met. TCM is an angry film. Where did such creative rage come from? How is this man such an artist of the extreme macabre? He had nothing but great things to say on life and love, with no signs of negativity, not even one deep intense opinion on his dislikes. Does all that energy only shine on set? Maybe...or maybe he got laid the night before I met him and was in ecstasy. Either way, he's a damn good actor at hiding his dark side. And it is true when they say every great artist has a dark side. Only 3 movies ever left me completely speechless as the credits rolled. One was "A Serbian Film" (which I recently saw), "Requiem for a Dream", and this, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This movie is FRIGHTENING. Till this day it's still intense. It still shocks. It still disturbs. It's still SCARY. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the most realistically unnerving movie experiences I've ever sat through. Labeled the "grand-daddy of all splatter films" TCM still holds true to it's title. It's a movie experience you won't easily shake off. Tobe Hooper not only gets into the mind of a deranged psychopath, but he brings it to life, flesh and blood, right before your very own eyes. We have to endure 83 minutes of filth, depravity, and psychological torture. We are forced to dwell in the darkest, soulless corners of a mans heart. It's not pretty. It's the bleakest side we tend to avoid but are forced to endure (only if you decide on sticking around till the very end). TCM is not gory, it's not even that bloody. For real. Watch it again and tell me how much blood, and on-screen gore there really is. It's pretty bloodless. But it's VIOLENT as hell. TCM holds no punches when it comes to agonizing you in both it's physical, and most of all, psychological torment. Yes it's violent in some psychical form, but not as much as psychological. The true violence is on Sally Hardesty (played by Marilyn Burns) who's tormented endlessly by a clan from Hell, and on us, the audience. It's just as difficult for us, as it was for Sally, to sit there and witness these shameless, idiotic, and mean-spirited acts of senseless torture. TCM's ultra-violence lies through it's mental abuse on Sally, more so than it's psychical. Tobe Hooper gets a performance out of her like you wouldn't believe. Her fear is so convincing you could taste it. Actually, from what I read, Tobe Hooper berated Marilyn Burns on the set just to get out a real performance (he yelled at her, made her cry, left her stranded on the hot and smelly set all day (purposely), made fun of her constantly...I even heard somewhere that someone spat on Marilyn Burns). They exhausted any sense of tolerance she had. It's no wonder she never wanted to peruse her acting career. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre feels like a documentary. Unlike the remake, it feels real. I hear some people complaining how "fake" it was. They must have either not paid attention to the film (watching it with a group of friends and acting silly), OR they never actually watched it (or just watched pieces of it), OR they feel they have something to prove on their courage and/or want to stand out by their own "unique" different opinions. I say this because thinking this movie feels "fake" is like thinking a bear doesn't shit in the woods. An opinion on it's realisms need not apply here. There is only fact, and that's why most people can see it for what it is - which is REAL as real can get (other than a phony sounding broom attack...this is very realistic). If someone dislikes the movie for other reasons, then fine, but saying it isn't realistic shows signs of uncultivated intelligence. TCM detaches you from your current state, takes you to it's time and place, and rubs your face in it's gritty madness before you have time to grasp the fact you're in the safety of your own comfort zone. It's a highly disturbing and realistic film. I can't believe Tobe Hooper actually thought this film was originally going to receive a "PG" rating. The chase scenes are hard to bare, and makes you pray out loud for Sally's safety. Never before has a chase scene made my palms sweat so much. Grip onto something tight, because this ride's extreme. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is indeed one of the most frightening horror films ever made. <a href="http://s294.photobucket.com/albums/mm89/JDHallowEEn/HorrorQf/?action=view¤t=TCM1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm89/JDHallowEEn/HorrorQf/TCM1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

• Jeff "

  
  The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a landmark picture, along with Hitchock's Psycho, Bob Clark's Black Christmas and ultimately John Carpenter's Halloween, the film gave birth to the slasher genre. Tobe Hooper's deranged masterpiece is a well crafted work and the film… More
  The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a landmark picture, along with Hitchock's Psycho, Bob Clark's Black Christmas and ultimately John Carpenter's Halloween, the film gave birth to the slasher genre. Tobe Hooper's deranged masterpiece is a well crafted work and the film is a phenomenal achievement in Horror history. What Iadmire the most TCM is the film feels almost a documentary and the interior of the Sawyer house is dark and lifeless with an intent of evil, almost like hell itself, Marilyn Burns' character encounters Leatherface in this hellish atmospheric hell, and Sawyer clan terrifies her. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the best Horror films of the early in 1970's along with The Exorcist. Spend an unforgettable night with Leatherface and the rest of the Sawyer clan, and you will never forget this nerve racking film. A must watch.

• Conner R

  
  A classic horror film that is worthy of it's fame. It is a bizarre and surreal American horror story that captures the fear of small rural towns in the mid west. While it isn't as gory as you might expect, this is more of a mentally manipulative film. It concentrates more on… More
  A classic horror film that is worthy of it's fame. It is a bizarre and surreal American horror story that captures the fear of small rural towns in the mid west. While it isn't as gory as you might expect, this is more of a mentally manipulative film. It concentrates more on the art of disorientation and shock, rather than buckets of blood.

• Chris G

  
  It's not that the Texas Chainsaw Massacre is gory. It's not too terribly scary. It's just disturbing as hell. A group goes out to an old farm house while checking on the grave of a grandfather accidentally stumbles onto a crazed family in the middle of the Texas… More
  It's not that the Texas Chainsaw Massacre is gory. It's not too terribly scary. It's just disturbing as hell. A group goes out to an old farm house while checking on the grave of a grandfather accidentally stumbles onto a crazed family in the middle of the Texas nowhere: a crazed hitch hiker, a crazed gas station owner, and a psychotic housekeeper named Leatherface. The funny thing about TCM is that the villains don't actually go after the victims. These kids just keep appearing out of nowhere and Leatherface, in his own special way, keeps showing them hospitality by beating them with mallets and hanging them on meat hooks. These people keep coming into the house. What's he supposed to do? Tobe Hooper directs TCM in a gritty, documentary style that lends to the creepiness as this family goes on a rampage against the young trespassers. The cheap film stock, dark lighting and an incredible set design featuring most of the road kill in Texas during the summer of 1973 lead this to be a mesmerizing film that gets to you. It's a disturbing film that builds to its ultimate crescendo of macabre violence.

• Anthony L

  
  It's what you don't see that's so frightening in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a trick a lot of modern horror directors forget! The meat hook scene is subtle and brilliant! Classic horror.

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