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.
- Awards
- 3 wins & 2 nominations
- Narration
- (voice)
- Radio Announcer
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThere 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.
- GoofsThe blood the hitchhiker smears on the van is gone in the long shot a few seconds later.
- 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 creditsOpening 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 versionsRestored version released in 1998 on DVD includes outtake and alternate footage.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Filmgore (1983)
- SoundtracksFool for a Blonde
Roger Bartlett & Friends
1) The gritty documentary feel the film has.
2) The excellent performances by Edwin Neil (the Hitch-Hiker), Jim Seidow (The Old Man), and Gunnar Hansen (Leatherface) as the psychos (in a film this low budget and grainy, performances this real feel all the more scary) and Marilyn Burns (Sally) and Paul A. Partain (Franklin) as the victims (we truly believe and feel their fear).
3)The atmosphere (the skeleton bone art... the freaky metal door in the farmhouse... Leatherface's mask and demeanor... even the way the sun sets in this film is spooky along with the sound of the farmhouse generator).
4)Relentless Horror (Leatherface RUNS not speedwalks after his victims with a live chainsaw... there's no time to trip and fall or your booty is chainsaw bait)
5)The ability the film has to scare you with almost a complete lack of gore (the only "gory" scene is when Leatherface accidently cuts his thigh with the chainsaw). The scares lie within the performances and atmosphere and pacing.
In closing... this is truly the greatest horror film (and one of the greatest films period) ever made. 15 out of 10!!!
- thelegendarywd
- Jun 22, 2003
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- La masacre de Texas
- Filming locations
- Bilbo's Texas Landmark - 1073 State Highway 304, Bastrop, Texas, USA(Gas station and BBQ Shack)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $140,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $30,859,000
- Gross worldwide
- $30,902,270
- Runtime1 hour 23 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1