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The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
A white film poster of a man holding a large chainsaw, with a screaming woman fastened to a wall behind him. The writing on the poster says, "Who will survive and what will be left of them?"; "America's most bizarre and brutal crimes!"; "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"; "What happened is true. Now the motion picture that's just as real."
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTobe Hooper
Written by
Produced byTobe Hooper
Starring
Narrated byJohn Larroquette
CinematographyDaniel Pearl
Edited by
  • Sallye Richardson
  • Larry Carroll
Music by
  • Tobe Hooper
  • Wayne Bell
Production
company
Vortex Inc.
Distributed byBryanston Distributing Company
Release date
  • October 11, 1974 (1974-10-11)
Running time
83 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$80,000–140,000[2][3]
Box office$30.9 million[4]

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre[note 1] is a 1974 American independent horror film produced, co-composed, and directed by Tobe Hooper, who co-wrote it with Kim Henkel. The film stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, and Gunnar Hansen. The plot follows a group of friends who fall victim to a family of cannibals while on their way to visit an old homestead. 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. Although the character of Leatherface and minor story details were inspired by the crimes of murderer Ed Gein, its plot is largely fictional.

Hooper produced the film for less than $140,000 ($700,000 adjusted for inflation)[3] and used a cast of relatively unknown actors drawn mainly from central Texas, where the film was shot. Due to the film's violent content, Hooper struggled to find a distributor, but it was eventually acquired by the Bryanston Distributing Company. Hooper limited the quantity of onscreen gore in hopes of securing a PG rating, but the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rated it R. The film faced similar difficulties internationally, being banned in several countries, and numerous theaters stopped showing the film in response to complaints about its violence.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was released in the United States on October 11, 1974. While the film initially received mixed reception from critics, it was highly profitable, grossing over $30 million at the domestic box office, equivalent with roughly over $150.8 million as of 2019, selling over 16.5 million tickets in 1974. It has since become widely regarded as one of the best and most influential horror films. It is credited with originating several elements common in the slasher genre, including the use of power tools as murder weapons and the characterization of the killer as a large, hulking, masked figure. It led to a franchise that continued the story of Leatherface and his family through sequels, prequels, a remake, comic books, and video games. In 2024, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[6]

  1. ^ "THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE (18)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  2. ^ David, Colker (August 8, 2014). "Marilyn Burns dies at 65; starred in 'Texas Chain Saw Massacre'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)". The Numbers. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  4. ^ "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  5. ^ "The Texas chain saw massacre : prev. entitled Headcheese & Leatherface". United States Copyright Office. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  6. ^ "25 Films Added to National Film Registry for Preservation". December 17, 2024. Retrieved December 17, 2024.


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