One of the most horrifying films of all time, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre MOVIE has gone from 16mm independent film to full-blown horror classic. Tobe Hooper's nightmarish vision from 1974 is a grim and unsettling tale that paved the way for such indie fare as Halloween and Re-Animator
    The original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie has achieved staggering success since it first shocked and stunned audiences in 1974 with its bone chilling realism. The horrifying story, drawn from a series of true events, is considered by many to be one of the greatest thrillers of all time and a landmark of terror that has influenced countless films in its wake. Although the film was made on a budget of less than $150,000, it has grossed more than $100 Million worldwide and established itself as a cult classic to legions of fans around the globe. The film has entered into the iconography of popular culture by way of its menacing evil character, “Leatherface.” The character remains one of the most recognizable classic villains, while the film has become the benchmark of terror by which modern films are measured

Opening Narrative of the 1974 film, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
LISTEN to the Monologue (.wav)

"The film which you are about to see is an account of the tragedy that 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 Chainsaw Massacre." - August 18th, 1973

Despite being heavily touted as "inspired by a true horror story," both Tobe Hooper's original 1974 film and the 2003 Marcus Nispel remake are only lightly based on the real-life murderer Ed Gein, who is suspected to have taken several victims between 1954 and 1957. Perhaps the most recognizable similarity is the film's house, whose gruesome content was similar to that found in Ed Gein's home in 1957


The real Ed Gein did wear a human's scalp and face. The real Ed Gein did this however, to help quell his desire to be a woman, not because of a skin disease as with Leatherface in the film. Also included in his uniform, Ed Gein wore a vest of skin complete with breasts and female genitalia strapped above his own.

Content sources .....
Judge Patrick Naugle (DVDVerdict.com)
ChasingtheFrog.com"