What 1974 horror film features a family of cannibals led by Leatherface?

The 1974 horror film about Leatherface and his cannibal family is The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Directed by Tobe Hooper and co-written by Hooper and Kim Henkel, the film follows a group of young people who encounter a murderous family in rural Texas. Leatherface, played by Gunnar Hansen, attacks victims with a chainsaw while wearing masks made from human skin. The family’s violence, grimy setting, and implied cannibalism helped define the film’s enduring reputation.

Although marketed in a way that made audiences believe it was based on true events, the story is fictional. Leatherface was partly inspired by Wisconsin murderer Ed Gein, whose crimes also influenced characters in Psycho and The Silence of the Lambs. The film’s documentary-style presentation and claims of realism made it feel more authentic than it was.

The original movie is often confused with its sequels, especially The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, which has a much more overtly comic tone. Other listed wrong options are influential horror films, but none features Leatherface or this particular family. The original remains one of the defining works of 1970s American horror.