Tobe Hooper’s horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was released in 1974.
The film follows a group of young travelers who encounter a murderous family in rural Texas, including the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface. Tobe Hooper directed the movie and co-wrote it with Kim Henkel. Its grimy visual style, sparse score, and documentary-like presentation helped make the film feel disturbingly plausible.
Although the story was marketed as being based on true events, it is fictional. Hooper drew inspiration from several real crimes and criminals, especially the case of Wisconsin murderer Ed Gein, whose crimes also influenced Psycho and The Silence of the Lambs. Leatherface is not a direct portrayal of Gein, however.
The film’s title is also commonly written in different ways. Its official title is The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, with “Chain Saw” as two words. It became a major influence on later slasher films, even though it predates many conventions audiences now associate with that subgenre.