The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Play trailer

1:33

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

R

Released Oct 1, 1974

1h 23m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

88 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Young adults encounter a house full of demented butchers who chase them with chain saws and other deadly tools.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Thanks to a smart script and documentary-style camerawork, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre achieves start-to-finish suspense, making it a classic in low-budget exploitation cinema.

Read Critics Reviews

Tom Huddleston

Time Out

As much as any surrealist arthouse flick, Texas Chain Saw feels like a nightmare made real, an inescapable but entirely authentic vision of pure hell.

Rated: 5/5

Dec 12, 2024

Full Review

Adam Kempenaar

Filmspotting

What makes it so terrifying is how awfully real it all feels.

Rated: 4.5/5

Oct 25, 2024

Full Review

Alexander Walker

London Evening Standard

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre brings genuine horror back to the cinema. Be warned: its Gothic realism reminds us how rarely screen mayhem actually evokes real fear and revulsion in these times when "murder by numbers" is an everyday news item.

Sep 30, 2024

Full Review

Gayle Sequeira

Inverse

Released five years before Alien (1979), Tobe Hooper’s nightmarish vision illustrated how rural America could be just as unknowable and terrifying as a planetoid in the furthest reaches of space, its inhabitants as unsettling and alien as a Xenomorph.

Aug 26, 2025

Full Review

Julian Singleton

Cinapse

Unlike any horror film before it, and often attempted by every horror film after it, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre truly strives to terrify its audience through a disturbing and depraved sense of fantastic realism.

Jul 11, 2025

Full Review

Joe Lipsett

Horror Queers Podcast

A visceral nightmare that you can smell as much as see. The sound design, editing and unrelenting extended climactic chase are harrowing and unnerving. A classic, but not one I can revisit often

Rated: 4.5/5

Oct 9, 2024

Full Review

Read all reviews

Alex

An all time classic , arguably a top 5 greatest horror movie ever made , was real cool to get to see it on the big screen

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/19/25

Full Review

Cristian

The theater service wasn’t great (didn’t scan our tickets), but the serving staff was helpful but both of mine and my friend both had sodas filled with mostly just ice. Theater seats could definitely use some help, it’s very difficult when you have to use the restroom because there’s no walking room in emergency which causes much discomfort drawing attention trying to use bathroom quietly and quickly. These are the reasons I mostly go to Cinemark. I would love to help if there’s opportunities.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/05/24

Full Review

Randy

I first saw the Texas Chsinsaw massacre when I was 10 or 11 at a drive in. It still holds up It was the first "slasher film" and even after 50 years it's still one of the best

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/27/24

Full Review

Juandi

I’m a huge fan of the remake so the original doesn’t compare to me. I missed that train. But I can appreciate it for what it did for the horror genre.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/17/24

Full Review

Adam S

It's a classic for a reason... still holds up

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/09/24

Full Review

Christine

Its a classic & was a lot of fun to see on the big screen.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/07/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Tobe Hooper

Director

Marilyn Burns

Sally Hardesty

Gunnar Hansen

Leatherface

Allen Danziger

Jerry

Paul A. Partain

Franklin Hardesty

William Vail

Kirk

Deep Red

94%

85%

Deep Red

Watchlist

Alice, Sweet Alice

71%

61%

Alice, Sweet Alice

Watchlist

The Omen

85%

81%

The Omen

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Omen

The Fury

79%

50%

The Fury

Watchlist

Children of the Corn

36%

40%

Children of the Corn

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Children of the Corn

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: Exclusive Trailer - 50th Anniversary

1:33

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: Trailer 1

1:44

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

Young adults encounter a house full of demented butchers who chase them with chain saws and other deadly tools.

Director: Tobe Hooper
Producer: Tobe Hooper
Screenwriter: Tobe Hooper, Kim Henkel
Distributor: New Line Cinema, Pioneer Entertainment
Production Co: Vortex
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 1, 1974, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Oct 1, 2024
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 30, 2014
Runtime: 1h 23m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

Most Popular at Home Now