The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is perhaps one of the most loved horror classics of all time, it has been remade and re-adapted endless times, but people continue to return to this 1974 classic, which was made on a very low budget and told a very twisted tale. Join us in discovering facts about the film that you may not have known. the only resource you will ever need for Texas Chainsaw horror facts.
Film Synopsis “Two siblings and three of their friends en route to visit their grandfather’s grave in Texas fall victim to a family of cannibalistic psychopaths.“
The film was marketed as a story based on facts of a true story. this is false.
The film was so terrifying when it was first released that people walked out during sneak previews.
John Larroquette claims he received payment in the form of a pot joint from the studio for doing the opening narration.
The blood on Marilyn Burns’s body and clothes are real, as she cut herself very badly on the branches as well as from Leatherface chasing her through the undergrowth.
A crowded hardware store in which Tobe Hooper was Christmas shopping sparked the idea for the film. As he pondered how to get through the crowd, he noticed the chainsaws.
Incredibly, this film is one of the least bloody horror films ever made. Tobe Hooper had intended the movie to be rated PG for its moderate violence, mild language, and lack of extreme horror on-screen rather than implying it in great detail. Nevertheless, the plan backfired, making the film even more frightening. Hooper was not willing to release his film until the movie was given the “R” rating, despite cutting and repeated submissions. Similar ratings problems plagued Hooper’s sequel as well.
After a few seconds, the hitchhiker’s blood is no longer visible on the van.
The broom by the door changes position briefly during the scene after Sally returns to the service station for refuge from Leatherface.
After cutting his own hand, the hitchhiker invites the other passengers to dinner with a cut to his hand that is completely uninjured.
With every camera angle, they constantly see the overcast skies change into the sun shining brightly when they arrive at the gas station early in the movie.
After Sally jumps out of the window for a second time, she is surrounded by glass shards. The glass shards vanish when the camera changes angles, never to be seen again.
Marilyn Burns actually injured herself shooting the scene which shows her falling through the window, although Tobe Hooper used a stunt double for the leap and throw.
Despite his lift boots, Gunnar Hansen was still able to run faster than Marilyn Burns, so he had to do something else to catch her (you can see him chopping up trees in one head-on shot).
The sheer brutality of the plot originally turned Gunnar Hansen off the role of Leatherface. Marilyn Burns, who at the time was his friend, persuaded him.
By the end of the last day’s shoot, the clothing of Marilyn Burns had been soaked with fake blood so thoroughly that it was nearly solid.
As Gunnar Hansen was wearing the Leatherface mask with no peripheral vision, he hit his head several times on doorways and other objects while filming. The three-inch heels he wore also caused him to stand too high, causing him to hit objects.
The location where the Sawyer family house was filmed has entirely changed since the film’s original release. The area has now become an open field, with no sign that there was ever a house there. Relocation and restoration of the house itself have taken place. At 1010 King St. in Kingsland, TX, it is now known as the Junction House Restaurant.
“People are absolutely convinced that it did happen”
Gunnar Hansen
Restored version released in 1998 on DVD includes outtake and alternate footage.
