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The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
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Overview
Tagline:
The idyllic summer's day that became a nightmare of fear and blood... [UK Video] morePlot:
Five friends visiting their grandpa's old house are hunted down and terrorized by a chainsaw wielding killer and his family of grave-robbing cannibals. full summary | full synopsis (warning! may contain spoilers)Awards:
1 win moreNewsDesk:
(5 articles)
Opening This Week (From IFC. 30 June 2008, 7:46 AM, PDT)
'Spinal Tap' Tops Cult Movie List (From WENN. 20 May 2003)
User Comments:
The Best Horror Film moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Marilyn Burns | ... | Sally Hardesty | |
| Allen Danziger | ... | Jerry | |
| Paul A. Partain | ... | Franklin Hardesty | |
| William Vail | ... | Kirk | |
| Teri McMinn | ... | Pam (as Teri Mcminn) | |
| Edwin Neal | ... | Hitchhiker | |
| Jim Siedow | ... | Old Man | |
| Gunnar Hansen | ... | Leatherface | |
| John Dugan | ... | Grandfather | |
| Robert Courtin | ... | Window Washer | |
| William Creamer | ... | Bearded Man | |
| John Henry Faulk | ... | Storyteller | |
| Jerry Green | ... | Cowboy | |
| Ed Guinn | ... | Cattle Truck Driver | |
| Joe Bill Hogan | ... | Drunk |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Headcheese (USA) (working title)Leatherface (USA) (working title)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (USA) (alternative spelling)
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Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
83 min | Germany:75 min (new longer Version)Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
MonoCertification:
Belgium:16 (video rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (re-rating: 2004) | UK:(Banned) (original rating) | Sweden:15 (re-rating) (2001) (uncut) | New Zealand:R16 (re-rating) (2007) (uncut) | Finland:K-18 (1996) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) (original rating: 1974) | Sweden:15 (re-rating: 1994) (cut) (re-rating: 2001) (uncut) | West Germany:(Banned) | Italy:VM14 (re-rating) (2003) | UK:18 (re-rating: 1999) | West Germany:18 (cut) | Brazil:18 (1998) | Brazil:(Banned) | Australia:(Banned) (original rating) | New Zealand:R18 | Finland:(Banned) (1984) | Italy:VM18 (original rating) | UK:R (original rating: 1975) | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Canada:R | Chile:(Banned) (re-rating) (1978) | Chile:18 (original rating) | Denmark:15 (video rating) | France:-16 (re-rating) | France:X (original rating) | Hong Kong:III | Iceland:(Banned) (original rating) | Iceland:16 (re-rating) | Ireland:(Banned) (original rating) | Ireland:18 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:(Banned) (video rating) | Norway:18 (re-rating) (1997) (uncut) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:(Banned) (1984) | USA:R | Singapore:(Banned)MOVIEmeter: 
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Contrary to popular belief, this film is not a true story. It was filmed from 15 July 1973 - 14 August 1973, while the opening narrative claims that the real events took place on 18 August 1973, so it would be impossible for the film to be based on actual events which had not happened at the time of filming. moreGoofs:
Continuity: The blood the hitchhiker smears on the van is gone in the long shot a few seconds later. moreQuotes:
[first lines]Narrator: The film which you are about to see is an account of the tragedy which 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...
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Soundtrack:
FOOL FOR A BLONDE moreFAQ
How can I get an autographed picture of one of the cast members?What other movies are the cast in?
Is this film homemade? Is it a student film?
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| The Texas Chainsaw Massacre | Halloween | The Funhouse | The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning | Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III |
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The (original) Texas Chainsaw Massacre, is without a doubt in my mind, the most impressive horror film to date. No other horror film stays with you in the same way. You feel not only fearful for the characters, but at times feel afraid for your own safety. The natural lighting and loose, improvised acting style creates a strong sense of reality that no other horror film can possibly achieve. Under a thin layer of dated aesthetics (1973 style of dress) lies the most dangerous, horrifying and psychotic world ever committed to script or screen. As the first of its kind, this movie set the mold for the modern horror film, though none were ever to realize any comparable distinction. It gave birth to the "slasher" genre (for better or for worse) . It is also one of few timeless films that has managed to combine horror and avant-garde styles, successfully. Unlike its remake, this one is more of an exercise in minimalism and simplicity (think even Dogme). The expert subtlety of the filmmakers; Tobe Hooper (writer/director), Kim Henkel (co-writer) and Daniel Pearl (cinematographer) results more in
psychological terror than in gore. The air-tight script, jarring realism and attention to detail are unparalleled in practically any film, horror or otherwise. And last, but by far not the least Marylin Burns PHENOMENAL performance is the only in cinematic history (a close second by that of Shelly Duvall in The Shining) that evokes such a nature of desperate and primal fear. You truly believe in every single one of her screams that her life is hanging by a single, thin thread.