There are a ton of iconichorrorfranchises celebrating major anniversaries in 2024. However, none have been as important to the genre thanTobe Hooper’sThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The 1974 grindhouse slasher has spent the last 50 years instilling terror in genre fans everywhere.Leatherfacehas put some extra energy into his infamous chainsaw dance to mark the blood-soaked occasion too. That included new apparel collections,4K editionsandaction figures. Now, in addition,The Texas Chain Saw Massacreis coming back to theaters this Halloween thanks to Dark Sky Films.
The 50th anniversary re-release will be in a theater near you throughout the month of October withmost regions and participating theaters opening on Tuesday, October 1st. In a reference toTexas Chain Saw’s classic yet haunting opening title crawl, Dark Sky Films previewed the screenings saying:
“50 years ago, five youths on a weekend getaway in the Texas countryside fell prey to a butcher in a mask made of human skin and his cannibalistic family, and horror cinema would never be the same. Violent, confrontational, and shockingly realistic,The Texas Chain Saw Massacreterrified audiences in a way never thought possible when it was unleashed on a politically and socially tumultuous America in 1974. Facing a storm of controversy, censorship, and outcry throughout its troubled release, this masterpiece of horror has stood the test of time to become a landmark motion picture and cultural milestone.”
Dark Sky has been a major driving force in honoring Hooper’s masterpiece.Last year they released the film on4K for the first timeand since then have released multiple scream-tastic editions ofTexas Chain Sawfor hardcore horror fans. This included aset that came with Leatherface’s signature chainsawfrom the first installment. If that was enough, the company also released acollection of apparel and postersearlier this year.
The Legacy of ‘Texas Chain Saw Massacre’
While Leatherface is a well-known horror icon now, when the original film was released in 1974, moviegoers hadn’t seen anything like it.Therawness of Hooper’s directionpaired with cinematographer Daniel Pearl’s funhouse-like atmosphere made this backwoods nightmare hit differently. The real-world grotesqueness that made you feel like this was based on true events set it apart from other horror films of its time and still makes it unique in its genre today.Things like the previously mentioned opening crawl voiced by John Larroquette or themorbid production designwere the killer hooks that cemented Texas Chain Saw as an instant classic. Hooper would return to directThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 212 years later in 1986, which would officially turn Leatherface into a franchise leading man with an endless number of sequels, reboots, and remakes to follow. However, no film in the series, despitesome hidden gems, has quite captured the demented magic ofthe originalTexas Chain Saw. That being said, modern cult hits likeTi West’sXandStrange Darlinghave kept Leatherface’s brutal aesthetic alive in more ways than one.
Where’s ‘Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ Streaming?
BothThe Texas Chain Saw MassacreandPart 2are currently streaming for free on Tubi. However, if you want to see the original in the way our horror gods intended, you can check your local theater and get tickets onDark Sky films’ website. Their trailer for the re-release can be viewed below.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
A group of friends traveling through rural Texas encounter a family of deranged cannibals, including the terrifying Leatherface. As they explore an old homestead, they are systematically hunted down in gruesome ways. The film culminates in a harrowing chase and a desperate escape attempt by the last survivor, Sally, who narrowly evades the murderous Leatherface.
