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76
(500) Days of Summer
60
9
17
All About Steve
37
Amelia
53
Astro Boy
66
Bandslam
45
Box, The
61
Capitalism: A Love Story
55
Christmas Carol, A
43
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
66
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
29
Collector, The
23
Couples Retreat
80
District 9
61
Extract
39
Fame
xx
Fantastic Mr. Fox
30
Final Destination, The
34
Fourth Kind, The
60
Funny People
32
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
27
Gamer
41
G-Force
39
Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard, The
46
Halloween II
73
Hangover, The
78
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
55
I Can Do Bad All By Myself
66
Informant!, The
69
Inglourious Basterds
58
Invention of Lying, The
47
Jennifer's Body
66
Julie & Julia
34
Law Abiding Citizen
33
Love Happens
54
Men Who Stare At Goats, The
67
Michael Jackson's This Is It
51
My Sister's Keeper
42
Orphan
28
Pandorum
63
Perfect Getaway, A
86
Ponyo![]()
35
Post Grad
48
Proposal, The
30
Saw VI
53
Shorts
24
Sorority Row
83
Star Trek![]()
33
Stepfather, The
45
Surrogates
55
Taking Woodstock
47
Time Traveler's Wife
96
Toy Story/Toy Story 2 3D![]()
35
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
28
Ugly Truth, The
88
Up![]()
71
Where the Wild Things Are
67
Whip It
28
Whiteout
73
Zombieland
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
Limited Releases
Now In Theaters
58
(Untitled)
96
35 Shots of Rum![]()
56
Adam
72
Adela
39
Adventures of Power
78
Afghan Star
61
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66
Afterschool
xx
All the Best
58
American Casino
72
Amreeka
48
Antichrist
73
Araya
62
Art & Copy
55
As Seen Through These Eyes
76
Baader Meinhof Complex, The
86
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13
Beautiful Life, A
70
Beeswax
35
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
71
Big Fan
66
Black Dynamite
51
Blind Date
xx
Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly
76
Bliss
35
Blue Tooth Virgin, The
26
Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, The
57
Boys Are Back, The
45
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
81
Bright Star![]()
70
Bronson
45
Burning Plain, The
xx
Carriers
55
Casi Divas
57
Chelsea on the Rocks
62
Cloud 9
65
Coco Before Chanel
69
Cold Souls
59
Collapse
44
Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha
82
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75
Crude
82
Damned United, The![]()
67
Departures
xx
Dil Bole Hadippa
71
Disgrace
xx
Do Knot Disturb
70
Earth Days
24
Eating Out 3: All You Can Eat
85
Education, An![]()
55
Endgame
xx
Eulogy for a Vampire
xx
Everyone Else
xx
Fatal Promises
56
Fifty Dead Men Walking
62
Five Minutes of Heaven
74
Flame & Citron
49
Food Beware: The French Organic Revolution
80
Food, Inc.
28
Free Style
xx
From Mexico with Love
50
Fuel
25
Gentlemen Broncos
50
Give Me Your Hand
58
Gogol Bordello Non-Stop
72
Good Hair
89
Goodbye Solo![]()
52
Grace
66
Harmony and Me
81
Headless Woman, The![]()
xx
Heretics, The
63
Horse Boy, The
73
House of the Devil, The
xx
How to Seduce Difficult Women
74
Humpday
94
Hurt Locker, The![]()
29
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell
16
If One Thing Matters: A Film About Wolfgang Tillmans
75
In Search of Beethoven
83
In the Loop![]()
61
Intimate Enemies
42
Irene in Time
70
It Might Get Loud
46
Killing Kasztner
19
Labor Day
xx
Laila's Birthday
41
Little Ashes
41
Little Traitor, The
66
Liverpool
34
Looking for Palladin
80
Lorna's Silence
83
Maid, The![]()
xx
Ministers, The
59
More Than a Game
67
Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, The
34
Motherhood
62
My One and Only
xx
Mystery Team
48
New York, I Love You
73
Night and Day
66
No Impact Man
47
Ong Bak 2: The Beginning
34
Other Man, The
xx
Painter Sam Francis, The
54
Paper Heart
xx
Paradise
68
Paranormal Activity
68
Paris
44
Peter and Vandy
35
Play the Game
77
Precious: Based on the Novel by Sapphire
xx
Pretty Ugly People
65
Providence Effect, The
76
Rembrandt's J'accuse
69
September Issue, The
79
Serious Man, A
40
Shrink
61
Skin
77
Skin Too Few: The Days of Nick Drake, A
xx
Skiptracers
46
Splinterheads
39
St. Trinian's
89
Still Walking![]()
50
Stoning of Soraya M., The
55
Storm
65
Tetro
70
That Evening Sun
72
Thirst
xx
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D (re-release)
61
Trucker
xx
Turning Green
83
U2 3D![]()
66
Unmade Beds
66
Unmistaken Child
70
Visual Acoustics
55
Walt & El Grupo
67
Way We Get By, The
69
We Live in Public
64
Wedding Song, The
64
Where is Where?
xx
White on Rice
74
Woman in Berlin, A
69
World's Greatest Dad
70
Yes Men Fix the World
69
Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg
xx
You, the Living
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The
EMAILPRINTBryanston Films Ltd.

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 5 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 23 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Suspense/Thriller
Written by:
Tobe Hooper (story)
Kim Henkel (story)
Directed by: Tobe Hooper
Release Date:
Theatrical: October 1, 1974
DVD: October 6, 1998
Running Time: 83 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: R
Starring Marilyn Burns, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain, William Vail, Teri McMinn, Edwin Neal, Gunnar Hansen, and John Dugan
The story begins with five innocent kids on their way to checkout reports of grave robbing. As Sally, (Burns) her invalid brother Franklin, and three friends head out to inspect the gravesite of her family, they are soon side tracked on the ultimate journey of terror. One by one, they wander into the murderous clutches of Leatherface and his trusty chainsaw. The poster reads: "Who will survive and what will be left of them?" In this case, not much, and what is...well, becomes the main course. (House of Horrors)
Also On Metacritic
FILM: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site Marc Savlov Interview
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Austin Chronicle Mike Emery
Hooper's vision is horrid yet engrossing... But the worst part about this vision is that despite its sensational aspects, it never seems too far from what could be the truth.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Chris Parcellin
A black-humored, unflinching look at the Ugly American at his psychotic worst. And Tobe Hooper is at his best as a writer and director here.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Staff (Not Credited)
An intelligent, absorbing, and deeply disturbing horror film that is nearly bloodless in its depiction of violence. Using the age-old technique of suggestion, combined with a gritty, well-executed (no pun intended) visual style, the film seems much bloodier than it actually is.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Dave Kehr
The picture gets to you more through its intensity than its craft, but Hooper does have a talent.
Read Full Review >Variety Staff (Not Credited)
Despite the heavy doses of gore in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Tobe Hooper's pic is well made for an exploiter of its type... Sharp sense of composition and careful accumulation of detail also help enliven the crude plot, and the acting is above par for this type of film.
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 7.8 (out of 10) based on 23 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Jay H. gave it a7:
The Granddaddy of all slasher films. It does an amazing job with such a low budget. Great camerawork, fine direction and it is definitely scary. The screaming girl gets to be a bit much though.
David S. gave it an8:
This movie is an atmospheric powerhouse. I don't think I've ever seen a film that quite portrays so unique a feel. Although some scenes seem overplayed today, and splatter-fans wont be too disturbed by it, 'Massacre' still packs a punch with its nightmareish dusty red visuals and slow but determined development. The deaths themselves are rather unique, since they are done in a brutal but almost offhanded manner, in contrast to the "look, see? He's dead! Isn't it horrible??" style of many modern horror movies. The final piece of the puzzle is the experimental but fitting musical score, which compliments the visuals very well. A movie that holds its own, even today.
IanRey P. gave it a9:
I have only watched this version of the Texas Chainsaw, and it had a good story. The sounds really spooked me, and I had to lower the volume. I was scared in some scenes but I wished those scenes were expanded more, I did not felt so much is some of them. Since this film was made in the 70s I had to give a bigger credit and give it a 9.
Ally B. gave it a10:
I first saw this movie back in 98 when i was about 15 years old, and at the time, i was so terrified to even walk along my street at night it affected me that much, I refused to watch it again until someone as a laugh bought it for me for Christmas a few years later. It was only then i began to appreciate the movie and the intensity of the atmosphere that surrounded the whole movie in general, Yes it still scares the *bleep* out of me but thats why i love it, It makes me feel every emotion under the sun, Claustrophobia, Fear, Tension, Joy, Reflection, and bloomin' well thankful that i wont ever come across Leatherface anytime soon!
Robin E. gave it a10:
One of the greatest movies of all time!
Alex S. gave it a10:
Definitely a classic. Made long before attention deficit cinema came along and made everyone, collectively, a little dumber than we once were. The establishing shots in the early parts of the film are so moody, slow and dread inducing - a fitting set-up for what comes later. This is how it's done.
Michael E. gave it a10:
Way, WAY more intense and disturbing than it's numerous remakes and, in fact, almost any horror film made in the last decade.
