The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is one of the great classics in horror movies, without a doubt. One of the first major slashers of the seventies, even 50 years later, this movie is still terribly disturbing. Now, it is returning to theaters for one night only on August 18.
After last year’s Texas Chain Saw Day, the hosts of the event, Dark Sky Films and Fathom Entertainment, have decided to make the event annual.
Five friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre took heavy inspiration from the story of Ed Gein, a real-life murderer and body snatcher. Gein’s odd family dynamic was very significant to why he turned out the way he did. These themes come through in Texas Chain Saw Massacre, with its main antagonist, Leatherface, living in a house with his cannibal family and taking part in chaotic and terrifying dinner rituals. The gross connections between the two stories continue—Gein used tanned human skin in crafty ways, and Leatherface wears a tanned human face. The house shown in the dinner scene also contains furniture made out of human skin and other parts.
Ed Gein inspired other fictional killers. The Silence of the Lambs‘ Buffalo Bill and Psycho‘s Norman Bates both utilized aspects of Ed Gein’s real story.
In 2022, Netflix produced a remake of TCSM. I am of the personal belief that if it ain’t broke, there’s no reason to fix it. Nonetheless, A24 is also working on a “reimagining” of the franchise, with a movie and television series in the works. Obsession writer-director Curry Barker is attached to the movie.
Fortunately, though, the screening on Texas Chain Saw Day is of the original film. Tickets for the event will be available on July 21, so be sure to check your local theaters for a place to participate.