1974 Controversial Indie Film Ranked 'Best Horror Movie of All Time'
Few movies evoke such a visceral response as that of 1974's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Gory, disturbing, and utterly haunting, the slasher film directed by Tobe Hooper is widely considered to be one of the most influential in the genre, and was ranked by Variety as the "Best Horror Movie of All Time." The publication wrote the movie, "created a mythology of horror, one that feels even more resonant today than it did 50 years ago. The film channeled the descent of the American spirit that we can now feel all around us."
The indie movie (made for just around $100,000), was found to be incredibly controversial in part to it being marketed as a "true story," but also due to the scenes depicting torture, cannibalism, and extreme terror.
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The Texas Chain Saw Massacre follows five teenaged friends including final girl Sally, and her disabled brother, Franklin, who run out of gas while on a road trip in rural Texas. While exploring an abandoned house and property nearby, the group and fall prey to a family of cannibalistic murderers and grave robbers, including the iconic (and terrifying) Leatherface. One by one the road trippers are pursued, each in increasingly gory and violent ways, trying to make it out of the utter nightmare alive.
Marketing the film falsely as a true story increased its popularity intensely upon release. Despite its relatively tiny budget, over the course of eight years it grossed more than $30 million in the United States and Canada at the box office.
Critics have long called the film one of the best in the horror realm and credit it with redefining the slasher genre. Writer David Hogan said, "The driving force of 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' is something far more horrible than aberrant sexuality: total insanity." The character of Leatherface is often listed along the likes of Jason, Michael Myers, and Freddy as iconic characters in the horror world. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has be attributed as a major influence for many filmmakers including Wes Craven, Ridley Scott, and Rob Zombie.
For cinephiles and slasher fans, it makes sense that the 1974 film has made a lasting impact, and one that keeps us up at night to this very day.
Related: 2023 Film Named the 'Scariest Horror Movie' of the Last Five Years
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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 12:44 PM.