The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) is an American horror film produced, co-composed, and directed by Tobe Hooper, who also co-wrote it with Kim Henkel. In the early hours of August 18, 1973, a grave robber steals several remains from a nearby cemetery in Muerto County, Texas. The disturbing scene is spotted by a local resident at sunrise. As five young people travel through the area in a van – Sally Hardesty, Jerry, Pam, Kirk, and Franklin, Sally’s disabled brother- they make a stop at the cemetery to check on their grandfather’s grave. To their relief, it appears undisturbed. Along the way, they pass by a slaughterhouse where Franklin shares his family’s history with animal slaughter. They also pick up a hitchhiker who claims his own family has experience with this gruesome practice. When the group refuses to pay for his photograph, he violently attacks Franklin and leaves behind a bloody mark on their van before being kicked out.

As the van runs low on gas, it pulls into a station where the owner informs them of the lack of fuel. The group decides to check out a nearby abandoned house, which used to belong to the Hardesty family. Kirk and Pam venture off on their own with plans to go swimming. While exploring, they stumble upon another house with functioning gas-powered generators. In an attempt to negotiate for gas, Kirk enters the residence and is attacked by a large man wearing a skin mask wielding a hammer. Pam later enters and discovers the living room scattered with bones before being grabbed by the man… Meanwhile, Jerry goes out in search of his missing friends and eventually comes across the same house where he finds Pam barely alive. Unfortunately, he too falls victim to the masked man’s hammer.