The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is an American slasher franchise created by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper. It consists of nine films, comics, a novel, and two video game adaptations. The franchise focuses on the cannibalistic spree killer Leatherface (who uses a chainsaw as his signature weapon) and his family, who terrorize unsuspecting visitors to their territories in the desolate Texas countryside, typically killing and subsequently cooking them. The film series has grossed over $252 million at the worldwide box office.

Films Film U.S. release date Director(s) Screenwriter(s) Story by Producer(s) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre October 11, 1974 Tobe Hooper Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper Tobe Hooper The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 August 22, 1986 L.M. Kit Carson Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III January 12, 1990 Jeff Burr David J. Schow Robert Engelman The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre September 22, 1995 Kim Henkel Kim Henkel and Robert Kuhn The Texas Chainsaw Massacre October 17, 2003 Marcus Nispel Scott Kosar Michael Bay and Mike Fleiss The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning October 6, 2006 Jonathan Liebesman Sheldon Turner Sheldon Turner and David J. Schow Michael Bay,Mike Fleiss, Kim Henkel, Tobe Hooper, Brad Fuller, and Andrew Form Texas Chainsaw 3D January 4, 2013 John Luessenhop Adam Marcus, Debra Sullivan, and Kristen Ellis Stephen Susco, Adam Marcus and Debra Sullivan Carl Mazzocone Leatherface October 20, 2017 Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo Seth M. Sherwood Christa Campbell, Lati Grobman, Carl Mazzocone, and Les Weldon Texas Chainsaw Massacre February 18, 2022 David Blue Garcia Chris Thomas Devlin Fede Álvarez and Rodo Sayagues Fede Álvarez, Herbert W. Gains, Kim Henkel, Ian Henkel, and Pat CassidyUntitled film Curry Barker Roy Lee, Steven Schneider, Stuart Manashil, Pat Cassidy, Ian Henkel, and Kim Henkel

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre story chronology Original continuity Platinum Dunes' remake continuity Millennium Films' alternate continuity Legendary Pictures' alternate continuity

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, released in 1974, written and directed by Tobe Hooper, was the first and most successful entry in the series. It is considered to be the first of the 1970s slasher films, and originated a great many of the clichés seen in countless later low-budget slashers. Its plot concerns a family of cannibals living in rural Texas, who abduct customers from their gas station. The film's most notable character, Leatherface, is one of the most well-known villains in cinema history, notable for his masks made of human skin, his blood-soaked butcher's apron and the chainsaw he wields. Although the film is marketed as a true story, it does not depict actual events, and is instead (as with the film Psycho) inspired by notorious killer Ed Gein, who acted alone and did not use a chainsaw.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) is set 13 years after the events of the first film. Although it managed to recoup its relatively small budget, the film was not considered a financial success. Since its initial release, however, it has developed a cult following of its own. Unlike its predecessor, which combined minimal gore with a documentary-style nature, the sequel is a comedic horror film, filled with black humour and various gore effects created by make-up maestro Tom Savini. The film features an appearance by novelist Kinky Friedman as well as film critic Joe Bob Briggs. Briggs' cameo appearance was originally cut in editing, but was restored for the director's cut version of the film when it was released on DVD.

Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III is a 1990 follow-up to the previous two films. It stars Kate Hodge, Ken Foree, and Viggo Mortensen and was directed by Jeff Burr. At the time, this was considered to be the first of several sequels in the series to be produced by New Line Cinema, but was not a commercial success, and New Line had no further involvement in the series.

The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1995) is the fourth film in the original series. It received a limited release in 1995 through Columbia Pictures, and was given a limited re-release in 1997 under the new title Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation in hopes of capitalizing on the elevated public profiles of stars Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey in the wake of their 1996 films Jerry Maguire and A Time to Kill respectively.

The 2003 remake, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, directed by Marcus Nispel, written by Scott Kosar and produced by Michael Bay, is based on the events of the first film, but for the most part, it follows a different storyline. A major difference between the two films, for example, is that rather than picking up Leatherface's psychotic hitchhiker brother, the group instead come upon a traumatized survivor who shoots herself in their van. The film gives Leatherface's background, a real name (Thomas Brown Hewitt), as well as a possible reason for his wearing masks, namely a skin disease which has caused his nose to rot away. The remake received a generally negative critical response upon release, but was financially successful enough to lead to a prequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006), which takes place in 1969. Directed by Jonathan Liebesman, written by Sheldon Turner and produced by Michael Bay, it explores the roots of Leatherface's family and delves into their past. Leatherface's first mask is featured, as well as the first murder he commits using a chainsaw. It grossed less than its predecessor and has received a more negative reception from film critics.

The seventh film, Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013), is a direct sequel to the original 1974 film, and makes no reference to the events of the other sequels. The film was directed by John Luessenhop, and written by Adam Marcus, Kirsten Elms, and Debra Sullivan. Texas Chainsaw follows a young girl named Heather, who is travelling to Texas with her friends to collect an inheritance from her deceased grandmother, whom she had never met. There, Heather discovers that she is part of the Sawyer family, who were killed by the townspeople following the events of the 1974 film, as well as a cousin of Leatherface. According to Seth M. Sherwood, writer of the prequel Leatherface (2017), the eighth film is part of a continuity that consists of Leatherface, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), and Texas Chainsaw 3D.

Following the release of Leatherface, the producers had the rights to make five more Texas Chainsaw Massacre films. Producer Christa Campbell stated that the fate of the potential films would largely depend on the financial reception and perceived fan reactions regarding the 2017 prequel. Lionsgate and Millennium Films lost the franchise rights in December the same year due to the time it took to release it. Legendary Entertainment subsequently acquired the franchise's rights with interest in developing television and film projects.

The ninth film, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, takes place 50 years after the events of the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The film stars Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Moe Dunford, Nell Hudson, Jessica Allain, Olwen Fouéré, Jacob Latimore, and Alice Krige. In addition, Mark Burnham portrays an older Leatherface, replacing Gunnar Hansen, while Olwen Fouéré plays Sally Hardesty, replacing Marilyn Burns. Original directors, Ryan and Andy Tohill, were fired a week into filming and were replaced with David Blue Garcia. Chris Thomas Devlin wrote the screenplay with the story by Fede Álverez and Rodo Sayagues. The film skipped a theatrical release and was instead released on Netflix, on February 18, 2022. The film received mostly negative reviews.

Future A bidding war for future rights was underway, with many studios and creatives in mind. These included a film directed and co-written by Bryan Bertino and produced by Oz Perkins for Neon, a television series developed by JT Mollner and Glen Powell and produced by Roy Lee for A24, a film also produced by Lee for Netflix, and Taylor Sheridan producing for Paramount. Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions had also been involved in the bidding war but left early on. In September 2025, A24 emerged as the front runner, with the Netflix film also happening; the former ultimately acquired film and television rights to the franchise in February 2026, though distribution for the film previously set at Netflix remains in question. On April 21, 2026, it was announced that Curry Barker is set to write and direct the planned untitled tenth film with A24.'Obsession' Filmmaker Curry Barker to Direct 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' Reimagining at A24 (EXCLUSIVE)'Texas Chainsaw Massacre': 'Obsession' Filmmaker Curry Barker in Talks to Write, Direct

Recurring cast and characters

This table only shows characters that have appeared in three or more films in the series. A dark grey cell indicates that the character was not in the film or that the character's presence in the film has yet to be announced. An indicates an appearance through archival footage or stills. A indicates a cameo role. Character Appearances TCM TCM 2 Leatherface: TCM III The Return of TCM TCM TCM: The Beginning TC 3D Leatherface TCM Leatherface Gunnar Hansen Bill Johnson R. A. Mihailoff Robert Jacks Andrew Bryniarski Dan Yeager Sam Strike Mark Burnham Grandfather John Dugan Ken Evert Grayson Victor Schirmacher colspan="2" John Dugan Eduard Parsehyan Sally Hardesty Marilyn Burns colspan="2" Marilyn Burns colspan="2" Marilyn Burns Olwen Fouéré Drayton Sawyer Jim Siedow colspan="4" Bill Moseley Dimo Alexiev

Reception The Texas Chainsaw Massacre series, when compared to the other top-grossing American horror series—A Nightmare on Elm Street, Child's Play, Friday the 13th, Saw, Scream, and Halloween—and adjusting for 2023 inflation, is next to last with $459.7 million, Halloween is the highest-grossing horror series in the United States at approximately $1.09 billion. Next in line is Friday the 13th at $908.4 million, followed by the Nightmare on Elm Street series with $793.5 million. The Scream film series is in fourth place with $779.5 million, followed by the Saw series with $688.3 million, and the Child's Play film series rounding out the list with $305.2 million.

Film Release date (US) Budget Box office Reference United States International Worldwide The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) October 11, 1974 $140,000 $30,859,000 $1,378 $30,860,378 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 August 22, 1986 $4,600,000 $8,025,872 $8,025,872 Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III January 12, 1990 $2,000,000 $5,765,562 $5,765,562 The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre September 22, 1995 August 29, 1997 $600,000 $185,898 $185,898 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) October 17, 2003 $9,500,000 $80,571,655 $26,792,250 $107,363,905 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning October 6, 2006 $16,000,000 $39,517,763 $12,246,643 $51,764,406 Texas Chainsaw 3D January 4, 2013 $20,000,000 $34,341,945 $12,998,641 $47,340,586 Leatherface October 20, 2017 $1,476,843 $1,476,843 Total $50,340,000 $199,267,695 $53,515,755 $252,783,450

Other media Books

Stephen Hand wrote a novelization of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre that was published March 1, 2004, by Black Flame.