Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) remains one of the most enduring nightmares ever committed to film. Starring Marilyn Burns as the resilient Sally, alongside Allen Danziger (Jerry), Paul A. Partain (Franklin), William Vail (Kirk), Teri McMinn (Pam), Edwin Neal (the Hitchhiker), and Gunnar Hansen as the unforgettable Leatherface, the movie tracks five friends whose road trip turns into a descent into rural terror. Seeking refuge in a crumbling Texas farmhouse, they stumble into the path of a chainsaw-wielding butcher whose madness is matched only by his brutality.
Though greeted with mixed critical responses upon release, the film carved its way to financial triumph, grossing over $30 million in the U.S.—equivalent to about $150 million in 2019—selling more than 16.5 million tickets in 1974 alone. Today, it is enshrined as one of horror’s defining masterpieces. Its influence shaped the very DNA of the slasher genre: the rise of the “final girl,” the image of the hulking, masked killer, and the weaponization of everyday tools into instruments of terror. Beyond the screen, it spawned an expanding universe of sequels, remakes, TV adaptations, comics, and video games, each deepening the twisted mythology of Leatherface and his grotesque family.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
Who are Jerry, Kirk, Pam, Sally, and Franklin?
The movie kicks off with a radio message informing us that a group of police officers has discovered that a grave robber has dug up several graves, stolen corpses, and even strung two of them up with wire like some grotesque monument. In many cases, only the heads or certain body parts are missing, and the police suspect more desecrated graves will turn up in the coming days.
The sheriff refuses to give a statement, blaming “outside elements” for the crime. Worried townsfolk gather at the cemetery, terrified their loved ones’ remains might have been taken. We then shift to five friends, Jerry, Kirk, Pam, Sally, and Franklin, on a road trip through the area. Franklin, who uses a wheelchair, needs help getting around. Along the way, they ask locals about Sally’s grandfather. When Sally and the others stop by to check on his grave, an old drunk warns them that he’s seen and heard things no one would believe. Everyone ignores him as just a rambling old man who’s lost his mind.
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On the road, the group picks up a strange hitchhiker who says he works at the slaughterhouse. He talks in detail about how he prefers killing cattle with sledgehammers instead of air guns, insisting it’s a “better” way to do it. Things get even stranger when he asks Franklin for his pocketknife, cuts himself, and then demands that they all come to his house for dinner with his brother.
He even tries to sell them photos of dead cattle. When the group refuses and says they have to leave, the hitchhiker suddenly slashes Franklin’s hand. After they kick him out of the van, he smears his own blood on the vehicle, marking it. The group later stops at a gas station but learns fuel won’t be available until the next morning. They decide to wait it out at Franklin’s old family house nearby, the one that used to belong to his grandfather. The gas station owner, though, subtly warns them not to go poking around abandoned houses and suggests they stay put at his shop instead.
What Happens to Franklin, Kirk, Pam, & Jerry?
Kirk and Pam wander off to explore the area and stumble across a rundown house with a generator running. Thinking they might be able to buy some gas, Kirk goes inside but is brutally killed by a huge man wearing a mask made of human skin. When Pam goes in after him, she finds the place filled with animal bones, feathers, filth, and grotesque decorations like a couch made out of human skulls and furniture crafted from bones as if the person living here has a taste for turning remains into home décor.
Before she can escape, the masked man, Leatherface, grabs her, hangs her on a meat hook, and kills Kirk right in front of her. Meanwhile, Jerry goes out to find Kirk and Pam, while Sally stays back with Franklin near the van. Jerry eventually reaches the same house and discovers Pam stuffed inside a freezer. He tries to help her, but Leatherface appears and kills him on the spot.
As night falls, Sally and Franklin grow anxious, wondering what happened to Jerry, Kirk, and Pam. Thinking their friends may have lost their way, they set out toward the old house to look for them, but before they get far, Leatherface suddenly bursts out of the dark and kills Franklin with a chainsaw. He then turns on Sally, chasing her through the woods. Terrified, Sally manages to escape and stumbles into the nearby gas station, hoping for safety. The shop owner comforts her at first, but it quickly becomes clear he has other intentions. He ties her up, shoves her into his truck, and takes her captive. It’s then revealed that he, Leatherface, and the hitchhiker from earlier are all brothers.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) Movie Ending Explained:
Did Sally manage to survive?
The brothers drag Sally back to their old house and tie her to a chair. Then they bring down their frail grandfather, slice Sally’s finger, and let him suck on the blood like it’s a meal. Horrified, Sally faints. When she comes to, she pleads for her life while the brothers argue over how they should kill her. After seeing an opportunity, Sally throws herself through a window and escapes into the night. She screams for help as the hitchhiker and Leatherface chase after her. Fortunately, a passing truck runs over the hitchhiker, killing him instantly.
The truck driver tries to help Sally and hits Leatherface in the face with an iron wedge, making Leatherface accidentally slip and slice his own leg with his chainsaw. Sally makes a final dash, flagging down a passing pickup. She jumps into the back as the vehicle speeds off, leaving her screaming in relief while Leatherface thrashes around in rage, wildly swinging his chainsaw at the air.
