I have seen this film a few times over the years, and naturally it's impact lessens each time you view it.
But the very first time i saw it? Let's just say, i really didn't know what to expect (although the title gives some of it away, at least). Once Leatherface came into the picture, closing that cold, steel, butcher's style, sliding door behind him (for me, one of the most terrifying scenes of all time), it was relentless horror from there in. and i mean relentless. If you want to be literally scared out of your wits, then i recommend this film to you. I can't quite decide whether it is the the top, or the second scariest movie of all time, either way it is a must see!

The classics where okay when they came out but now they are just plain cheesy.

However the reinvented ones are brutal! They really give a sense of hopelessness with terror and gore. Leatherface is the last person you want chasing you in the middle of nowhere.

i like the reinvented ones better

distrubing

Creepy!

DAMN

classic

great movies

Scared the shit out of me!!!!!

me and my friend actually laughed at this movie cuz u could see his eyes through the mask

yeah

I was scared to watch those movies, for years.. but when I finally did, I was shocked by how ridiculously stupid they are. Boring. Boring. Boring.

Great low-budget horror film. It has a very closed-in feel to it that adds to the tension. Too gross for many, I imagine many people became vegetarians after watching this flick.

Kinda scary, but not really

Not as good as the new ones

I love all of them!

I really don't like this one. It's kinda stupid.

Classic horror. Really, really stupid people were in it.

the best one out of them all

To this day I can't watch this movie without being scared to leave the room!!

I just don't like the slasher gore-fest stuff as much as supernatural or psychological. Pretty simple overall, but it is a 'classic' of sorts.

So killer, and forgive the pun

The film which you are about to see is an account of the tragedy which befell a group of five youths, in particular Sally Hardesty and her invalid brother, Franklin. It is all the more tragic in that they were young. But, had they lived very, very long lives, they could not have expected nor would they have wished to see as much of the mad and macabre as they were to see that day. For them an idyllic summer afternoon drive became a nightmare. The events of that day were to lead to the discovery of one of the most bizarre crimes in the annals of American history, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

One of the best horror flicks of all time.

I saw this movie for the first time when I was just a kid. It scared the crap out of me!! It looked like a movie that was made on a budget, but I think that's what made it so believable! The sequels and remakes just can't compare to the original in my book.

I think this movie is a little overrated, but it's still very good. The scene where Leatherface chases that screaming girl around is just way too long. after about 30 seconds, we get the point. I thought I'd never say this, but it was clever not to show any gore in this film, because it requires the viewer to use their imagination. I usually want gore in a movie like this, but not having any worked just as well. 3 and a half stars for being a disturbing, unforgettable movie.

I love this movie!

During the opening scene--which has no relevance to the really frightful things that are to come in the movie--I nearly had a panic attack. There is something about most low-budget, poorly-lit (or rather well-filmed in the darkness, as I have heard so many film-savvy people say) horror films that makes me want to hide somewhere very very safe. Or rather this film is unique in its frightfulness. For me, it's the little things that haunt my imagination... "Let's bring out Grandpa!..." I will never recover from witnessing the encounter with Grandpa

This movie affected me enormously when I first saw it in the late 70's. Like "Last House on the Left," it had a grainy, documentary feel to it, and both the victims and the killers seemed unnervingly authentic. Perhaps part of my discomfort was a Northeasterner's ingrained antipathy towards anything relating to Texas. The whole film was imbued with a clammy, claustrophic aura that never lessened in intensity for an instant, and the flat, harsh landscape might as well have been that of alien planet (I wasn't the only one who felt this way; one professional review I read expressed similar sentiments). Although there was a minimum of gore and blood, there were images of utter depravity in this film that never completely left me, particularly the nightmarish scenes where the hillbilly killers attempt to help their decrepid grandfather bludgeon Marilyn Burns with a hammer and then suck out her blood. Also chilling is the final image of Leatherface swinging his chainsaw around above his head dementedly as the first rays of dawn become morning. Forget the re-make and the sequels. This was Tobe Hooper's one and only near-masterpiece. Although, after the grim reality of Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy, the fictionalized atrocities of the hillbillies in this film may seem tame indeed by today's standards.

This is one of those movies that comes along once in a while and hits the nail on the head and creates a genre. Sometimes a low budget flick with a no-name cast does it--this is one of those. It is not as violent as advertised and does have some sterotypes, i.e. crazed Southern inbred backwoods family. But put your skepticism aside and revel in the horror and suspense of the effort.

a classic really good but gusse what it never hapened just listen to the specail editon dvd and on the commentary tobe hooper him self says it was barley inspired by ed gien and never happened and any it dosnt make sence they say it happened in the summer of 1973 hello they where filming in the summer of 1973 so how could it happened the remake tricks people and put theese fony obvisouly fake real life clips of an officer getting kiled by him trust me go ask tobe hooper himself if you want to its a fact thats been known by true horror fans for years now just the naive people go watch it and automaticlly beleive every thing they here not knowing they just say that to get a better box office.

CLASSIC. Made on a very small budget, just like 90% of the classic horror films. Again I have to say, story development, charector development and things that make you go hmmmm are not boring, you just need to pay attention. This movie is never dull. I just hate stupid people.......

wow its a classic

Although most people think the remake was so much better, I always like the old horror movies from my childhood more. This true story was happening the year I was born. I watched this version all my life, the remake was just too much.

classic. would rather watch this one then the remake

very scary and disturbing not the best horror movie but still good

disturbing. very scary. this movie just shows that 1970's and 1980's movie are better than the horror movies now adays. its a cult classic i love the scene when the girl enters the house after her boy friend went in there and did not come back for a while i was on the edge of my seat. and the ending is super disturbing. although not as popular as other horror movies at its time and that came later but this,the exorsist,halloween,and much more are great horror movies my favirote is halloween. i say see this movie in the dark alone i think you woul get the most scared there.

This movie was sort of boring.I love gore and this movie really didn't give off much gore and it wasnt as scary as i thought it would be.

This movie rocks!! the only flaw is it takes a while for it to get intresting, but that really doesn't ruin it for me!! this movie was scary!! I mean the dark scenery was creepy and the Grandpa is the creepiest element of this flim probably! this is one of my favorite flims of all time! Leatherface is scary and the movie is very entertaining, I also like the whole Hillbilly family, I thought they were hilarious and scary!!if you haven't seen it a highly recommend that you view this. it's SCARY!!

Steven Spielberg hired Tobe Hooper to direct Poltergeist because of this film. Nuff said. Influential, disturbing and brilliantly directed (and edited). You can skip the needless recent remake, the sequels and a bizarre remake with Renee Zellweger and Matthew Mc (I won't even try to spell his last name).

BEST MOVIE EVER! need i say more?

Hardly a horror classic. Revolves around a retard with a demented family that has a fetish for human skin. Interesting premise, but much more of a comedy than a horror film.

OMG...all I can remember is that stupid girl screaming 3/4 through the movie, and no I don't mean my daughter. Otherwise a classic film for those who like to be grossed out.

I saw this one when a long time ago so I don't recall much about it except a girl running away from a maniac and screaming to death the whole time and my mom loves that part eh ma ha ha :)

I seen this for the first time last night. Don't get me wrong, this movie is really bad. Its flat out horrible. Its so truly terrible, that it made a good comedy rather than a horror film. Watching a half dead woman run all over the place in the middle of the night away from a mad man in a leather face with a chainsaw blazing through the air is one of the most best pieces of comedy Ive seen. Reccomended for comedy and distrubing material. I haven't seen any of the sequels, but I hope to see them this coming Friday.

I think the scariest part of the movie is knowing that this is based on a true story. I was freaked out since the first sceen begain. I had no idea what i was in for. Awsome, Awsome movie and i am excited to see the remake when it comes out. That will be cool seeing them try to do the same thing as the original.

This is on of the top 5 greatest horror movies of all time!

Classic movie, not as scary as I thought it would be, but it does have class and that is what stands it apart from all the other modern horror movies except Halloween and Night of the Living Dead. This movie shows a family of insane killers going about their everyday tasks. And that is what gets to people. Phrases like "I told you to stay away from that graveyard", and "I never could take no pleasure in killing" from the cook. Or "Let's let Grandpa have a whack, you always said he was the best." And "me and leatherface do all the work, he's just a cook", from the hitchhiker. These phrases and many like them put into the context they are in, in the movie make this film disturbing to some, and classic to others. This film will never be duplicated or topped, because once you achieve perfection in a certain area there is no way to improve. Be it film or whatever in this case The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a masterpiece, some people don't get it, but for those that do they enjoy.

This isn't nearly as gory as legend would have you believe, but it's still plenty scary. Done on a small budget, it comes off looking like something that could really have happened, and the really scary thing is: it did happen, in a way. It was loosely based on a real guy.

This is a pretty sick movie, I'll tell ya! But since it was intended to make you see the horrors of the true story, I guess it can be forgiven. Technically, this movie is trash, but I don't think Tobey Hooper set out to make a good film in the first place. When you have as much freedom as an independent filmmaker does, you can do whatever you want. Hooper took advantage of this and chruned out one of the scariest movies of all time! In my opinion, it is second only to The Shining.