September 20, 2025
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is considered one of the top movies in the horror category. Stephen King, known for his work in the genre, raved about the film.
“I should say that I never saw Texas Chainsaw Massacre when it came out,” he tells Variety. “I saw it in 1982 in Colorado. I was a young father, and I was writing to stay ahead of the bill collectors."
He continues, "I was in the theater almost by myself. That’s when a movie really has a tendency to work on you, to get its cold little fingers under your skin.”
As far as the film’s realism is concerned, Stephen says, “It had that kind of washed-out ’70s look, for want of a better term. You could tell that this print had been around for a while, and it’s better for it, because it just looks ***** real."
“It works because there’s no artifice about it, there’s no buildup, there’s no character nuance."
"I mean, there are scenes in the graveyard … they’re not extras, they’re not Hollywood people at all. They look like they came from the nearest little Texas town. It’s fantastic," he concludes.
The Texas Chain Saw Massarce was released in 1974 and directed by Tobe Hooper.