The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Kernel Score: 80% · 3,722 ratings · Rated R

Genres: Horror

Released: 1974-10-11

Runtime: 83 minutes

Is The Texas Chain Saw Massacre worth watching?

Must-watch. Young travellers meet a family of killers in rural Texas. It's short, raw and relentlessly tense, more disturbing for what it implies than what it shows. Horror fans consider it essential.

Watch it if you

  • want a landmark of grim, low-budget horror
  • like horror that relies on atmosphere and dread
  • are curious about the genre's roots

Skip it if you

  • dislike intense terror and cruelty
  • want gore-heavy slasher fun

Best for: Late-night horror

Fresh Kernels verdict, AI-assisted from our scores, audience reviews and the official rating.

Where to watch The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

US availability, updated 2026-10-23.

Overview

Five friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way, they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre parents' guide: ages 15+

Parents need to know that The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a classic R-rated slasher horror film about friends terrorized by a chainsaw-wielding cannibal family.

  • Violence & scariness: Intense — Rated R slasher horror featuring a chainsaw-wielding killer, cannibalism, and intense, sustained terror and suspense.
  • Language: Some — Contains some profanity consistent with its R rating, though violence and dread are the dominant content.

Fresh Kernels AI-assessed from the official R rating, publicly documented content. A guide for families, not an official rating.

Movies like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

If you liked The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, these are the movies we'd watch next.

  • Night of the Living Dead (1968) — 88%: Another low-budget horror landmark that changed the genre.
  • The Shining (1980) — 95%: Slow-building dread from a master filmmaker.
  • Psycho (1960) — 91%: A shocking, classic story of a murderous recluse.
  • The Silence of the Lambs (1991) — 89%: A tense, disturbing story of a killer and a young woman.
  • The Evil Dead (1981) — 82%: Raw, inventive low-budget horror.
  • Alien (1979) — 96%: Terror in a confined space, relentlessly tense.

Director

Tobe Hooper

Cast

  • Marilyn Burns as Sally
  • Allen Danziger as Jerry
  • Paul A. Partain as Franklin
  • William Vail as Kirk
  • Teri McMinn as Pam
  • Edwin Neal as Hitchhiker
  • Jim Siedow as Old Man
  • Gunnar Hansen as Leatherface
  • John Dugan as Grandfather
  • Robert Courtin as Window Washer

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre FAQ

Is The Texas Chain Saw Massacre worth watching?

Must-watch. Young travellers meet a family of killers in rural Texas. It's short, raw and relentlessly tense, more disturbing for what it implies than what it shows. Horror fans consider it essential.

Where can I watch The Texas Chain Saw Massacre?

In the US you can stream The Texas Chain Saw Massacre on Netflix, Prime Video, Peacock, Philo, Shudder and Shudder Apple TV channel, watch it free with ads on Pluto TV, Plex, Prime Video (free with ads), Xumo Play and Tubi and rent it from Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play and YouTube.

Is The Texas Chain Saw Massacre OK for kids?

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is rated R. Fresh Kernels suggests ages 15+. Parents need to know that The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a classic R-rated slasher horror film about friends terrorized by a chainsaw-wielding cannibal family.

What movies are like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre?

If you liked The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, try Night of the Living Dead, The Shining, Psycho and The Silence of the Lambs.