Every 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' Movie, Ranked
Picture this: an idyllic Texas countryside, beautiful blue skies, and carefree teenagers cruising along dirt roads. Nothing could be better. Until a bulky, chainsaw-wielding, skin-mask-wearing, killer psychopath and his equally ruthless cannibal family join in!
For the past five decades, the Texas Chainsaw franchise has brought fear (and surprisingly, sometimes laughter) to the big screen. Leatherface and his family of wackos have been terrorizing the Texas countryside for years with no end in sight. With numerous reboots and remakes, the horrific, bloody, tale of Leatherface has lived on, for better or worse. Grab your popcorn and rev up your chainsaws because Leatherface is back and bloodier than ever.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)
Unfortunately, Leatherface's newest outing is also his worst. In terms of blood and gore, Texas Chainsaw Massacre certainly has plenty, but it lacks in everything else. Marketing itself as a direct sequel to the original, the Netflix take sees four social media influencers visiting Leatherface's hometown in hopes of selling it to outside buyers to turn a profit. Then all hell breaks loose when the group visits an orphanage that happens to be where Leatherface is living.
Running at only 81 minutes, Texas Chainsaw Massacre rushes right to the action. The characters here are bland and unlikeable, so it's not as impactful when Leatherface eventually hacks them up. Referencing itself as a sequel to the original also adds nothing to the movie other than having the lone survivor from the first massacre, Sally (Olwen Fouere), return and do absolutely nothing.
Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013)
Texas Chainsaw has always been about Leatherface and each movie tends to show different sides of him. Sometimes he's childlike and aloof, others he's a ruthless sadistic psychopath with no empathy, but for some reason, in Texas Chainsaw 3D he ends up as an antihero?
Chainsaw 3D tries to paint Leatherface as a sympathetic character of sorts who was wronged by the town who killed his family, and in the end, rescues the only family he has left. So now he's the hero, right? Wrong. How can a guy that wears people's faces after he cuts them in two with a chainsaw ever be viewed as a misunderstood character? It's pretty clear he's a psychopath and should not be rooted for. This reboot misses the mark.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994)
The first of the franchise's reboots, The Next Generation takes a more comedic yet still unsettling approach to Leatherface and his crazed family. After getting into a crash in the middle of the woods on prom night, a group of teenagers run into the chainsaw-wielding maniac and his even wilder family, making for the worst prom night ever.
The Next Generation eases down on the blood and guts and ups the cheesiness in this truly goofy reboot. The biggest problem the movie has going for it is the lack of Leatherface. He's in it and has some good scenes chasing down silly teenagers, but it's his family member Vilmer, played by Matthew McConaughey, that takes center stage and is the true villain here. Next Generation feels more like a spoof than an actual reboot and doesn't come close to capturing the true horror of the original.
Leatherface (2017)
Leatherface has caused terror and destruction to a slew of helpless teenagers over the years. The mentally unstable, chainsaw-wielding killer has been an unstoppable brute force of bloody mayhem as he slices his way through dozens of victims. But how did he get to be the way he was? What turned him into such a sadistic killer? Well, Leatherface has the answers.
Though the origin of Leatherface wasn't exactly a necessary addition to the franchise, it's still an interesting deviation from the rest of the films, offering a fresh perspective on how the killer came to be. Not terrible but not great either, Leatherface is a gory, enjoyable, but ultimately unnecessary prequel.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre III: Leatherface (1990)
The last film in the original Texas Chainsaw trilogy sees Leatherface back behind the chainsaw as he and his family stalk a motorist couple in Texas' back roads. Having a lighter tone than the original, Texas Chainsaw Massacre III is a bit uneven in its approach to telling a horror story. It still has its horror elements but doesn't emphasize them enough to be impactful.
Treading over the same beats as the original, Leatherface offers more killing but less terror. What saves the movie from being completely unwatchable are Ken Foree and Viggo Mortensen's performances as they play victim and killer, respectively. Seeing Foree play the badass that won't go down without a fight and Mortensen as Leatherface's unhinged killer brother make it just interesting enough to keep watching.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre II (1986)
The first sequel in the franchise takes a different direction than the original. Premiering in the mid-80s, Texas Chainsaw Massacre II is a colorful, bombastic, and much sillier take on the flesh-mask-wearing killer. This time around Leatherface sets his sights on a radio host, played by Caroline Williams, while a Texas Marshall, played by the incredible Dennis Hopper, hunts him and his psycho family down.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre II brings all the cheese and joy from a classic 80s slasher flick while still maintaining the creepy and tense identity of its predecessor. The sequel has everything you could want: Leatherface at the forefront, plenty of gore, and hammy 80s acting, making this a suitable sequel to the original slasher classic.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
After the first failed reboot with The Next Generation, studios decided to do a remake of Leatherface's story. Seeing yet again another group of fun-loving college kids traveling the back roads of Texas, unaware that their trip will soon lead them into hell. After picking up a distraught hitchhiker, the group of travelers soon run across Leatherface and his clan.
This remake treads over similar story beats as the original while adding a few new elements of its own. The addition of R. Lee Ermey as Leatherface's sadistic uncle, who disguises himself as the town's sheriff, really steals the spotlight whenever he's on-screen. Keeping true to the tenseness of the original while adding a ton more gore, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a solid remake.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)
Serving as a prequel to the 2003 remake, The Beginning shows the dawn of Leatherface and the Hewitt clan's murder spree. Set in the era of the Vietnam War, two brothers and their girlfriends drive through Texas for one last road trip before the brothers are sent off to war. Their trip stops short when they get into an accident and are taken in by Sheriff 'Hoyt' (R. Lee Ermey) and brought to his house of horrors.
The prequel has all the elements that make a good Texas Chainsaw movie: it's loud, it's creepy, and it's certainly bloody. It also shows the first victim of Leatherface's skin-mask obsession. The Beginning is a welcome addition to the Chainsaw catalog.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
The one that started it all. There's nothing better than the original when it comes to Leatherface. Being truly the first of its kind regarding slasher flicks, Texas Chainsaw Massacre created the mythos of a hulking faceless killer that hunts down his victims. Marketed as a true story, Chainsaw saw a group of teenagers on a road trip who pick up a deranged hitchhiker that ultimately leads them to their demise.
The hitchhiker scene alone is filled with enough dread and tension to give any horror fan goosebumps and that's only the beginning. The rest of the film sees a slow build of terror as one by one the teenagers are taken out in cruel, bloody ways. Tobe Hooper truly created a horror masterpiece with this one, as well as one of the most iconic movie villains of all time. If you're in the mood for a good scare look no further than Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
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