The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a horror franchise created by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper that consists of nine films, comics, a novel, and two video game adaptations. The original film, released in 1974, follows a group of friends who fall victim to a family of cannibals while on their way to visit an old homestead. The film was marketed as being based on true events to attract a wider audience and to act as a subtle commentary on the eras political climate. The franchise focuses on the cannibalistic spree killer Leatherface and his family, who terrorize unsuspecting visitors to their territories in the desolate Texas countryside, typically killing and subsequently cooking them.
In addition to the films, there are also video games based on the franchise, including an asymmetrical horror experience released in 2023. The true story that inspired the original film is that of Ed Gein, a notorious murderer and body snatcher who lived in Wisconsin in the 1950s.
