Trivia / The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

• Channel Hop:
  • The first film was produced and released independently by Bryanston Pictures, and was later reissued theatrically by New Line Cinema. The rights are currently with Vortex/Heron Communications, who has licensed the home video rights to MPI Media Group, under their Dark Sky Films banner. It was previously licensed to Media Home Entertainment and Wizard Video for VHS, Elite Entertainment for Laserdisc, and most notably Pioneer Home Entertainment (better known for their anime releases) for VHS and DVD back in the 90s/early 2000s. In the UK, Second Sight has released the film on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD.
  • The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 was released by The Cannon Group. Along with the rest of the Cannon library, it's currently owned by MGM, except for the broadcast/streaming rights, which are held by Paramount, and home video, which were handled by 20th Century Fox before switching to Warner Bros. Shout! Factory licensed the film for a Blu-ray while Vinegar Syndrome licensed it for a 4K release. Arrow Video has released the film in the UK.
  • Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III was released by New Line Cinema, and is now owned by Warner Bros. Warner Archive released the film on Blu-ray.
  • Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation was produced independently, but later picked up by Columbia Pictures. The film sat on the shelf for a long time before Columbia finally partnered up with Cinepix Film Properties for a theatrical release. Sony released it on DVD in 2003, and the disc is now out-of-print. According to Amazon, the film is (as of March 2018) distributed digitally by Lionsgate. Scream Factory released the film on Blu-ray, under license from Sony. Mediumrare released the film on Blu-ray in the UK.
  • The remake was produced by Platinum Dunes, and released once again by New Line Cinema. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning was also released under this arrangement. Both films are now owned by Warner Bros.
  • Lionsgate now has the franchise, and has released Texas Chainsaw 3D and Leatherface (a sequel and prequel respectively to the original film), with the latter being dumped on video-on-demand.
  • Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) was produced by Legendary Pictures and released worldwide by Netflix.
• Executive Meddling: Averted in the original. Tobe Hooper avoided excessive gore and showed the violence in quick cuts because he was originally aiming for a PG rating(!) The censors were pleased. The other films in the franchise are a different story altogether...
  • Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III was completely destroyed by the censors and the executives.
  • Reportedly, Texas Chainsaw 3D had to be re-cut before release, as it received an NC-17 rating, due to excessive gore, during its initial submission to the MPAA.
• Exiled from Continuity: Due to changing hands between multiple studios, very few characters besides Leatherface and the original film's family members tend to appear consecutively. This most notably applies to the second film, as fan favorite villain Chop Top has never made another appearance despite popular demand and the Final Girl Stretch only appeared in the third film in what amounted to a Lawyer-Friendly Cameo.
• Follow the Leader: The first film is often viewed as being a "proto-slasher"
  • Likewise the 2003 reboot is often credited as starting the recent trend of remaking classic horror films.
• Meaningful Release Date: The game will be released on August 18, 2023. This is the 50th anniversary of the date on which the original film takes place.
• Money, Dear Boy: Michael Bay once stated that he only produced the remake due to the name appeal alone.
• Referenced by...:
  • Captain Ersatz Leatherface gimmicks have existed in Professional Wrestling for years, particularly in Japan.
  • The song "Savages" by Ice Nine Kills is based on the movie.
• Troubled Production: The filming of the original was a miserable experience for all concerned; cast member Edwin Neal memorably stated that shooting some scenes were worse than anything he experienced while serving in the Vietnam War.
• What Could Have Been:
  • All American Massacre, a short film about Chop-Top that would have been directed by Tobe Hooper's son William.
  • Gunnar Hansen was offered the chance to return as Leatherface for the second, third, and fourth films, and he was interested in doing so- but each time, the producers refused to pay him any more than standard union rate, so he consistently turned them down.

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