History Film / TheTexasChainsawMassacre

*** Virginia "Ginny" McCumber

* FinalGirl: Sally Hardesty, Vanita "Stretch" Brock, Michelle, Jenny, Erin Hardesty, Chrissie, Heather Miller, and Elizabeth "Lizzy" White.
* {{Gamebooks}}: An unusual example. After the 1974 original, the story branches into three separate [[AlternateContinuity Alternate Continuities]], giving the viewer the choice which direction to take it: 2, III, or 3D.

* GoryDeadlyOverkillTitleOfFatalDeath: Only one person dies with a chainsaw and almost all of the deaths are bloodless. The editing and the atmosphere more than makes up for it though.

* ImAHumanitarian: Some films, such as the first, merely imply this, while in others, such as the first sequel, it's explicit (and drives the plot).

* ItWorksBetterWithBullets: There's a scene in the remake where the sadistic Sheriff Hoyt forces Morgan into sticking a gun in his mouth, under the pretense of reenacting a suicide committed earlier in the film; continually goading the obviously terrified Morgan (who doesn't know if the gun is loaded or not) into pulling the trigger Hoyt arrests him under the charge of attempted murder when Morgan tries to shoot him with the gun. [[MagnificentBastard Its implicated this was Hoyt's plan all along.]]

* MeaningfulName: Leatherface's CannibalClan are known as the Sawyers in the original series and the Hewitts in the remake series. A "sawyer" is "one who saws things", and it also has an echo of Sawney Bean, leader of a (probably-apocryphal) cannibal clan [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawney_Bean in mediæval Scotland]] and partial inspiration for the family here. Hewitt, meanwhile, is a [[PunnyName portmanteau of "hew it", which means "cut it apart"]]. In ''The Next Generation'', they're called the Slaughters, [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast which needs]] [[ObviouslyEvil no explanation]][[note]]The name Slaughter actually comes from the original film. In the gas station scene the sign reads W.E. Slaughter Barbecue but it's almost illegible and the name didn't catch on especially as it wasn't used in the credits.[[/note]]
* MummiesAtTheDinnerTable: The family have habit of treating dead relatives as if they're still alive, going as far as turning Nubbins's corpse into a crude puppet in ''TCM 2''.
* MyCarHatesMe: Most of the time its due to them being trashed by the villains, not some malfunction.
* NothingIsScarier: While being mostly remembered for its [[SequelEscalation much gorier]] sequels and remakes, and despite its [[GoryDeadlyOverkillTitleOfFatalDeath eye-catching title]], [[Film/TheTexasChainSawMassacre1974 the original installment]] makes very good use of this trope, particularly in the scene immediately before the first murder. An early teaser for [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre2003 the remake]] was nothing but a black screen and sound. The censors apparently didn't like due to how disturbing it was.

* OffWithHisHead: Surprisingly averted, though a severed and preserved head does show up in the remake.

* RedRightHand: Nubbins's facial birthmark, Chop Top's similar birthmark and exposed metal plate, Tinker's HookHand, Mama's electronic voice box, Alfredo's speech impediment and heterochromia, and Vilmer's bionic leg.

* TheQuisling: In the remake series the family abduct young children and raise them as their own.

* WolverinePublicity: Leatherface is heavily featured and is the most well known character from the franchise, despite the fact that, as a developmentally-disabled, speechless man with no motivation or goals outside of blindly doing his family's bidding, he is perhaps the least interesting member of the family.

* AttemptedRape: The Creator/AvatarPress comics apparently liked this trope. In ''Special'' a serial rapist tries to have his way with the main character, but is killed mid-attempt when Leatherface impales him through the back with his chainsaw. In ''The Grind'', the main character is tied to a bed so Monty can have his way with her, but she gets an arm loose, punches him unconscious, and escapes.
* DeathByFallingOver: One character in ''Fearbook'' meets her demise when she trips over a piglet, falls through a second story railing and hits her head on the ground, breaking her neck.
* InevitableWaterfall: Last victim in ''Special'' escapes from the lunatic Hewitts and ends up floating down a river on a tree trunk. As she promises to herself to clean up her act, she suddenly starts screaming when she comes across a waterfall. But it's not the small drop that terrifies her, it's the chainsaw-toting Leatherface, who is waiting for her at the end of it.

!!!Wildstorm comics
* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer
* BackupTwin: Hank has been confirmed (via Word Of God) to be Sheriff Hoyt's twin brother.
* ADayInTheLimelight: Sheriff Hoyt from the remake series had his own one-shot comic - ''Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Hoyt, By Himself''.
* EvilChef: Drayton Sawyer, and "The Cook" in the comic ''Cut!''
* NeckSnap: Luda Mae kills a girl this way.
* TheStoner: Karla in the Wildstorm comics.
* TownWithADarkSecret: The Wildstorm comics which act as a sequel to the remake reveal that the townspeople are fully aware of Leatherface and his family's murderous and cannibalistic tendencies, but don't do anything for fear of retribution.
* VillainousIncest: In ''Raising Cain'', the evil twin married his sister, and had a pair of twins of his own with her.

* ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' (2007)
* ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Cut!'' (2007)
* ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: About A Boy'' (2007)
* ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: By Himself'' (2007)
* ''ComicBook/NewLineCinemasTalesOfHorror'' (2007)
* ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Raising Cain'' (2008)

* OddlyNamedSequel2ElectricBoogaloo: There's very little consistency in the sequel naming used by the franchise. The first sequel was just a {{Numbered Sequel|s}}, but the next movie went the ''Film/{{Rambo}}'' direction by calling itself ''Film/LeatherfaceTheTexasChainsawMassacreIII''. Part 4 then switched the numbers for subtitles. The [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre2003 remake series]] has too few entries to really say it's inconsistent, but 2013 saw the release of ''Film/TexasChainsaw3D'', which also [[CanonDiscontinuity ignores every film after the original]].

* ''Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre2'' (1986) -- Twelve years after the events of the first film, a radio dj attempts to aid a sheriff capture the Sawyer clan, only to end up between the horrific crossfire. While panned upon release, the film has since gained a cult following.

* ''Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' (2022) -- Another direct sequel to the original that ignores all the other films, co-produced by Fede Álvarez (''Film/DontBreathe'', ''Film/{{Evil Dead|2013}}'') and starring Elsie Fisher (''Film/EighthGrade'') as well as Olwen Fouéré (''Film/Mandy2018'') as Sally Hardesty, replacing the late Marilyn Burns. The film is set for an exclusive release on Creator/{{Netflix}}.

** ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning'' + ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)''
** ''Leatherface'' + ''The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' + ''Texas Chainsaw 3D''

* ''Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' (2021) -- Another direct sequel to the original that ignores all the other films, co-produced by Fede Álvarez (''Film/DontBreathe'', ''Film/{{Evil Dead|2013}}'') and starring Elsie Fisher (''Film/EighthGrade'') as well as Olwen Fouéré (''Film/Mandy2018'') as Sally Hardesty, replacing the late Marilyn Burns. The film is set for an exclusive release on Creator/{{Netflix}}.

** ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning'' + ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre''

* ''Film/{{The Texas Chainsaw Massacre|2003}}'' (2003) -- Another reboot/remake. A group of 20-somethings on their way to mexico pick up a traumatized hitchhiker who fatally shoots herself in their car. Following their attempts to contact the authorities, they are picked off one by one by a chainsaw wielding maniac.

* ''Film/TexasChainsawMassacreTheNextGeneration'' (1994) -- A reboot. A group of high school kids on prom night end up in a car crash, stranding them in the woods, where they are terrorized by a family of deranged psychopaths. Notable for featuring the first acting roles of future UsefulNotes/AcademyAward winners Creator/MatthewMcConaughey and Creator/ReneeZellweger.

* ''Film/TexasChainsawMassacreTheNextGeneration'' (1994) -- A reboot. A group of high school kids on prom night end up in a car crash, stranding them in the woods, where they terrorized by a family of deranged psychopaths. Notable for featuring the first acting roles of future academy award winners Creator/MatthewMcConaughey and Creator/ReneeZellweger.

* ''Film/TexasChainsawMassacreTheNextGeneration'' (1994) -- A reboot. A group of high school kids on prom night end up in a car crash, stranding them in the woods, where they terrorized by a family of deranged psychopaths. Notable for featuring the first acting roles of future academy award winners Matthew Mconaughey and Renée Zellweger.

* ''Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' (2021) -- Another direct sequel to the original that ignores all the other films, co-produced by Fede Álvarez (''Film/DontBreathe'', ''Film/{{Evil Dead|2013}}'') and starring Elsie Fisher (''Film/EighthGrade'') as well as Olwen Fouéré (''Film/{{Mandy}}'') as Sally Hardesty, replacing the late Marilyn Burns. The film is set for an exclusive release on Creator/{{Netflix}}.

* ''Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' (2021) -- Another direct sequel to the original that ignores all the other films, co-produced by Fede Álvarez (''Film/DontBreathe'', ''Film/{{Evil Dead|2013}}'') and starring Elsie Fisher (''Film/EighthGrade'') as well as Olwen Fouéré (''Film/{{Mandy}}'') as Sally Hardesty, replacing the late Marilyn Burns.

* AlternateContinuity: Compared to other horror franchises, this one is especially snarled. Despite their numbering and some BroadStrokes connective elements between them, the sequels are not truly sequels to each other, but to the original film, then there's the reboots and prequels, all of which results in a number of separate continuities:

* ''Texas Chainsaw Masasacre'' (2021) -- Another direct sequel to the original that ignores all the other films, co-produced by Fede Álvarez (''Film/DontBreathe'', ''Film/{{Evil Dead|2013}}'') and starring Elsie Fisher (''Film/EighthGrade'') as well as Olwen Fouéré (''Film/{{Mandy}}'') as Sally Hardesty, replacing the late Marilyn Burns.

* A ninth film (2021) [[https://deadline.com/2020/08/texas-chainsaw-massacre-sequel-bloodbath-directors-andy-and-ryan-tohill-replaced-david-blue-garcia-new-director-first-week-footage-scrapped-leatherface-back-1203021739/ began production in August 2020]], co-produced by Fede Álvarez (''Film/DontBreathe'', ''Film/{{Evil Dead|2013}}'') and starring Elsie Fisher (''Film/EighthGrade''). It will reportedly be a direct sequel to the original and ignore all previous sequels, including the 2013 film.

* ''Film/{{Leatherface}}'' (2017) -- A {{Prequel}} to the 1974 film showing the origins of a teenage Leatherface and the traumatic experiences that mold him into the legendary butcher.

* ''ComicBook/JasonVsLeatherface''
* ''ComicBook/NewLineCinemasTalesOfHorror''

* A ninth film (title and release date TBD) [[https://deadline.com/2020/08/texas-chainsaw-massacre-sequel-bloodbath-directors-andy-and-ryan-tohill-replaced-david-blue-garcia-new-director-first-week-footage-scrapped-leatherface-back-1203021739/ began production in August 2020]], co-produced by Fede Álvarez (''Film/DontBreathe'', ''Film/{{Evil Dead|2013}}'') and starring Elsie Fisher (''Film/EighthGrade''). It will reportedly be a direct sequel to the original and ignore all previous sequels, including the 2013 film.

* {{Gorn}}: '''Averted''' in the original which is notable for its utter lack of gore but still being a rich source of Nightmare Fuel and DaylightHorror.