Scariest Furniture Found in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Movies

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Scary Movies and Series

Most Horrifying Texas Chainsaw Massacre Furniture

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise is filled with horrifying costumes, effects, props and furniture.  Some of the wretched home decor is scarier than the rest…however, almost all of the home furnishings found throughout the Sawyer (or Hewitt) residence is absolutely unnerving. After wreaking decades of havoc on travelers through Texas, the wicked killers have collected a number of creepy artifacts.  Analyzing any of the furnishings in Leatherface’s home during any film will reveal the true sadistic nature of the family of cannibals.

List of Scary Furniture Found in Texas Chainsaw Movies

These are some of the scariest horror decor and flesh inspired furniture found throughout the Texas Chainsaw Massacre films.

Furniture Made of Bone

A lot of the furniture throughout the Sawyer (or Hewitt depending upon the movie in the franchise) residence are outfitted with bone or actually made from human bones. The lamps are sometimes made from bones.  All types of bones are used in the furniture, rib cages, ribs, knees, arms, legs, skulls…just about everything.

Bone Chandelier

A bone chandelier like the one in the dinner scene of Texas Chainsaw Massacre III instill real fear in the audience.  This chandelier is comprised of so many bones (arms or legs it looks like), that it implies many victims have seen the dinner table before.

Animal Skull Centerpieces

The dinner table is can be seen affixed with an animal skull or two.  This is a very respectable dinner table centerpiece in the house of a cannibal family.

Filthy Antiques

Picture of Texas Chainsaw Massacre house chainsaws

There is a lot of fear to be had in old, antique, rusty and filthy pieces of furniture.  Not to mention a chainsaw collection including the chainsaw he used to saw up all those unfortunate teenagers. Old, unkempt furnishings and horror decor are everywhere in a Texas Chainsaw movie.

Human Flesh and Face Lamps

There are lamps seen throughout the films that are made using human flesh. Sometimes, they are made using the flesh of a human face.

Standing Skeletons

The cannibals have claimed many victims and have an array of skeletons littered throughout the residence along with them. Many of the skeletons are fixated in a standing position.

Hanging Bones and Skulls

As if full size human skeletons weren’t enough, there are always all types of weird fixtures hanging from the ceilings in select rooms.  These are presumably Leatherface’s idea of home decor, however, they are horrifying and made of skulls and bones and dead animals.

Final Notes About Texas Chainsaw Massacre Decor

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a terrifying franchise and often all the credit goes to Leatherface and the chainsaw, and maybe his cannibalistic family. People hardly attribute any of the fear to the furnishings and horror decor throughout the Sawyer/Hewitt residence, but these furnishings play an important role in the buildup of fear. And the collection of Ed Gein-style furniture and horror decor show that Leatherface and family have been doing this for a while.

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Similarities Between Horror Movie Slashers

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Lifestyle Scary Movies and Series

Comparing Horror Movie Killers: How Are Horror Movie Villains the Same and Different

There are so many horror movie slashers and so many different villains! These villains all make their mark differently, each killing with their own modified personality and weapon. However, despite how different they may be, there are also some serious similarities between the horror movie killers when it comes to the art of killing.  In fact, the Horror Enthusiast has identified a number of similarities between these killing masters which are undeniably inherent in almost all of the major horror movie slasher franchises.

Mostly we are talking about slashers here, such as Freddy Krueger (Nightmare on Elm Street), Jason Voorhees (Friday the Thirtieth), Michael Myers (Halloween), Chucky (Child’s Play), and Leatherface (Texas Chainsaw Massacre).

Similarity #1: Delayed Gratification

It is blatantly obvious that almost all horror movie villains are able to absolutely destroy their victims nearly immediately upon encountering them.  Still, the horror slashers seem to enjoy a good hunt and frequently allow their prey a few feet of a head start in order to prolong the kill!  This delayed gratification can last a few moments, or sometimes the duration of an entire movie (or longer)!

Similarity #2: Weapon Emphasis

Leatherface with a meat cleaver illlustration

Although some horror killers have been known to use their bare hands and other objects for their creative kill scenes, nearly all of the most notable horror franchises utilize one or a few select weapons. Many of the slashers prefer a weapon or two, in fact.  Freddy Krueger is prone to favor his razor finger glove. Jason Voorhees has used many weapons, but has the most kills with his famed machete. Michael Myers prefers his large kitchen knife. Leatherface tends to rely most heavily on his chainsaw, however, also enjoys the use of meathooks to retain his captured prey!

Similarity #3: Disguise or Mask or Grotesque Look

Horror movie slashers need to look as scary as possible, and normal looking humans are just not that scary.  Freddy Krueger is naturally burned, but looks like he has been spat out of hell itself.  Jason Voorhees hides behind a scary looking hockey mask.  Michael Myers has a mask that covers his entire head, a mask that almost speaks death.  Charles Lee Ray possesses the creepy Good Guy doll “Chucky.” And Leatherface wears masks created from the actual flesh of the faces of his victims. Having a bolstered, evil look is critical in creating a terrifying presence.

Similarity #4: Rejected by Society

Almost all of our favorite horror movie villains have been rejected by society in one fashion or another.  Freddy Krueger is a child murderer who was punished by his neighborhood peers after preying on their children.  Jason Voorhees was bullied due to his deformities and low IQ.  Michael Myers was deemed “unhuman” and sent to live in a psychiatric ward most of his life. Chucky is actually a desperate fugitive taking refuge within the doll to avoid his fate as a discovered serial killer. Leatherface is mentally challenged to the point his town pokes fun at his low intellect. In fact, rejection is an important fabric in developing a ruthless killer.

Similarity #5: Lurking in the Shadows

A really big part of horror is the unknown. From the slasher’s perspective, however, the victims are almost always known about ahead of time, at least a few moments from the kill.  Even the most disconnected killers (such as Jason Voorhees or Leatherface), stalk their prey for a short time before the victims become aware of the killer’s presence.  In fact, slashers like Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers are known to do a fair amount of stalking before they slit any flesh!

Similarity #6: Supernatural Powers

chucky supernatural powers

Despite the many forms horror movie slashes may come in, they almost always possess supernatural powers in the leading horror movie franchises.  Freddy Krueger is a dreamworld manipulator and demon-like soul harvester.  Jason Voorhees is literally brought back from the dead and given superhuman strength and is seemingly indestructible. Michael Myers is “pure evil,” as best put by Dr Loomis, and by no means a human being. Chucky is a possessed doll invoked through the use of ancient a voodoo ritual.

Similarity #7: Sympathetic Storyline

Ironically, all of the killers are humanized at one point or another in their horror movie killing career. This is probably done to create sympathy for the killer among the audience to increase brand loyalty…as the slashers themselves often become famed stars that drive the future success of the franchise.  Freddy Krueger is made up to be a victim, burned in a brutal boiler room fire without proper judicial process. Jason Voorhees is a mentally handicapped child who is drowned by cruel teenage peers. Michael Myers is psychologically damaged and constantly being locked up in a mental institute, ever since he were a child. Leatherface is mentally ill as well and only broke bad after he got fired from his job as a butcher, previously having no incidents of violence.  Even Chucky is humanized, at one point taking on a wife that matched his stature!

Similarity #8: Little to No Empathy

Although the directors and writers of many of these horror slasher franchises have invoked empathy for the killer at one point or another, the slasher almost never has any empathy for the victims.  There are a few scenes where some of the killers surprise us, however, typically they are ruthless and only interested in a gruesome death and/or possibly harvesting a soul!

Similarity #9: Relentless Pursuit

A good horror movie is built upon suspense. No matter how the suspense is built, it is a necessary trait to creating dopamine from fear. The audience must feel they are at risk themselves and remain on the edge of their seat throughout the entire film.  Most notable horror slashers are relentless and will pursue a victim as long as it takes, sometimes throughout the entire film!

Similarity #10: Impossible to Kill

freddy kreuger cant die

Although horror movie slashers are nearly always defeated towards the end of each film, they almost always come back…sometimes it is even hinted at the very end of the film itself!  Horror movie slashers are notoriously hard to kill…this is probably to increase the likelihood of the survival of the franchise.  Horror movie franchises typically rely upon the continuation of a killer’s rampage. After all, if the slasher’s victim count cannot increase, neither can the number of movies within the franchise!  Freddy Krueger very commonly was seen having the final upper hand within many of his movies.  Jason Voorhees has also come back several times in the final moments.  Michael Myers almost always escapes death somehow.  And we all know leatherface always has the last laugh (well, if he laughed anyway)!

How Are the Horror Movie Slashers Different?

As similar as these monsters and killers may be, each horror movie villain is different in their own way as well! Each character requires as much of a unique presence as can be mustered for the same genre…thus the characters are generally products of their environment with each movie changing the environment slightly.  Freddy Krueger’s grotesque look comes from the boiler room fire that killed him.  Leatherface is a deranged inbred, which is why he covers his face with the flesh of his victims.  Michael Myers is always wearing a jumpsuit after escaping mental institutions. Chucky is a doll that has been given to a child as a present.  Each killer is made to fit the environment by which it kills, and each environment is different.

Find out who has the most kills of this group of horror monsters.

Have some similarities or differences you have noticed? Comment below, we’d love to hear from you!

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Similarities Between the Hills Have Eyes and Texas Chainsaw Massacre

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Scary Movies and Series

How are the Hills Have Eyes and Texas Chainsaw Franchises Similar?

The exhilarating feeling of an inbred maniac crunching just steps behind…the sound of a twisted hillbilly-type howl…the beast-like stature of a crazed redneck monster standing in the shadows – all features of the redneck-hillbilly-inbred genre of horror slasher movies.  These calling cards are especially true for Wes Craven’s Hills Have Eyes and Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchises. It’s a little interesting, in fact, how much each of the movies relate to one another, both in theme and in killer.

Stranded Victims

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise is notorious for taking advantage of trapped or unfortunate travelers who happen to cross through their deserted town.  Like Hills Have Eyes victims, the prey in Texas do not realize their fate and oftentimes even interact with their killers before realizing how dangerous they are.

The Hills Have Eyes franchise follows suit in exploiting trapped or otherwise stranded victims, unaware of any violent danger. In fact, the stranded victims are normally more concerned for their overall survival in the desert environment at the start of the film.

Sadistic Family of Cannibals

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre highlights a deserted Texas town hosting an entire family of cannibal killers. The most notorious of the family being Leatherface, a slasher willing to not only eat human stew, but wear the face of his victims as a flesh mask.

Wes Craven’s Hills Have Eyes (1977) was released a couple years after Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), however, it also featured a family of cannibals willing to murder to survive, literally.  The Hills Have Eyes hillbilly killers hunt to kill and cannibalize their prey.

Deformed Appearance

Leatherface wears a mask because of his deformities and often changes his mask after killing new victims. The deformed looking mask of flesh contributes to his already deformed and scary appearance.

All of the Hills Have Eyes slashers are deformed due to the inbred results of a family of radiation-poisoned protesters.

Inbred / Mentally Challenged / Retardation

Leatherface is a mentally challenged killer, as explained by Sheriff Hoyt (before he is Sheriff of course), in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006).

In the Hills Have Eyes, a small town refuses to abandon a nuclear test site and winds up breeding mentally deranged psycho killers willing to trap travelers to survive.

Expert Butchers

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre loves cooking, and their favorite meat is PERSON! Leatherface used to work butchering cattle, so he knows a thing or two about meathooks and how to slice someone open.  The family uses the meat to cook their special stew.  It’s probably really high in protein.

The Hills Have Eyes killers get points in the devious category, as they most certainly know how to handle a body.  Oftentimes their traps drag humans through the desert, butchering them in the most vicious ways.

They Are Survivable

the hills have eyes killer portrait

Unlike many other horror slashers one might encounter, the potential victims of both The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies and The Hills Have Eyes movies have a chance at survival.  There are numerous instances of surviving for a number of potential victims throughout both series of films.

Honorable Mention

Of course, comparing the Hills Have Eyes to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre would not feel right without at least including an honorable mention for cult-following franchise “Wrong Turn.” Wrong Turn also does a fantastic job of reinventing the redneck-hillbilly horror genre.  Wrong Turn is set in the deep woods of West Virginia, an environment not truly exploited yet in the previous franchises.  Hills Have Eyes is notoriously desert-themed…and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre is set in the diverse terrain of Texas (showcasing a little woodland, but more so desert and swamplands).

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Surprising Facts About The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Films

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Scary Movies and Series

Interesting Facts About The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

The beloved flesh-wearing favorite, Leatherface, has been responsible for some of the most gruesome kills on screen of all time.  He is a terrifying monster to encounter, especially if you’re traveling in a Volkswagen bus from the 70s!  With that being said, many horror movie fans wonder, how did the Texas Chainsaw Massacre get so gruesome? What were the deciding factors in determining the scariest look and feel to this horror classic?  Horror Enthusiast has searched deep through the horror and ‘macabre’ that was witnessed throughout the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies to find the most interesting and amazing Leatherface and Texas Chainsaw facts!

Texas Chainsaw Massacre Movie Trivia

Two Family Names: Hewitt and Sawyer

The sadistic, cannibalistic family that stars throughout the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies actually had two different last names, depending upon the movie in the franchise.  The first, third and fourth movies did not give the family a last name.  The second film refers to the family as the “Sawyers.”  The fifth and sixth Texas Chainsaw installments use the last name “Hewitt.” And the seventh and eighth movies return to using last name “Sawyer.” No clear reason has been given for the name change.

Tobe Hooper Has Hooks In Place

Director of the original 1974 horror masterpiece, has been somehow involved in literally every single Texas Chainsaw Massacre project.  He directed and helped write the first two films. He helped write the 3rd and 4th films. And he helped write and/or produce the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th films. 

A Director Fired and Then Rehired

Leatherface close up from Texas Chainsaw Massacre

The third movie in the installment, Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III 1990), lost it’s director, Jeff Burr, when he was fired near the beginning of production.  After looking for a new director and finding no one else would accept the job, he was rehired.

The True Inspiration for Leatherface Wasn’t Ed Gein

A lot of people instantly assume that Ed Gein was the primary inspiration for a flesh-mask-wearing killer. However, Tobe Hooper reveals in an interview that the true inspiration for Leatherface was a story he heard from a doctor once about his time in medical school.  The doctor was taking a cadaver class and decided to creep into the morgue at night and skin one alive to create a scary Halloween mask for himself.

…and thus Leatherface was born…

Top Grossing Chainsaw Films

Other than the original movie, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), only the 5th installment has not been a flop.  The 5th movie, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) was slated to be a loose remake of the original, with Jessica Biel leading the cast.  The original movie made a profit of more than $30 million dollars (US domestic box office), while the 2003 remake raked in a whopping profit of more than $70 million (again, US domestic)!  No other chainsaw movie has come close to a profit even close to the original film!

The Worst Grossing Texas Chainsaw Massacre Movie

Most people recognize the second movie as the worst (probably because they go to see a horror film and wind up seeing a comedy). However, truthfully, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 doubled it’s budget in US domestic gross.  The worst movie in the franchise was the 4th in the franchise, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994).  Despite this flop making less than $150,000 in the United States, this film featured some of the cast most famous today from any of the Texas Chainsaw movies. The fourth installment will showcase both Renee Zellweger and also Matthew McConaughey.  In fact, Sony would try to re-release this flop a few years later after McConaughey and Zellweger would rise to fame.  After they threatened to bail on all future Sony projects, the re-release was halted.

A Damaged Soul

Most horror fans do not realize that Leatherface did not start out so evil.  He was injured and suffered facial damage, as revealed by director Jeff Burr in an interview following the third movie, Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III.  Burr also speculated his vocal cords could have been damaged as a result of the injury, hence his inability to talk.  However, other sources have indicated a mental deficiency and that Leatherface was born a little slow (also providing a possible explanation as to why he is mute).  Regardless, plenty of the movies and/or the comic series give the audience ample reason to feel badly for Leatherface, despite his murders.

Cameo Appearance: Marilyn Burns

Leatherface with his chainsaw weapon from Texas chainsaw massacre horror movie

A lot of fans seem to miss Marilyn Burns’ cameo appearance in the fourth film, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994). In one of the final scenes in the hospital, she is a patient that is on the gurney. In the credits, this role is listed as “Anonymous.”

Real Chainsaws

While theme parks around the world hosting their version of “Halloween” mode feature a ton of fake chainsaw-wielding actors…the real Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies used real chainsaws. They were scary and intimidating.  Actor Renee Zellweger commented in multiple interviews that the experience was dangerous, and she wasn’t sure it was all legal.  She explained that a real chainsaw behind you made for incredible motivation!

A Narrator to Remember

Almost any Texas Chainsaw Massacre fan can recall the eerie feeling they get when the original movie begins with a crude film strip and narrator voicing an introduction about the “terror and macabre” that the young persons would experience that day.  What most people do not realize, is the same narrator was hired to record the narration for the 2003 remake! It is the same voice folks!

The Original Film Title

There were a number of choices for the original film title. Two of the most notable runner-ups to the eventually-selected “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” included “Head Cheese” and “Leatherface.”  Leatherface would later be used in a couple of film titles…making it’s debut; however, Head Cheese would only appear in the script of the first movie, serving as some Volkswagen butchery small talk.

Final Words About the Making of the Texas Chainsaw Franchise

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise has set the bar quite high for slasher movies in the similar horror sub-genre of “getting stranded in a remote place.”  The truly horrifying results of long-term gore and carnage by Leatherface and his family has left their properties riddled with human remains and flesh, creating an immensely terrifying movie setting. Ultimately, Leatherface is one of the scariest, careless and most viscous killers of all horror movie slashers. He will likely go on to mutilate many more victims and remains one of the most feared killers of all time!

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Texas Chainsaw Massacre True Story

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Featured Scary Movies and Series

Was There a Real Life Texas Chainsaw Massacre?

The obnoxious sound of Leatherface’s chainsaw slicing through the wall in a decrepit, bone-filled house off the beaten path will strike pure terror in anyone’s heart. In fact, it is possible that many people would drop dead of a heart attack right away if they actually saw Leatherface in real life. Chainsaws are most certainly real.  Masks of flesh are most certainly possible. And deranged cannibalistic psychopaths are absolutely possible.  So, did the Texas chainsaw massacre happen in real life, is there a true story behind it?

Was Ed Gein the Inspiration for Leatherface?

1974 horror movie poster for Texas Chainsaw massacre claiming it is based on a true story featuring a masked man with a chainsaw and a tied up woman
Original Texas Chainsaw Massacre poster hinting that the movie was based on a true story.

Movie Marketing at it’s Finest

As seen above in the poster, the marketing for Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s original 1974 release certainly made claims that it was based on a true story. “What happened is true. Now the motion picture that’s just as real” is the sub text of the movie title.

The Real Inspiration for Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Despite beliefs that Texas Chainsaw Massacre was inspired by a true story, Tobe Hooper’s 1974 film Texas Chainsaw Massacre and its 2003 remake were actually based only loosely on Ed Gein, who is suspected to have taken victims between 1954 and 1957. The most notable similarity is the house in the movies, whose grisly contents were similar to those in Gein’s home seen below.

Edward Theodore Gein Born August 27, 1906 – July 26, 1984, also known as the Butcher of Plainfield or the Plainfield Ghoul, was an American murderer and body snatcher. Gein’s crimes, committed around his hometown of Plainfield, Wisconsin, gathered widespread notoriety in 1957 after authorities discovered he had exhumed corpses from local graveyards and fashioned trophies and keepsakes from their bones and skin. Gein also confessed to killing two women: tavern owner Mary Hogan in 1954 and hardware store owner Bernice Worden in 1957. – Wikipedia

Gein was initially found unfit to stand trial and confined to a mental health facility. By 1968, he was judged competent to stand trial; he was found guilty of the murder of Worden, but he was found legally insane and was remanded to a psychiatric institution. He died at Mendota Mental Health Institute of respiratory failure, on July 26, 1984, aged 77. He is buried next to his family in the Plainfield Cemetery, in a now-unmarked grave. – Wikipedia

The Texas Chainsaw movies undoubtedly inspired by Ed Gein. Furniture that has been made out of bone and flesh, Leatherface’s masks made from the flesh of human faces, and a truly unkempt home are all parts of the movies that were inspired by Ed Gein. Still, there are real life examples of home decor, furnishings and masks found made by Ed Gein that show this type of corpse and body mutilation is more than possible, psychologically.  There are many documented cases of human cannibalism, some close to home in the past and some abroad in third world territories still occurring today. Obviously there are murders all the time. 

And thus, yes it is more than possible for a corpse mutilating, murdering cannibal to exist. Yes, it is possible for a real life Texas Chainsaw Massacre to happen. YES, it is possible for a real life Leatherface to exist.

What Would a Real Life Texas Chainsaw Massacre Be Like?

There are many components of a true Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie.  Here are some of the most commonly found attributes which make a Leatherface movie, a real Leatherface movie.

Unsuspecting Victims

Unfortunately for the victims, most do not realize what is happening until it is already too late. Leatherface may be really scary, but he usually does not show up right away. Instead, his family first begins interacting with the victims, almost as though they are normal, contributing members of society.  The victims usually have an ultra low guard by the time they are any where near Leatherface himself.

Tow Trucks and/or Immobile Vehicle Graveyard

A lot of Texas Chainsaw Massacre films feature tow trucks that respond to victim car crashes, and/or a full-on vehicle graveyard.  The vehicles in this graveyard are always immobile and appear as though they may have been there for a long while.

Gas Station and/or Rest Stop

The Leatherface movies almost always start out on the road somehow, and the victims almost always end up stopping at a gas station or a rest stop of some kind for one reason or another.  Usually, it is for gas. Sometimes, they get directions.  It is always unwise to follow those directions…but they usually do!

Blood

There would be lots and lots of blood in a real life Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The Sawyers (or Hewitts, depending upon which part of the franchise you are watching) are cannibals and furniture artists…and they prefer human-only parts!  This means being fully comfortable with cutting, slicing and dicing up human flesh and body parts. Not to mention the actual murders themselves.

Human Flesh and Bone Furnishings

Leatherface and his family love crafting the flesh and bone of their victims into furniture.  Their house is absolutely decorated with human body parts. There are human face lamps. There are chairs made of bone.  And a variety of other furnishings and horror decor.

Fun Fact: Did you know you can actually BUY Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Leatherface Inspired Horror Decor?

Yummy Dinner

Leatherface drags victims through his house and into his room for butchering, collecting parts for use in his family’s famous cannibal soup.

From Ed Gein to…???

leatherface ed with cleaver illustration

The funny thing about people like Ed Gein (only a grave robber and corpse mutilator) and serial killers is that normally they are discovered after the fact.  This means, unfortunately, if there could be a real life Texas Chainsaw Massacre, that it could be happening already.  So be careful out there on those Texas highways…and never take any unfamiliar detours not on your GPS!!  As one simply never knows when a real life Texas Chainsaw Massacre could be taking place off the beaten path, on some dirt road somewhere!

Check out Surprising Facts About Leatherface and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Movies to learn more!

Sources

Wikipedia

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