The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American independent horror film directed by Tobe Hooper and written by Hooper and Kim Henkel. The film stars Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, and Gunnar Hansen, who portray Sally Hardesty, the Hitchhiker, the proprietor, and Leatherface, respectively. The film follows a group of friends who fall victim to a family of cannibals while on their way to visit an old homestead. Although The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was marketed as a true story to attract a wider audience, as well as to provide subtle commentary on the political climate at the time, the overall premise is entirely fictional. The main antagonist, Leatherface (Hansen), and minor plot details were inspired from real-life serial killer Ed Gein.
