There are only a handful of movies that are universally considered a mandatory, foundational, and staple viewing for every horror fan. Some of those include Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, the birth of the modern slasher, and Wes Craven’s Scream, which revitalized the genre with its self-aware, meta-textual commentary. Those movies are masterpieces in the genre that influenced countless films that followed. At the top of the list of cornerstone viewing is also a 1970s classic that horror fans are running out of time to stream on Netflix.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the most influential, terrifying, and masterfully crafted horror films of all time, and an absolute must-watch for any horror lover. Unfortunately, streaming the seminal 1974 indie horror film is about to become a lot more difficult, as it’s tagged with a February 18th departure from Netflix, meaning it’s leaving just as the franchise is pushed back into the spotlight with news that A24 is developing a new television series and movie. The 1974 classic that launched the franchise is loosely inspired by the crimes of murderer Ed Gein and centers around Leatherface, a chainsaw-wielding, mask-wearing member of a deranged, cannibalistic family.
Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Redefined Horror
There’s no overstating just how influential The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was to the horror genre. After Psycho effectively birthed the modern slasher, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre took the subgenre to new, raw, and visceral heights. Despite there being very little actual onscreen gore, the movie is an insanely nightmarish experience. The 1974 classic relies on the power of horror through suggestion, forcing the viewer’s imagination to fill in the horrific details and creating intense psychological dread and amplifying suspense with a low-budget, documentary-style, and unrelenting, gritty intensity. The movie also established what would become iconic elements of the modern horror genre, including the final girl trope and the characterization of the killer as a more inhuman, masked, and silent force of nature.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which became one of the most controversial horror movies ever with its boundary-pushing nature, is a piece of art in the horror genre and without a doubt one of the best. Unsurprisingly, the movie went on to launch a franchise that currently consists of nine films. Following the most recent installment, Netflix’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 2022, the franchise is promising to expand even further after A24 acquired the rights to the franchise, with Glen Powell attached as executive producer on the franchise alongside Dan Cohen. The studio is not only in the early stages of development on a new film but also reportedly developing the franchise’s first-ever TV show.
Where to Stream The Texas Chainsaw Massacre After It Leaves Netflix?
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is not disappearing from streaming with its upcoming Netflix departure. The horror masterpiece is available on numerous other platforms, including Prime Video, Peacock, and AMC+, as well as the free streaming platform Tubi.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Official art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme -
Image courtesy of Tor Books/Macmillan -
A photo of the Retrovolt Arcade taken in 2017, showing several classic arcade cabinets and stools. -
Courtesy of Saber Interactive -
Courtesy of TOHO Animation
