2024 marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most controversial yet influential horror movies of all-time: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Directed and co-written by the late Tobe Hooper, the film was made on an extremely low budget but made a huge impact; numerous directors have mentioned how influential Hooper’s work was on their films.
Hooper struggled to find a distributor for his film, and in some instances it was outright banned in several countries. These days, certain groups believe that social media promotes faux outrage, but people have been complaining for decades – some cinemas stopped showing The Texas Chainsaw Massacre as people complained about the violence.
Three attempts were made to have the film classified and distributed here in Australia, but it wasn’t until ten years had passed that they were finally successful. The sequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 wasn’t released until 2006 in Australia – two whole decades later.
Even stranger and more ridiculous, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was released in Britain, having a one-year run in theatres before eventually being banned. It wasn’t until 1999 – 25 years after its initial release – that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was again allowed to be shown and distributed in Britain.
As decades have passed these films (and others in the same genre) haven’t faced quite as many roadblocks upon their release.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre film franchise consists of nine films in total. The two films following the original were both direct sequels, and then things began to get complicated. The remake was released in 2003, followed in 2006 by the prequel The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. Texas Chainsaw 3D is a direct sequel to the original (like what they did with the newer Halloween trilogy) and 2017’s Leatherface acts as a prequel to both The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Texas Chainsaw 3D. 2022 was the latest installment, with Texas Chainsaw Massacre set 50 years following the original events. How many years will it take before the franchise hits double digits?
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre isn’t just about Leatherface but his cannibalistic family, too. People may mistake you for having some weird fascination with cannibals, although the reason behind your tattoo may actually be far deeper and meaningful. Whatever has inspired you to consider a Texas Chainsaw Massacre tattoo, it is sure to do its job and freak people out.
With the rise of NSFW tattoos you’ll find online these days, Leatherface and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre themed tattoos are tame in comparison. How times have changed.
You won’t have to jump through nearly as many hoops as film distributors to get your tattoo – just do yourself a favour and choose your artist wisely.
The Tattooed Archivist 
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