Horror icon Stephen King, the author behind some of the most celebrated stories in the genre, including It, Carrie, The Shining, and oh so many more, has revealed which horror movie scares him the most. While the likes of such classics as The Exorcist, The Ring, and Halloween, as well as more modern efforts such as The Conjuring, Hereditary, and Sinister often top the list of “scariest horror movies ever,” King’s nightmares go all the way back to the 1970s and the vicious and violent horror flick that changed it all.
Appearing as part of Chain Reactions, the new documentary opening in New York City on Sept. 19 via Dark Sky that centers on five creatives (Stephen King, comedian Patton Oswalt, director Takashi Miike, horror critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and filmmaker Karyn Kusama) and their reaction to this horror movie masterpiece, King revealed why it is The Texas Chain Saw Massacre that terrifies him most of all.
“I should say that I never saw ‘Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ when it came out. I saw it in 1982 in Colorado. I was a young father and I was writing to stay ahead of the bill collectors. I was in the theater almost by myself. That’s when a movie really has a tendency to work on you, to get its cold little fingers under your skin.”
Stephen King Explains Why ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ Frightens Him So
But what is it exactly about The Texas Chain Saw Massacre that got “its cold little fingers” under the skin of even a twisted mind like Stephen King? Well, according to the author (and no doubt fans will agree), it was the horror outing looking so “f*cking real” that made such an impact on the seminal author.
“It had that kind of washed-out ’70s look, for want of the better term. You could tell that this print had been around for a while, and it’s better for it, because it just looks f*cking real. It works because there’s no artifice about it, there’s no buildup, there’s no character nuance. I mean, there are scenes in the graveyard … they’re not extras, they’re not Hollywood people at all. They look like they came from the nearest little Texas town. It’s fantastic.”
For those somehow unaware, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre follows a group of youngsters who encounter a house full of demented butchers, including the iconic Leatherface. The horror movie was directed by Tobe Hooper, made independently, and was initially banned in several countries. Despite this (or, perhaps, thanks to this), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre went on to become one of the most influential horror movies ever made, spawning the slasher genre that continues to this day.
As is so often the case in the horror genre, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has also spawned all manner of sequels, with the latest effort, 2022’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre, being savaged by both critics and audiences alike. Currently, Verve, the company that has held the rights to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre since 2017, is looking to potentially reboot the franchise, with the likes of actor Glen Powell and Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan rumored to be involved.
- Release Date
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October 11, 1974
- Runtime
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83 minutes
- Producers
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Jay Parsley
