The concept for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre arose in the early 1970s while Tobe Hooper was working as an assistant film director at the University of Texas at Austin and as a documentary cameraman. He had already developed a story involving the elements of isolation, the woods, and darkness. He credited the graphic coverage of violence by San Antonio news outlets as an inspiration for the film and based elements of the plot on murderer Ed Gein, who committed his crimes in 1950s. Gein inspired other horror films, such as Psycho and The Silence of the Lambs. Director Hooper (Poltergeist) said, “Man was the real monster here, just wearing a different face, so I put a literal mask on the monster in my film.” The low budget ($140,000) and 7-days-a-week shooting schedule worked in its favor. More gritty and atmospheric than graphic. — Jay Duncan

Rated: R