OMAR AZIMI

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre premiered in Austin, Texas on October 1, 1974, and was released across the United States on October 11, 1974. The plot followed Sally (the late Marilyn Burns), her brother Franklin (the late Paul Partain), and their friends Jerry (Allen Danziger), Kirk (William Vail), and Pam (Teri McMinn) as they traveled to visit her grandfather’s grave.

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Along the way, the group falls victim to a cannibalistic family and Sally emerges as the “final girl.” The film was produced on a budget between $80,000-$140,000 and went on to a box office reach of more than $30 million. Various reboots and remakes followed over the decades, including the recent 2022 sequel directed by David Blue Garcia.

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The Return Of Sally Hardesty

In the 1974 original, Sally Hardesty was portrayed by Burns, who passed away in August 2014. The 2022 film follows Sally, played by Olwen Fouéré 50 years after her initial encounter with Leatherface (the late Gunnar Hansen in the 1974 film).

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In the 2022 film, Sally has been waiting for her reunion with Leatherface, in the vein of the 2018 Halloween which saw Jamie Lee Curtis return to her titular role. Fouéré gives it her all to recreate the role originated by Burns.

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The Runtime

The 1974 version had a runtime of 1 hour and 23 minutes. The 2022 sequel features the exact same runtime, another way to parallel the spirit of the original film.

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Texas Chainsaw Massacre sought to breathe new life and ideas into the film and potential future sequels while giving a nod to what came before. This is another easter egg injected into the sequel for eagle-eyed viewers.

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The Narrator’s Introduction

Actor John Larroquette’s later became known through the TV series Night Court, but his first foray into Hollywood was his famous voiceover narration for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

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After providing the voice narration for the Michael Bay-led remake and its sequel in 2003 and 2006 respectively, Larroquette returned to the franchise once again. The newest narration provides the backstory of the events of the original film, getting the audience up to speed.

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Siblings

In the original, Sally convinces her brother Franklin (Partain) to go on a trip with her and her friends to visit their grandfather’s grave. Sally and her friends, along with Franklin, are traveling to a cemetery where their grandfather was buried to investigate reports that graves have been vandalized.

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In the sequel, Melody (Sarah Yarkin) brings her reluctant sister Lila (Elsie Fisher) with her to the town of Harlow, Texas. Melody, along with her friend Dane, is planning to transform the ghost town into a thriving city, “free from the violence of big cities.”

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The Chainsaw

Although the chainsaw is Leatherface’s primary weapon, it’s used sparingly in the first round, becoming much more heavily utilized through sequels and reboots. In 2022, once Leatherface’s “makeshift mother” (Alice Krige) dies, he returns to the orphanage that she had run.

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Once there, he destroys a part of the drywall which contains Leatherface’s infamous chainsaw. This same chainsaw was the same one as utilized in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

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Leatherface’s Home

In the original film, Kirk (Vail), Pam (McMinn), and Jerry (Danziger) are led to a farmhouse near where they’ve parked their van where they are then brutally killed by Leatherface.

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The home, which is now based in Kingsland, Texas, is featured at the very end of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. When Leatherface unexpectedly kills Melody, a post-credits scene reveals him walking towards that very same farmhouse.

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The Gas Station

In The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Sally and her friends stop at a gas station in the middle of nowhere on a desolate Texas highway. The group is told that there is no gas, and to come back later once they get a delivery. The group continues towards Sally and Franklin’s family homestead.

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In 2022, Melody, Lila, and their friends stop at a similar gas station in the middle of nowhere. As Lila is paying for her snacks, she notices that the television inside the gas station is playing a news report about Sally.

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The Ending

After Grandpa tries to kill Sally (Burns) in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, she escapes and jumps out the window of the farmhouse. Sally narrowly escapes the Hitchhiker (Edwin Neal), who is run down by a tractor-trailer. Sally catches the attention of a passing truck driver who stops to allow Sally to climb into the flatbed. As Sally is driven away, laughing maniacally, Leatherface swings his chainsaw in frustration as the sun sets behind him.

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In Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Melody and Lila escape Leatherface in a self-driving car and reflect on the previous night. Suddenly, Leatherface breaks through the side window of the car and drags Melody out. Melody is decapitated, leaving Lila screaming out for her, similar to the way Sally was screaming in the original film.