The Original ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ Is in Theaters Tonight Only (August 18)
“That’s the last goddamn hitchhiker I ever pick up.”
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August 18, 1973 is the date Sally Hardesty, her brother Franklin, and friends journeyed through rural Texas towards doom in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). Now, fans can celebrate by seeing the film screened in theaters for one night only.
Across the country, Fathom Entertainment has organized The Texas Chainsaw Massacre screenings that include a visual essay from Bloody Disgusting about the movie’s filming locations. This is a one day event and screenings are only happening on August 18, 2025. To see if your local theater is included, you can search your zip code on their website.
Massacre is an influential horror movie about five people on a Texas road trip: Sally and Franklin Hardesty, Sally’s boyfriend Jerry, and their friends Pam and Kirk. The group checks out the grave of the Hardesty’s grandfather after hearing reports of vandalism in the cemetery where he is buried. Afterwards, the group becomes stranded and explores the area around the Hardesty’s ancestral home. Unfortunately, Leatherface and his cannibal family live next door.
Filmed on a tiny budget in the unrelenting Texas heat, Chainsaw is remembered as a scary, aesthetically beautiful, politically relevant horror movie and for establishing genre tropes like the final girl and the masked killer. Last year it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. We encourage movie fans of all genres to head to theaters tonight to see a great movie in the format it was meant to be seen.
See where ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ is in a theater near you.
Further reading:
- ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ Is Actually About Vietnam
- 16 Trivia Facts About ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ (1974)
