History Film / TheTexasChainSawMassacre1974

-->-- '''Narrator (John Laroquette)'''.

* OpeningScroll: The film begins like an old documentary with talks about the gruesomeness of the film they are about to show.

* TypoOnTheCover: Calling it a typo is rather harsh and ronically, it's ''not'' on the cover of the film, but it's within the film itself. The word "chainsaw" is written as a singular word, but the film instead says "chain saw" with the words separated.

!!"The Texas Trope Massacre":

Controversial upon release, the film was a success and went on to spawn [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre a franchise]]. The film has [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre2 three]] [[Film/TexasChainsaw3D direct]] [[Film/TexasChainsawMassacre2021 sequels]], none of which are connected to each other; it also spawned a [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre2003 remake]] and a direct [[Film/{{Leatherface}} prequel]], the latter loosely in-continuity with ''Texas Chainsaw 3D'' as well.

* UnbuiltTrope: The entire movie can come across as an unconventionally subversive slasher film. For example, it avoids a ColdOpen where the villain is established. It also avoids DevelopingDoomedCharacters because the characters personalities aren't that fleshed out beyond the opening. There's also a ''family'' of killers instead of one singular slasher. There's no SortingAlgorithmOfMortality among the characters, and there are no archetypes among them. The very first kill that reveals Leatherface has no ScareChord, and the carnage is mostly {{bloodless|carnage}}. [[spoiler: FinalGirl Sally Hardesty loses her brother and all her friends before the third act, and she has no final confrontation with them. The film just ends with her escape and that's it.]] All in all, despite being the first slasher film, it's actually very unlike the slasher films that succeeded it in later movies.

Controversial upon release, the film was a success and went on to spawn [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre a franchise]]. The film has [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre2 three]] [[Film/TexasChainsaw3D direct]] [[Film/TexasChainsawMassacre2021 sequels]], none of which are connected to each other; it also spawned a [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre2003 remake]] and a direct [[Film/{{Leatherface}} prequel]], the latter also unconnected to the various sequels.

Controversial upon release, the film was a success and went on to spawn [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre a franchise]] and has a remake ''Film/{{The Texas Chainsaw Massacre|2003}}''

* FinalGirl: Sally ends up being the sole survivor to confront the family. She's often considered the first-ever final girl, with the heroines of the later [[SlasherMovie slasher genre]] following her her footsteps.

* RealityEnsues: The slasher genre had not yet developed the concept of the silent, unstoppable killing machine that would become the norm after Film/Halloween1978, so when Leatherface takes a thrown wrench to the head, he's knocked down. And having fallen with a running chainsaw in his hands, he accidentally cuts himself, which quite reasonably causes him to scream in pain.

Controversial upon release, the film was a success and went on to spawn [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre a franchise]] and has a remake [[Film / The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2003]]

Controversial upon release, the film was a success and went on to spawn [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre a franchise]] and has a remake [[Film / The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)]]

Controversial upon release, the film was a success and went on to spawn [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre a franchise]].

* BuryYourDisabled: The wheelchair-bound Franklin gets a chainsaw into his guts. And if [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre2 the sequel]] says anything, looks like he also got it to the face too.

* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Sally genuinely loves her brother, but he does seem to get on her nerves a lot.

* TheDragon: Leatherface

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Sally makes it out alive and the killers will probably be caught, but everyone else is dead and there's no way she'll be mentally well after all she's been through.]] Also, [[spoiler: As shown in [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre2 the sequel]] the family is still roaming free several years later.]]

* GasStationOfDoom: The gas station unfortunately turns out not to be the sanctuary for Sally as the proprietor ties her up, gags her, and forces her into his truck. It also turns out to be the place where [[ImAHumanitarian human meats are barbecued]].

* GasStationOfDoom: The gas station unfortunately turns out not to be the sanctuary for Sally as the proprietor ties her up, gags her, and forces her into his truck. It also turns out to be the place where human meats are barbecued.

* GasStationOfDoom: The gas station unfortunately turns out not to be the sanctuary for Sally as the proprietor ties her up, gags her, and forces her into his truck. It also turns out to be a place where human meats are barbecued.

* GasStationOfDoom: The gas station unfortunately turns out not to be the sanctuary for Sally as the proprietor ties her up, gags her, and forces her into his truck. It also turns out to be the place where human meats are barbecued.

* GasStationOfDoom: The gas station unfortunately turns out not to be the sanctuary for Sally as the proprietor ties her up, gags her, and forces her into his truck. It also turns out to be a place where human meats are barbecued.

* GasStationOfDoom: The gas station unfortunately turns out not to be the sanctuary for Sally as the proprietor ties her up, gags her, and forces her into his truck.

* CreepyGasStationAttendant: [[spoiler:The Old Man]]. Probable TropeMaker, by the way.

* CarFu: Nubbins gets driven over by a truck.