1974’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is one of the most influential horror films of all time. Tobe Hooper’s masterpiece was a landmark thanks to its grim depiction of rural life and the unflinching realism with which the kills were orchestrated. The very concept of an emotionless, hulking killer who uses remedial tools would help define the horror genre moving forward, and the media firestorm over the film’s brutality and false presentation of being a true story only cemented its impact as a modern classic.