10 Things You Might Not Know About ‘Texas Chain Saw Massacre’

Even though it’s got a fairly straightforward title, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre actually only has one on-screen death by chainsaw. In fact, you see more people killed with a sledgehammer than you do with a chainsaw. That’s just one of the many facts packed into the latest episode of You Think You Know Movies, which looks at one of the most bizarre crimes in the annals of American history, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Because it was an independent production that had only a $60,000 budget, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre couldn’t afford fake blood. A major problem considering this was a movie about a family of homicidal maniacs killing a bunch of friends. So, instead of fake blood, they used the next best thing: real blood. Director Tobe Hooper used actual animal blood from a nearby slaughterhouse in some of the scenes, and star Marilyn Burns intentionally cut her own finger in the scene when Grandpa sucks blood from a cut in her hand.

“You Think You Know Movies?” is a ScreenCrush original series that dives deep into the cinematic worlds of your favorite movies and freeze frames a few tidbits you might not have known. We’ve already tackled Star Wars, The Avengers, and Spider-Man, but now it’s time to rev your engines with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre!

Watch more installments of ‘You Think You Know Movies?’ below and let us know what movies we should cover next.