1974

Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

I've been to Texas several times, but not until this last trip did I make the pilgrimage to some of the iconic filming locations for Texas Chain Saw Massacre.  Many fans have made this trek and if you're a fan of the film, it is well worth the drive, bugs, and heat!

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The film opens on the grisly discovery at a cemetery.  Located at the Bagdad Cemetery inLeander, Texas,  this spot is located near the east side of the cemetery and is pretty easy to find.  

Some tinting to make it appear closer to the image seen in the film...

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I didn't do all the highways and road shots for the film, so we skip ahead to when the group arrives at the cemetery.  This is looking north towards the road from the approximate location from the corpse seen in the beginning.

This shot is a near reverse, looking from the north side of the cemetery south.

The gas station is located at 1073 Hwy 304 in Bastrop, Texas.  

Slight detour here to talk about "The Gas Station."  A mega fan bought the property and created into a store, restaurant, and lodging. As you can see by the pics below, he has taken great care to recreate the look of the station right down to the chairs and props.  Definitely worth a visit, you can also check them out here:  http://texasgasstation.com

The pumps are no longer there, but they do have some prop ones inside that they occasionally bring out for fans and special events.

The original had a few more posts, but otherwise they did a great job recreating the paint and look of the station.  I am not including a comment on each set of photos, but you can see for yourself how the scene plays out....

As many fans know, the two houses seen in the film were located near Hesters Crossing Road and County Road 172 in Round Rock, Texas.   The grandparent's house is long gone and the Sawyer house was moved.  I didn't actually visit the actual area as there is really not much left to see there, but you can search the internet to see other fans' photos that were able to visit while some remnants of the road and driveway were still there.  Be sure to check out Sean Clark's Horrors Hallowed Grounds video for this one.

And now the house, which was moved from its original location to 1010 King Court in Kingsland, Texas, and is now a restaurant called the Grand Central Cafe.

As you can see, the structure of the house is almost entirely the same and is in probably the best shape it's ever been.

The woodwork in the house is amazing.   Obviously the door and screen door were props for the film so they could be destroyed.

I do wish they had a swing out front though!

Truly one of the most iconic horror movie locations right here. The steel door and frame were apparently built for the movie as you can see in actuality it goes a bit farther back to another doorway and hallway.

Probably one of my top ten shots in a film, this tracking of Pam towards the house is so great, my pictures could never do it justice.  (Plus, lots of plants and furniture around!)

Don't go in there!

Pam walks around to the dining room and approaches the black curtains...

...falling into the living room of the house, aka the bone room in the movie.

Pam finally runs out with Leatherface hot on her tail...

Another iconic shot right here at the front door...

Always nice to sit and think of this as you're eating breakfast there...

The kitchen has changed the most drastically as it is now a working restaurant, but here is how it looks now.  No hooks from what I can see...

As the sun sets, Jerry makes his way around the side of the house...

...and to the front door, should he go in?

I couldn't recreate this shot exactly as the kitchen is off limits, but here we are looking through the kitchen and dining room to the living room front window.

The back of the house has changed the most with the addition of a new room of where the back porch used to bed.

Sally makes her way to the front door...

...gets inside and locks the door...

She runs up the stairs and down the hallway wall which no longer exists as it's all open now on the top floor.

The grandparents' room is on the top floor at the front of the house.  Even without the back walls, it's very recognizable.

Leatherface ruins another door...

Sally runs back out of the (nonexistent) hallway and towards the stairs.

Trapped on the stairs, Sally makes the decision to jump out the back window.

Sally's double jumps from the window...

We are back at the gas station as Sally runs up to it from behind.

She runs through the front, but the main door is locked but finds the kitchen door open.

Here is how the kitchen looks now.  Still serving BBQ, but hopefully with different ingredients...

Drayton brings Sally back to the house...

Sally is first tied up in this corner of the dining room, closest to the kitchen and stairs.

Time for grandpa to come down!

Sally's night of horrors will never end.

Sally wakes up for dinner.  This time she is at the other side of the living room by the window.  FYI, this is where the kind folks at the restaurant seated me for breakfast!

Sally is then brought over to the other corner where grandpa attempts to hit her with the hammer.  

Sally escapes and runs through the living room as her stunt double jumps out the front window.

Breaking out of a window in hell, Sally starts to flee.

And the boys aren't far behind.

Obviously this is a totally different location, but did my best to recreate Sally's run down the driveway.  

As I am working on the series, I am putting all the locations on a map for fans:

Don't mess with Texas...

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