Rank the Texas Chainsaw Movies

March 26, 2025 9:50 AM

What are your personal ranks for the nine released Texas Chainsaw Massacre films? I've started working my way through the series and am interested in hearing cases for or against the various films. Since there are multiple timelines and many places to jump in or out, the series allows some leeway in what order a person watches.

The nine films, in order of release (recognizing that this doesn't mean much):

1. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
2. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)
3. Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990)
4. The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre aka Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1995)
5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
6. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)
7. Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013)
8. Leatherface (2017)
9. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)

This list intentionally omits the unauthorized and unreleased All-American Massacre, the 60 minute featurette directed by Tobe Hooper's son Tony Hooper, which sounds interesting and has Bill Moseley as Chop Top and a score by Buckethead, but does not have an official release.

posted by DirtyOldTown (4 comments total)

The folks at the Screen Drafts podcast ranked them like this:

1. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
2. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)
3. Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013)
4. Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990)
5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
6. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)
7. The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1995)
8. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)
9. Leatherface (2017)

posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:01 AM on March 26

By Letterboxd rating:

1. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
2. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)
3. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
4. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)
5. Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990)
6. Leatherface (2017)
7. Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013)
8. The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1995)
9. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)

By IMDb rating:

1. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
2. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
3. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)
4. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)
5. (tie) Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990) (tie)Leatherface (2017)
6. (skip because of tie)
7. Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013)
8. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)
9. The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1995)

posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:22 AM on March 26

Here's mine:
1 - The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

All the rest? Zero. Hang on I do sort of like TCM2 but I don't think of it as a TCM sequel. The rest are not for me and I try not to think of them.

I hadn't heard of All-American Massacre I'll have to have a look for that.
posted by Ashwagandha at 11:01 AM on March 31 [1 favorite]

I like 2 better than one but could not, with a straight face argue it is a better film. I think it's a wild ride and a good film, though.

Despite its many shortcomings (the wonky timeline for one; a baby born in 1973 is a college-aged woman in 2012?) Texas Chainsaw was weirdly delightful to me.

TCM: The Next Generation is endearingly bonkers, but still usually exhausts my patience before I finish. It doesn't have the best acting in the series, but it has the MOST.

I kinda liked 2022's TCM, if for no other reason than it is the only film in the series to feature an actual chainsaw massacre. The bus scene is gold. they do Sally Hardesty an injustice though, so I can't give it a fully good rating.

III was mid, which is worse than being bad in this series.

I still have to see Leatherface and the two from the new timeline.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:08 AM on April 3