“I did a rack focus to the saws, and I thought, ‘I know a way I could get through this crowd really quickly.’ I went home, sat down, all the channels just tuned in, the zeitgeist blew through, and the whole damn story came to me in what seemed like about 30 seconds. I just kind of zoned in on it,” Hooper told Texas Monthly. 'There were these big Christmas crowds, I was frustrated, and I found myself near a display rack of chain saws. According to Hooper, though, the light bulb moment that really ignited the film came at a department store during the Christmas 1972 shopping rush. The inspirations for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre are surprisingly diverse, ranging from director and co-writer Tobe Hooper’s attempt to make a modern retelling of Hansel and Gretel to real-life Wisconsin murderer and corpse defiler Ed Gein. IT WAS INSPIRED BY A CHRISTMAS SHOPPING CROWD. From marathon shooting days to flying chainsaws to mafia money problems, here are 20 facts about one of the greatest slasher films of all time. Not bad for a little film that drove the cast and crew insane during production. More than four decades after its release, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre still shocks and thrills audiences with its realistic imagery, unhinged tone, and “based on a true story” marketing-and its status as one of the ultimate cult classics shows no signs of fading. Braving blistering temperatures, on-set injuries, and a shoestring budget, they produced one of the most terrifying motion pictures ever made. In the summer of 1973, newbie director Tobe Hooper-who passed away on Augat the age of 74-and a group of unknown actors ventured out into the Central Texas heat to make a horror movie.

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