Every Texas Chainsaw Massacre film is known for gory scenes of Leatherface and his family killing people across remote Texas with sadistic pleasure. Just about every one of these slasher films will terrify you to the max. Leatherface and his family are the cannibalistic stars of the franchise, comprising an antisocial family who hates outsiders to the core. If you ever happen to step foot on their property, be ready to be attacked—with cleavers, hammers, and, of course, giant chainsaws. Leatherface, Chop-Top, Drayton, Grandpa Sawyer, and the rest of the bandits have given us some of the most horrific scenes in the horror genre. Here are our picks for the best scenes throughout the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise.
6. Leatherface vs. Sally Hardesty
The David-versus-Goliath style fight between Leatherface and Sally Hardesty is one of our favorite scenes. While many fans hated the part-reboot-part-sequel Texas Chainsaw Massacre, directed by David Blue Garcia and released in 2022, don’t overlook this scene of Sally fighting Leatherface. Sally is originally from the 1974 film, who feuded with Leatherface and died in a hospital back in 1977. However, she was resurrected in the 2022 film and came back to kill Leatherface. When Leatherface tries to yank Lila from the truck, Sally immediately begins firing shotgun rounds at him. Sally tails Leatherface as he retreats, then their epic showdown intensifies. She clearly wants to be the one to kill Leatherface for good, which explains her irrationally bold behavior. Leatherface charges at Sally while wielding his chainsaw, and it thrills us slasher movie fans to see someone of Sally’s size battling a behemoth like him. Her attempts to shoot his head off with a shotgun failed, proving that revenge is best served cold.
5. The Party Bus Massacre
We can’t deny that the party bus scene is one of the more delightfully sinister scenes in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise. A group of party-goers are packed onto a party bus in this gory scene while Leatherface boards the bus wielding a chainsaw. The party-goers are so naive that they think he’s a guest—and start recording him on Instagram Live. A stupid mistake by these youngsters. Leatherface swings his chainsaw around in a frenzy, making an unforgettable scene with blood, guts, and other body parts strewn about. Leatherface’s hatred for humanity never ends as he slashes nearly every party-goer on the bus without breaking a sweat.
4. The “Bring It” Scene
This scene features in Marcus Nispel’s 2003 remake of the 1974 original. Both protagonists, Erin and Kemper, are both searching for their lost friend but end up confronted by a cranky old man inside his house. The old man gets mad, then tells them to “bring it” while thumping his cane on the ground. Little did the couple know that he was calling for the notorious Leatherface—and, as expected, the notorious Leatherface came forth from a back door to unleash pure hell.
3. “I’m Your Cousin”
This scene from John Luessenhop’s 2013 film Texas Chainsaw features a corrupt deputy who’s taunting a bound Heather Miller. Heather was taken to a shady junkyard after being kidnapped by the local sheriff’s department. Then, the cowardly cop soon abandons her, thinking she’ll die in obscurity. Leatherface appears, leaving the poor woman traumatized with no way out. He puts the chainsaw on her shoulder, he prepares to tear the startled woman up with his saw—but when he finds out that she’s his cousin, he lets her go and ends up being beaten up by the cops. We had to include this scene because it’s one of the rare times we got to witness a better side to Leatherface.
2. The Chainsaw Dance
The original 1974 version of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a must-see for slasher horror fans. In this scene, we see Leatherface donning a nice suit and swinging his signature chainsaw around like a madman. His chainsaw dance is out of character for a slasher film. There’s no killing, crying, guts flying, or other nutty behaviors. It’s really just a G-rated scene within an R-rated film—but it’s great to see. Most of the films in the franchise now end with Leatherface’s chain dance, but it all started here. It’s the happiest kind of ending you can expect to get in a horror film series as gruesome as this one.
1. The Road Kill Scene
To conclude this list, we bring you the suspenseful road kill scene in which Leatherface’s ability to appear from anywhere makes this scene one of the scariest—and coolest—in the franchise. During this opening scene from the 2006 film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, Chrissie escapes Leatherface’s dungeon house and drives off in a car. She manages to drive pretty far away, and with Leatherface no longer in sight, you’d think she’s in the clear. But little did she know that Leatherface was lurking inside the entire time—and he slashes her in half from the back seat. The car then rams into two cops, killing both of them instantly. What strikes us about this scene is how quickly things go from zero to a hundred. It’s a banger of a scene to start any slasher horror flick.
