The limited budget forced Hooper to film for long hours seven days a week, so that he could finish as quickly as possible and reduce equipment rental costs. Hooper produced the film for less than $140,000 ($800,000 adjusted for inflation) and used a cast of relatively unknown actors drawn mainly from central Texas, where the film was shot. The film was marketed as being based on true events to attract a wider audience and to act as a subtle commentary on the era's political climate although the character of Leatherface and minor story details were inspired by the crimes of murderer Ed Gein, its plot is largely fictional. The film follows a group of friends who fall victim to a family of cannibals while on their way to visit an old homestead. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow and Gunnar Hansen, who respectively portray Sally Hardesty, Franklin Hardesty, the hitchhiker, the proprietor, and Leatherface.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American slasher horror film produced and directed by Tobe Hooper from a story and screenplay by Hooper and Kim Henkel.
