The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Movies In Order And Where to Watch Them

When it comes to horror-movie villains, there are a handful of memorable names, and one of the biggest is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre's Leatherface. Debuting in 1974, the original movie was exceptionally controversial for its time because of its violence and gore, which could be argued is as graphic or more so than many modern horror slashers.

The first movie in the franchise introduces Leatherface as the primary antagonist. The focus is on him and his family, the Sawyer family (or Hewitt, depending on which timeline you're watching). The Sawyers are sadistic, violent cannibals who live in a dilapidated house in rural Texas. Leatherface is simply the enforcer for that group--or a hunter, if you will. The character's design as wearing the faces of his victims makes for an intimidating and iconic slasher killer, and that's before you get to his titular chainsaw. Leatherface has become iconic throughout the various Texas Chainsaw Massacre films.

Within the world of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, there are a lot of movies. In total, there are 11, two of which are documentaries. And within all those movies, there are actually three distinct timelines, which can get confusing to the casual viewer. Sure, there are reboots or remakes, but the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise shakes things up as the series progresses. At times, the series even jumps between genres

So, if you're looking forward to diving into this franchise, here is every Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie, where you can watch them, and the timeline order.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Where to watch: Peacock, Roku, PlutoTV, Streambox, Plex, Freevee

Tobe Hooper's first breakout hit, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a cult classic. The film follows a group of friends traveling through rural Texas to visit one of their grandfather's graves. They find a deserted house and find the Sawyer family, a group of murderous cannibals, with the most-menacing member of the family being Leatherface: a chainsaw-wielding killer wearing a mask made of human skin. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is considered one of the best horror films of all time. It is also one of the first examples of the "final girl" trope in horror movies, with Sally Hardesty being one of the first women in that trope, as well as one of the more-notable ones.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)

Where to watch: Fubo, MGM+, Hoopla, Tubi, PlutoTV

While this is only the second movie in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre series, this is Hooper's last time directing and scoring the series. The sequel begins with a couple of guys headed to a college football game, harassing a radio DJ named Stretch using their car phone, before Leatherface enters the picture, killing one of the kids in the truck while the other dies in a car crash. The radio DJ and the uncle of Sally from the first film--who is also a former Texas ranger--team up to find out what happened to the couple of guys. Of course, they come across the Sawyer family. Murder and mayhem ensue.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: A Family Portrait (1988)

Where to watch: Vudu, Tubi, Plex

Released on home video, A Family Portrait is a documentary about the filming of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It features interviews with John Dugan, Grandpa Sawyer in the original and the 2013 movie; Jim Siedow, Drayton "The Cook" Sawyer in the first two films; Ed Neal, who played Nubbins "The Hitchhiker" Sawyer; and Gunnar Hansen, who played Leatherface in the first movie.

Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990)

Where to watch (Rent/Buy only): AppleTV, Fandango, Microsoft Movies, Amazon

Leatherface is "more of the same" from the franchise. Leatherface kills a bunch of people, we meet new members of the Sawyer family, and they kill more people. There's a twist in the movie that one of the friends helping the terrorized group is a killer and the final girl is placed in a situation where she may be killed moments after the movie concludes. It's also briefly mentioned that Sally Hardesty--the final girl from the first film--died in a healthcare facility.

The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1994)

Where to watch (Rent/Buy only): AppleTV, Fandango, Microsoft Movies, Amazon

This movie is a huge departure from the previous three movies. It's a self-referential movie that is a parody of what Texas Chainsaw Massacre--and slashers in general--have become. It follows a group of teens heading to their prom, they collide with another automobile and then look for help for the person they hit, which leads them to the Sawyer house. From there, people are killed, which leads to Jenny being the final girl. She makes it to the hospital, where she passes a beaten-up and traumatized Sally Hardesty, which may be a bit confusing for those focusing on the franchise timeline, but Return takes places after the first movie and before the second.

The original title of this movie isn't the one many are familiar with, as there was another edit of this film with the new title Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation.

The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Documentary (1996)

Where to watch: YouTube

A couple years after the release of Return came a documentary about the movie. At the time, it was considered the "black sheep" of the franchise for its tonal shift. The nearly one-hour-long documentary contains interviews with both the cast and crew, giving a better insight as to why Return is an outlier in the series.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

Where to watch (Rent/Buy only): AppleTV, Fandango, Microsoft Movies, Amazon

Almost two decades later, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was back. However, this wasn't a continuation of the long-running series. The 2003 film would be the first time the franchise was rebooted. It follows a new cast of characters, one year before the original movie was set--but again, this is a remake. The Sawyer family is no more because they've been renamed The Hewitt Family. Considering the time this movie came out, it's a precursor to where horror was headed: gore. There are a fair amount of jump-scares, but the 2003 remake tries hard to capture the lightning in a bottle from the original movie, and it doesn't happen.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)

Where to watch (Rent/Buy only): AppleTV, Fandango, Microsoft Movies, Amazon

This origin story attempts to give more depth to the Hewitt family and Leatherface. It's revealed Leatherface was born by a woman who dies during the birth and is left by a supervisor in a dumpster. The Hewitt family finds him and adopts him. Years later, Leatherface (pre-putting people's skinned faces over his face) works for that same supervisor in the same slaughterhouse. At this time, the slaughterhouse closes, and Leatherface starts killing people. The film dives deeper into the Hewitt family, establishing a lot of the sociopaths that live there. However, it's paint-by-numbers at this point for the franchise.

Here is where things tend to get a bit tricky when it comes to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre timeline. The Beginning serves as a prequel to the 2003 reboot, and while you think the series would move on from there, you'd be wrong: It's a dead end.

Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013)

Where to watch: PlutoTV, Plex, Freevee

Coming in at the tail end of the third revival of 3D movies is Texas Chainsaw 3D. This movie is a sequel to the original movie, beginning in in 1973, but then it jumps to 2012. In '73, the Sawyer family's house is burned down and most of that family is killed, except for a baby. Forty years later, a woman heads to collect an inheritance from her family, which happens to be the Sawyer family (she's the previously mentioned baby). Leatherface is discovered, who has been living in seclusion, and he kills a bunch of people. However, what really sets this movie apart is that it ends with Leatherface and his newly discovered cousin living together as he protects her.

Leatherface (2017)

Where to watch: PlutoTV

A prequel to the original movie and Texas Chainsaw 3D--making these three movies their own separate timelines--Leatherface explores the origins of the titular character. During the '50s, a wounded child is discovered by a couple. They are killed by his family members: the Sawyer family. The child is brought to a mental institution, against the family's wishes. A decade later, a nurse forms a bond with that child and helps the now-adult Leatherface escape the institution. Eventually, the former institute patient (Leatherface pre-human-skin face) is reunited with his family, kills people, and is given his trademark chainsaw.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)

Where to watch: Netflix

There is one weird issue with continuity, which we'll get into. The 2022 film takes place 50 years after the original, in Texas. A group of young entrepreneurs travel to an abandoned rural Texas town in order to gentrify it--that's really the plot. Of course, Leatherface shows up and murders people. Luckily, Sally Hardesty--the sole survivor of the first movie--is alive and a Texas Ranger. Cue up the murder. Everyone dies, and Leatherface stops the town from being gentrified. This is the only movie in the franchise that makes Leatherface the hero.

How to watch in timeline order

As you may have guessed from reading this, the timeline for the Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a bit all over the place--and we're not even diving into the comic books. Piecing together everything from the franchise's history, there are three separate timelines, two of which use the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre as its base.

Main timeline:

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)Texas Chainsaw Massacre IILeatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre IIIThe Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1994)Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)*

Separate timeline:

LeatherfaceThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)Texas Chainsaw 3DTexas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)*

Reboot timeline:

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The BeginningThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

Documentaries:

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: A Family PortraitThe Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Documentary

*It's not clear if the Netflix Chainsaw movie takes place in the main timeline or the secondary timeline, so it's been added to both.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Movies In Order And Where to Watch Them

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Movies In Order And Where to Watch Them

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Movies In Order And Where to Watch Them

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Movies In Order And Where to Watch Them

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Movies In Order And Where to Watch Them