# Is the Texas Chainsaw Massacre based on a real incident? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 10, 2003, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-a-real-incident/206655 "2003-10-10T12:32:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Blackclaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e68b1a/32.png) [@Blackclaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackclaw)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-a-real-incident/206655/1 "2003-10-10T12:32:40Z")
I thought I saw this question here posted long ago, but my searches have not been able to find it. With the new version of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre coming to theaters, I have friends insisteing that it is based on a true story. Is it? ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-a-real-incident/206655/2 "2003-10-10T12:49:52Z")
It’s partially based on the true story of Ed Gein, the man who was also the inspiration behind Norman Bates in _Psycho_ and Buffalo Bill in _The Silence of the Lambs_. In short, Gein murdered a couple of women in a small Wisconsin town in the 1950s. A corpse was found sliced up the front like a deer in the barn, and a number of body parts were found in the house including bowls made out of skulls and chairs made from human skin. He liked to dress up in the skin of women (like Buffalo Bill) and was a real mama’s boy (like Norman Bates). [Story of Ed Gein at Crimelibrary.com](http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/notorious/gein/bill_1.html) ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-a-real-incident/206655/3 "2003-10-10T12:56:27Z")
> [@](#): > > All of this bizarre handicraft made Eddie into a celebrity. Author Robert Bloch was inspired to write a story about Norman Bates, a character based on Eddie, which became the central theme of the Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller Psycho. > > In 1974, the classic thriller by Tobe Hooper, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, has many Geinian touches, although there is no character that is an exact Eddie Gein model. This movie helped put “Ghastly Gein” back in the spotlight in the mid-1970’s. > > Years later, Eddie provided inspiration for the character of another serial killer, Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs. Like Eddie, Buffalo Bill treasured women’s skin and wore it like clothing in some insane transvestite ritual. ---
**Author:** ![Blackclaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e68b1a/32.png) [@Blackclaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackclaw)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-a-real-incident/206655/4 "2003-10-10T13:10:08Z")
Ah, something to disturb my friends with! Thanks for the info! ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-a-real-incident/206655/5 "2003-10-10T14:07:47Z")
What, no mention of [**Cecil** ’s column on this very subject](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_253.html)? ---
**Author:** ![SuperNova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SuperNova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNova)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-a-real-incident/206655/6 "2003-10-14T17:57:35Z")
SOOOO… to get this straight, the **Texas Chainsaw Massacre** is based on true events that DID NOT happen in Texas, nor involved a chainsaw… and that’s ONLY in the title of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-a-real-incident/206655/7 "2003-10-14T18:19:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duke \* > \*\*What, no mention of [**Cecil** ’s column on this very subject](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_253.html)? \*\* From the article: > [@](#): > > a box of noses . . . made me snort. ---
**Author:** ![Umbriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9de053/32.png) [@Umbriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Umbriel)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-a-real-incident/206655/8 "2003-10-14T19:57:35Z")
While Ed Gein is generally cited as the inspiration for _The Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ I think it likely also drew (arguably more significant) inspiration from the legend of the cannibal family of Sawney Bean: [http://www.exclassics.com/newgate/ng9.htm](http://www.exclassics.com/newgate/ng9.htm) [http://barryoneoff.co.uk/html/sawney\_bean.html](http://barryoneoff.co.uk/html/sawney_bean.html) The Bean legend has been acknowledged as an influence on _[The Hills Have Eyes](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077681/)_, made in 1977. I’ve never heard it specifically connected with _The Texas Chainsaw Massacre_, though the parallels seem clear. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-a-real-incident/206655/9 "2003-10-15T02:18:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bruce\_Daddy \* > > “box of noses” > > . . . made me snort. You better snort… _while you still can!!!_ ---
**Author:** ![Sm\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Sm\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sm_e)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-a-real-incident/206655/10 "2003-10-15T06:04:06Z")
Ed Gein was also inspiration for Slayer’s “Dead Skin Mask” It is a song not a movie, so, please, ignore this. Move along… ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-a-real-incident/206655/11 "2003-10-15T07:20:54Z")
I liked Cecil’s comment: > [@](#): > > Gein was also the source for a character in The Silence of the Lambs and gave rise to some lesser known movies as well. I ask you, how many movies has Mother Teresa inspired? ---
**Author:** ![Blackclaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e68b1a/32.png) [@Blackclaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackclaw)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-a-real-incident/206655/12 "2003-10-15T12:25:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duke \* > \*\*What, no mention of [**Cecil** ’s column on this very subject](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_253.html)? \*\* I knew there was one! But my searches for it failed. I thought the words “Texas” and “chainsaw” should have done the trick. Alas, my wife is right, I can’t find the nose on my face. Of course if it’s in that box in Gein’s attic I think I should get some slack. Now I think the obvious next step is a musical based on these events. My working title is “Goodbye to my honker.” ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-a-real-incident/206655/13 "2003-10-15T14:01:38Z")
_Gein!_ ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-a-real-incident/206655/14 "2003-10-15T16:22:27Z")
[http://www.texaschainsawmovie.com/](http://www.texaschainsawmovie.com/) Spooky website, but it has info for those unfamiliar about what we are talking about. ---
**Author:** ![NoGoodNamesLeft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8797f3/32.png) [@NoGoodNamesLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoGoodNamesLeft)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-a-real-incident/206655/15 "2003-10-15T17:37:38Z")
I sort of figured Alliance Atlantis was leaning heavily on the “Based on actual events” angle in the same way The Blair Witch Project was “actual events”. y’know what I mean? ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-a-real-incident/206655/16 "2003-10-15T17:46:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hello Again \* > \*\*_Gein!_ \*\* _Oh!_ Don’t sneak up on me and do that—you scared the hell out of me! ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-a-real-incident/206655/17 "2003-10-15T20:22:59Z")
No Pain, No Gein ---
**Author:** ![Semp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Semp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Semp)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-a-real-incident/206655/18 "2003-10-16T00:14:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DMark \* > \*\*No Pain, No Gein \*\* Gein there, done that. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-a-real-incident/206655/19 "2003-10-16T00:32:20Z")
Hey if the pun worked once, no reason it won’t work agein. ---
**Author:** ![maikai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/53a042/32.png) [@maikai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maikai)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-a-real-incident/206655/20 "2003-10-16T01:45:40Z")
Anyone know the name of the song at the movie website? [http://www.texaschainsawmovie.com/](http://www.texaschainsawmovie.com/) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-a-real-incident/206655.md?page=2)