Retro Poster: "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974)

The movie poster for the 1974 horror classic "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" has all of the elements of a great horror movie poster. While the tag line asks its audience an ominous question and the illustration pulls audiences in with its gruesome nature, what I tend to focus on most is the subtitle at the very bottom of the poster promising the movie you are about to watch is true. The poster for Tobe Hooper's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is one of the most iconic horror movie posters for us horror fans. Although the film was obviously fictional, the character of Leatherface and some details were inspired by the true crimes of Ed Gein. The movie centers around five teenagers that end up at an old farmhouse that is inhabited by a demented family. Upon it's initial release, numerous theaters banned the movie due to it's violent content. However, the film was a commercial success and made 30 million dollars at the US box office.