The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Returns to Theaters for One Night on August 18

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is heading back to theaters nationwide for a one-night screening on Tuesday, August 18.

Fathom Entertainment’s Texas Chain Saw Day presentation brings Tobe Hooper’s 1974 landmark back to the big screen in a restored presentation. The official event listing gives the film a 1-hour, 43-minute runtime and includes a ticket finder for participating theaters.

The date is part of the movie’s history. Hooper’s film follows five young people traveling through the Texas countryside on August 18, 1973, where they encounter Leatherface and his family. More than five decades later, the Texas-made film remains one of horror’s defining releases and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Some participating theaters are also advertising an exclusive first look at Chain Reactions, Alexandre O. Philippe’s documentary about the film’s cultural impact, featuring Stephen King, Patton Oswalt, Karyn Kusama, Takashi Miike and Alexandra Heller-Nicholas. Confirm that bonus with the individual theater listing before promising it to readers.

Tickets and participating locations are available through Fathom Entertainment. Because this is a one-night event, readers should check local availability and showtimes before heading out.

What We Think

Few movies are more inseparable from Texas horror than The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Seeing Hooper’s film with an audience is a very different experience from watching it at home, and the one-night window makes this worth checking immediately.

I first watched The Texas Chain Saw Massacre as a kid with my brother and cousins, and it terrified me. It was never one of my favorite franchises growing up because its gritty, brutal, real-world horror felt so different from the fantastical world of Freddy Krueger that I loved so much.

I came to appreciate the films much more later in life, especially after revisiting the entire franchise and meeting director Tobe Hooper. I had the opportunity to spend a few hours talking with him about making the original film. He was a generous, sweet man which was the complete opposite of the horrific world he created onscreen. That experience gave me an entirely new appreciation for both Hooper and the movie.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre Day Trailer

Sources: Fathom Entertainment