The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise is one of the few film series whose name alone can make ugly people sick. It is impossible to consider this without encountering the blood, tendons and fortresses that break out of the weapon chosen by the Skinner, the cannibal killer who ties things together. The series’ extensive reputation was cemented by the 1974 microbuddy indie that marked the beginning of all of this, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, directed, produced and co-authored with horror legend Toby Hooper. Although the film was a hit in the box office, the sequel went at an amazing pace, often reconstructing, reconstructing, and revisiting details decades after the original. To celebrate the release of the new sequel to the original, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” Variety makes a rating of films in this turbulent and wildly uneven franchise.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise is one of the few film series whose name alone can make ugly people sick. It is impossible to consider this without encountering the blood, tendons and fortresses that break out of the weapon chosen by the Skinner, the cannibal killer who ties things together. The series’ extensive reputation was cemented by the 1974 microbuddy indie that marked the beginning of all of this, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, directed, produced and co-authored with horror legend Toby Hooper. Although the film was a hit in the box office, the sequel went at an amazing pace, often reconstructing, reconstructing, and revisiting details decades after the original. To celebrate the release of the new sequel to the original, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” Variety makes a rating of films in this turbulent and wildly uneven franchise.