10 Horror Movie Jump Scares That You NEVER Forget

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a truly a legend among contemporary horror films. Tobe Hooper's film is visceral, bleak, and uncompromising in ways that few films can hope to be. And its signature scene perfectly sets the tone for what  will happen to the victims of the twisted Sawyer family.

Stranded in - where else? - the vast wasteland of Texas, a group of young men and women seek aid when their car runs low on fuel. One of the individuals, Kirk, nervously approaches a large, seemingly empty homestead. A big mistake.

Entering from seemingly out of nowhere, the audience gets their first view of Leatherface. A hulking, imposing mute who is wearing flesh on his face: flesh that does not belong to him. Kirk doesn't have the chance to so much as utter a scream before his life is ended when Leatherface caves in his skull with a hammer. His body involuntarily convulsing on the ground, Kirk is pulled deeper into the house and a large sliding metal door is slammed shut.

This scare flies in the face of every horror trope. There's barely any rising tension. There's no moody musical accompaniment, and it happens in broad daylight. With a single immortal moment committed to film, Texas Chainsaw Massacre wanted its audience to know that for the rest of the film, nothing was sacred.