10 Horror Movie Theories That Change Everything

This theory doesn't stretch the imagination too much, given the film's nasty subject matter and emphasis on barbaric slaughter, but it does make you look at it in a different light.

The film follows a group of college students who, like literal lambs to the slaughter, stumble into an unassuming Texas country house that also doubles as the murder capital of the state. One by one, they fall victim to the deranged family who live there, whose methods include bludgeoning with hammers, carving up with sharp objects and suspending from meat hooks.

All of which were common methods utilised in slaughterhouses.

If that was too subtle, then the constant motifs of butchery, animal carcasses and the consumption of human flesh more than hammer home the message. The use of animalistic squeals that accompany many of the murders also plays into this, highlighting the sheer terror that animals confined in slaughterhouses must feel.

Sure, the film can be viewed purely on a surface level as just another horror film, but when taking these factors into the account, it does add to the film's already queasy feel and might even make you think twice about that fat, juicy steak in your fridge.