10 Most Messed Up Horror Movie Families

by Andrew Pollard

1. The Sawyer Family - The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Sawyer Family The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Bryanston Distributing Company

It would be impossible to pen some words on the horror genre's most twisted families and not make any form of mention of the infamous Sawyer family at the centre of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and the subsequent franchise that Tobe Hooper's 1974 movie spawned.

Not just would it be impossible to not make reference to the Sawyers, it would also be a tough ask to not place them in the top spot here.

Leatherface may often be the one taking centre-stage, yet the Sawyer family as a whole have appeared across eight movies to date, not to mention countless books, comics and even video games. Given how the very premise of that first Chain Saw - later tweaked as Chainsaw - offering pulled inspiration from the real-life atrocities carried out by Ed Gein, it's easy to see why the franchise's family is one forever associated with true terror.

While the different timelines and canon of the property have thrown up numerous Sawyer family members, the main names of the clan are usually viewed as Bubba/Junior/Leatherface, Drayton the cook, Nubbins the hitchhiker, Vietnam vet Chop-Top, and the ever-gummy Grandpa.

It doesn't particularly need explaining why the Sawyers rank so highly here, with the whole murder, cannibalism and carving furniture out of people's f**king bones more than enough to warrant their inclusion.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.