10 Movies That Used Your Imagination Against You

Tobe Hooper’s iconic 1974 horror is one of the grimmest, grittiest, and grisliest exploitation films ever made, and even now decades after its initial release the film is roundly considered to be one of the most terrifying cinematic experiences ever created.

What it isn’t, is a particularly violent movie, by any means.

Whilst comparable contemporaries such as The Last House On the Left and The Hills Have Eyes feature drawn-out and explicit depictions of extreme violence and torture, Leatherface’s onscreen debut actually features very little bloodletting. The film’s oppressive atmosphere largely manages to disguise this lack of gore, and the gruesome production design means the movie is still plenty disturbing.

But in terms of onscreen death, despite what you may think you recall, the movie only sees a handful of characters killed and most of their deaths are modestly bloody at best, and in many cases totally gore-free. We never see a meat hook poke into flesh during that scene, Leatherface drags the body way before one bloodless hammer hit, and aside from about two ounces, almost no blood is shed during the brutal ordeal.