10 Things You Definitely Googled After Watching These Horror Films

3. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - Is This Based On A True Story?

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For anyone watching The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, it's largely a given that Tobe Hooper's game-changing 1974 movie is loosely based on real events.

The film itself doesn't give any specifics on this front, but once you've seen the antics of Leatherface and his twisted family in that movie, it's hard not to want to know a little more on just how much of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is based on fact and how much is purely fiction.

When looking into this matter, the depressing truth is that so much of what is seen in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is indeed based on real events - in particular, the horrors of this '74 picture are hugely influenced by the terrifying figure of Ed Gein.

Known by some as the Mad Butcher or the Butcher of Plainfield, Gein had a penchant for carrying out all kinds of hideous acts. Not just content on all-out murder, this sick f**ker also liked to dig up dead bodies and use human bones to craft items of furniture.

The overall plot of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is largely fiction, yet so many little nuances of the movie are inspired by Ed Gein - with Psycho and The Silence of the Lambs just two such other films that based elements of their tale on this deranged invidual.

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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.