The Surprising Humor in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

      Is there a significant amount of humor associated with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre? Absolutely, my friend. Which institution did you escape from? No, seriously. There is indeed.

      Many enthusiasts of the original movie are aware that Gunnar Hansen, who portrayed Leatherface, inadvertently cut the lead actress during the infamous dinner scene, and the film used actual animal carcasses to adorn the Sawyer household as they couldn't locate any roadkill props. Additionally, due to the bizarre and frequently misleading Monsters season, many have learned that Ed Gein partially inspired the film (though not to the same extent as the series suggests).

      Some may also recognize that the "dinner party" scene was shot in a grueling 26-hour marathon under dreadful conditions. The windows were heavily draped to block out light, which, combined with the sweltering Texas heat and numerous lamps, created an excessively hot environment, possibly exceeding 100 degrees. One of the consequences of this stifling set? Many cast members ended up vomiting.

      Adding to the discomfort, director Tobe Hooper "encouraged" actors to skip bathing. As if the already unpleasant odors from the hanging animal carcasses weren't enough. While many of these details are already somewhat known and hardly "ha-ha" funny, there are lesser-known behind-the-scenes tidbits that are genuinely humorous, though some carry a macabre twist (surprise, right?). This author also has insights into a cast member's peculiar behavior years after the film's release.

      Few are aware of these anecdotes, likely because they have more productive pursuits than rifling through every memoir they can find. Nevertheless, you never know what curious facts you might discover—like in Kane Hodder’s memoir (famous for playing Jason Voorhees), where he admits to the tradition of urinating in the rooms of his fellow cast members. Not in the bathroom, but right there in the main area. What a prankster! But back to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

      Let’s address the substance use. Marijuana played a significant role on set during the film's production. It’s somewhat well-known among cinephiles that the movie's narrator, John Larroquette, was even compensated with weed. The film had a minuscule budget yet made a fortune, none of which made it to the cast—it's widely reported that most of the film's earnings went to the mob, who had helped finance it. Some individuals truly lack integrity.

      Tobe Hooper certainly didn’t win over the cast, who reportedly despised him for his penny-pinching methods, including purchasing actual skeletons from India. When subjected to high temperatures, these skeletons emitted a "foul odor" on set (more on Hooper's inventive filmmaking techniques later). Hooper also isolated the cast members. And yes, his advice for some of them to skip showers didn’t help at all.

      However, the cast did get lucky while shooting: they stumbled upon a large marijuana patch growing on the property, left by the most recent "hippie" tenants. Per Hansen’s memoir, Chain Saw Confidential: How We Made the World’s Most Notorious Horror Movie, they were allowed to partake in the crop but couldn’t take any off the premises. He also mentions that at this time in Texas, marijuana was classified as a felony. The sound man’s wife took full advantage of the cannabis crop, baking plenty of weed brownies for the crew. Did this alleviate some of the stress from the intense filming schedule and the sweltering house? Perhaps, but it might have helped if the cook had informed the crew about the marijuana in the brownies. Small details, right?

      Hansen recalls that before the scene where he breaks through the front door in pursuit of Sally—played by Marilyn Burns—he was so high that a friend remembered seeing him chant, "time has no meaning, time has no meaning, time has no meaning." Hansen also relayed that Dorothy "Dottie" Pearl, the makeup artist, commented, "We are all dead, and sitting in hell." Just more amusing high talk. If you want to observe the brownies' impact, watch the moment when Leatherface bursts through a door. The character pauses notably; that was not an actor's choice—Hansen was so inebriated he forgot what he was meant to do next. Ah, nothing like handling heavy machinery without realizing you're under the influence.

      Though there are some inconsistencies, Hansen claims in his memoir that he assumes "she told us that this [the brownies] was her special marijuana recipe." Furthermore, he states that it was the caterer, Sally Nicolaou, responsible for making the edibles. Complicating matters, some accounts suggest the edibles were given out on the last day of filming, while others (including Hansen) maintain they were often available. If Hansen was indeed aware of the marijuana content, one must wonder why he would willingly consume edibles before operating a chainsaw