Release OrderRecommended
0 / 9 watchedRelease order, with group labels marking each continuity so the reboots do not confuse.
Original continuity
- 1 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Hooper's 1974 original. Low budget, high impact. The root of every branch.
- 2 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 Hooper's own sequel, played as black comedy. Direct follow-up to 1974.
- 3 Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III New Line's attempt to make Leatherface a Freddy-style star. Loose link to the first two.
- 4 Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation Early roles for Renee Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey. Treats prior sequels as minor incidents.
Platinum Dunes remake continuity
- 5 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Michael Bay-produced remake. Same setup as 1974, new story and family backstory.
- 6 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning Prequel to the 2003 film, set in 1969. Watch after the remake, not before.
Millennium alternate continuity
- 7 Texas Chainsaw 3D Direct sequel to the 1974 film that ignores the other sequels. Heather's age is a famous plot hole.
- 8 Leatherface Prequel to the 1974 film and 3D. Reveals its Leatherface only in the final act.
Legendary legacy sequel
- 9 Texas Chainsaw Massacre Set about 50 years after 1974 with an older Leatherface. Released on Netflix to weak reviews.
About Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Nine Texas Chainsaw films were released between 1974 and 2022 across at least four continuities. Tobe Hooper's original was followed by sequels, then Platinum Dunes remade it in 2003, then later films each rebooted from the 1974 film again. No single timeline holds all nine.
Release order is the recommended path, with the group labels flagging every continuity break. The clearest rule: the 2003 remake and its 2006 prequel form one pair, Texas Chainsaw 3D and Leatherface form another, and the 2022 film follows the 1974 original on its own terms.
Good to know
The 2022 Netflix film is the latest released entry. A24 won the franchise rights and announced a TV series from JT Mollner with Glen Powell producing, plus a separate film reimagining from Curry Barker (April 2026). Neither project has a date as of this check.
