The Texas Chain Saw Massacre retains the power to terrify almost a half-century after its 1974 release. There’s something about the casual brutality and violence in Tobe Hooper’s movie that sends a shiver up my spine, with the scene where a squealing Leatherface bashes a victim with a sledgehammer continuing to scare the absolute crap out of me. And then, of course, there’s the infamous ‘dinner’ scene, which has to go down in history as one of the grossest things ever committed to celluloid.
Now, however, courtesy of Kenny Caperton’s “On-Set Cinema,” this March you can enjoy The Texas Chain Saw Massacre inside the very house the movie was shot – including a sleepover. Here’s how he’s billing it:
“I will be setting up a TV inside the room where the infamous dining room scene took place and we’ll have a Texas Chain Saw-a-thon all night long! …we can watch the original on repeat, or the entire series from start to finish …OR just skip everything and watch The Next Generation over and over again. Fans will be able to hang out and sleep wherever they want inside the house …in the hallway where we first see Leatherface emerge from the doorway and smash Kirk in the head with the sledgehammer, or in the room that was filled with bones and chicken feathers discovered by Pam just before she gets snatched up and hung on the hook, or even upstairs where Sally finds Grandpa in the rocking chair. There will also be games (horror games, board games, video games, etc) and of course a BBQ dinner with headcheese on the side! So fill up your chainsaws and get ready to join the family!”
If you’re remembering the dilapidated, crumbling and out-of-the-way house from the movie, you’d be forgiven for wondering why anyone would spend a single second longer there than necessary. However, in 1998, it was decided that the property should be conserved, so it was cut into six pieces (very possibly with a chainsaw), moved to a new location and completely refurbished.
It’s now the host of the Grand Central Cafe and sits as part of the ‘hotel and railroad district’ in Kingsland, Texas. But just because it’s been moved and refurbished doesn’t mean it won’t contain some of the same scares. The room layout remains the same, so fans of the movie will be able to retrace the steps of the film’s victims and try to find a spot to rest peacefully amongst the nightmares.
The whole experience costs $475, which includes games, movie showings, BBQ dinner, drinks, snacks and an On Set Cinema event goodie bag. It doesn’t include sleeping arrangements though, so you must bring your own blankets, pillows and/or air mattresses. It’s also very exclusive, with only 26 spots available over the 29th and 30th of March. If you’re a diehard Texas Chain Saw Massacre fan though, this very well could be the night of your dreams.
