In 1974, Tobe Hooper made The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a ruthless movie about Leatherface laying waste to an unlucky friend group. It has had a lasting legacy ever since - its production was even dramatized recently in the Ryan Murphy Netflix series Monster: The Ed Gein Story. (The real-life murderer reportedly inspired Leatherface.) In September 2025, the future of the horror franchise went up for sale as multiple companies bid to acquire the rights to the story.