<P> The Texas Chain Saw Massacre premiered in Austin , Texas on October 1 , 1974 , almost a year after filming concluded . It screened nationally in the United States as a Saturday afternoon matinée and its false marketing as a `` true story '' helped it attract a broad audience . For eight years after 1976 , it was annually reissued to first - run theaters , promoted by full - page ads . The film eventually grossed more than $30 million in the United States and Canada ( $14.4 million in rentals ) , making it the 12th highest - grossing film initially released in 1974 , despite its minuscule budget . Among independent films , it was overtaken in 1978 by John Carpenter 's Halloween , which grossed $47 million . </P>
<P> The Texas Chain Saw Massacre premiered in Austin , Texas on October 1 , 1974 , almost a year after filming concluded . It screened nationally in the United States as a Saturday afternoon matinée and its false marketing as a `` true story '' helped it attract a broad audience . For eight years after 1976 , it was annually reissued to first - run theaters , promoted by full - page ads . The film eventually grossed more than $30 million in the United States and Canada ( $14.4 million in rentals ) , making it the 12th highest - grossing film initially released in 1974 , despite its minuscule budget . Among independent films , it was overtaken in 1978 by John Carpenter 's Halloween , which grossed $47 million . </P>
when did the original texas chainsaw massacre movie come out
when did the original texas chainsaw massacre movie come out
October 1 , 1974
October 1 , 1974