The Texas Chain Saw Massacre [note 1] is a 1974 American horror film directed by Tobe Hooper and co-produced by Hooper and Kim Henkel . It stars Marilyn Burns , Paul A. Partain ,Edwin Neal , Jim Siedow and Gunnar Hansen , who are portray Sally Hardesty, Franklin Hardesty, the hitchhiker, the proprietor, and Leatherface. The film follows a group of friends who fall victim to a family of cannibals while on their way to visit an old homestead. Although it was marketed as a true story to a wider audience and a subtle commentary on the era’s political climate, its plot is entirely fictional; however, the character of Leatherface and minor plot details were inspired by the crimes of real-life murderer Ed Gein .