An iconic slasher horror movie from the ‘70s is leaving Netflix later this month. Despite being more than five decades old, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has retained its cultural impact and has spawned several sequels, video games, and a novel.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is leaving Netflix this month
The fan-favorite 1974 slasher horror classic is leaving Netflix’s movie and TV show library soon.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre will exit the streaming platform on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, per Tudum. Hence, viewers have ten days to watch it.
The film follows siblings Sally and Franklin, who visit their grandfather’s cemetery with their friends, Franklin, Jerry, Pam, and Kirk, amid the rumors of vandalism in rural Texas. Later, their van runs out of gas, forcing them to seek refuge in a nearby abandoned home. To their horror, the group encounters Leatherface, a masked cannibal. He begins slaughtering them one by one, wielding a chainsaw as his signature tool.
Tobe Hooper directed the movie with a script he co-wrote with Kim Henkel. The movie stars Marilyn Burns as Sally, Paul A. Partain as Franklin, Allen Danziger as Jerry, Teri McMinn as Pam, William Vail as Kirk, and Gunnar Hansen as Leatherface.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre achieved a cult classic status over the years. It has an 85 percent Tomatometer and 82 percent Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes.
While the movie is highly celebrated, its journey to the theaters was not easy. Once it was filmed, Tobe Hooper struggled to find a distributor given the amount of violence in it. In an interview, he revealed that he had to dial back some of the gory scenes because he was trying to get a PG rating (via NPR).
Despite Hooper’s best efforts, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rated the film R. He also admitted that had he not aimed for a PG rating, his true vision for the movie would’ve received an X rating. Later, the Bryanston Distributing Company acquired the rights to distribute it.
Despite the R rating and several bans for its violence, the film earned nearly $30.9 million worldwide and $30.8 million in the domestic markets (via Box Office Mojo). Additionally, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre had a reported budget of roughly $140,0000, making it one of the most successful independent movies.
