<Tr> <Th> Budget </Th> <Td> $300,000 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> $30.9 million </Td> </Tr> <P> The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American horror film directed by Tobe Hooper and written and co-produced by Hooper and Kim Henkel . It stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow and Gunnar Hansen, who respectively 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 attract a wider audience and as 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 . </P> <P> Hooper produced the film for less than $300,000 ($1,500,000 adjusted for inflation) and used a cast of relatively unknown actors drawn mainly from central Texas, where the film was shot . The limited budget forced Hooper to film for long hours seven days a week, so that he could finish as quickly as possible and reduce equipment rental costs . Due to the film's violent content, Hooper struggled to find a distributor . Louis Perano of Bryanston Pictures eventually purchased the distribution rights . Hooper limited the quantity of onscreen gore in hopes of securing a PG rating, but the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rated it R . The film faced similar difficulties internationally . </P>

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