BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Texas Massacre tops horror poll
A remake of the film was released in 2004
The gory classic topped a poll by movie magazine Total Film.
Made for just $140,000 US dollars, it is based on the exploits of real-life serial killer Ed Gein and stars Gunnar Hansen as the axe-wielding Leatherface.
"The only thing more terrifying than the opening 50 minutes of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is the last 30," the magazine said.
The movie was refused a certificate for many years for its depiction of violence and was one of the original crop of films termed a "video nasty".
Halloween, starring Jamie Lee Curtis, was second in the list while third was 1970s Italian shocker Suspiria, followed by Dawn of the Dead and The Shining.
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TOP HORROR 1. Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) 2. Halloween (1978) 3. Suspiria (1977) 4. Dawn of the Dead (1978) 5. The Shining (1980) 6. Psycho (1960) 7. The Wicker Man (1973) 8. Rosemary's Baby (1968) 9. Don't Look Now (1973) 10. Cannibal Holocaust (1980) |
Alfred Hitchcock classic Psycho is at number six, ahead of cut British classic horror The Wicker Man.
The 1970s proved the best era for horror - six of the top 10 films came from that decade.
Total Film said: "Some are terrifying, some are horrifying, some are just plain gross. But all make up the greatest horror movies of all time."
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