The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the most iconic horror movies ever made, but something happened behind-the-scenes that was far more terrifying than the film’s blood-thirsty villain
Real skeletons were used in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for a bizarre reason.
While filming for the 1974 horror film, production used real skeletons for the infamous dinner scene, which featured the massive prop hanging from the ceiling. It has been reported that back in the day, using real skeletons was a far cheaper option than purchasing a fake one.
Reportedly, art director Robert A. Burns searched high and low through the countryside in an attempt to find real animal corpses, including eight cows, three goats, two dogs, two deer, one chicken, a cat and an armadillo.
He said: “There were only about 10 plastic bones in the whole set.”
Over the years more shocking facts about the film’s behind-the-scenes process have come to light, including one seriously dangerous stunt. Leatherface’s first attack on Kirk, who can be seen wriggling around on the floor before being dragged away, was not completely fake.
The prop hammer was (luckily) made of foam, however actor Gunnar Hansen was not actually supposed to hurt William Vail at all. Hansen spoke about the incident and explained that he was “completely charged up on adrenaline”.
“So when Bill tripped and I stepped out of the shadows, I actually hit him in the face with the sledgehammer. I finished him off — not a direct blow this time — and picked him up to drag him out of the way.”
He then tossed Vail into a wall headfirst, which left horrified production manager Ron Bozman in a panic as he rushed to check on the actor.
Vail said: “He just saw the whole movie coming to an end because I had been crippled and I was going to sue, and I’ve broken my neck.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
