Artwork for podcast The Room Went Dark
Did Ed Gein Inspire Leatherface? Texas Chainsaw Massacre vs Real Life
18th February 2026 • The Room Went Dark • Amalie & Lorraine
00:00:00 00:51:34

Share Episode

Shownotes

Is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) based on the real crimes of Ed Gein? And did the film accurately portray his murders?

In Part 2 of our Ed Gein series, Amalie and Lorraine examine how Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was inspired by one of America’s most infamous killers.

While the film presents Leatherface as a chainsaw-wielding mass murderer, the real Ed Gein’s crimes were very different — and in many ways, even more disturbing.

In this episode, we explore:

  1. What Ed Gein actually did
  2. Whether Gein committed the murders shown in the film
  3. How Leatherface was inspired by Gein
  4. What the movie changed or exaggerated

If you’re interested in true crime films, horror movies based on real events, and the accuracy of movies inspired by serial killers, this episode breaks down the real story behind The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Thank you for listening and please rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Let us know your thoughts by contacting us on one of the following:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theroomwentdark_

Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theroomwentdark

Email - theroomwentdark@gmail.com

Music:

Track: Caverns Of Madness -

Artist: Darren Curtis

https://www.darrencurtismusic.com/

Links

Chapters

Video

More from YouTube