The film opens at the Bagdad Cemetary in Leander, TX with the striking image of some decomposed corpses on a monument (a scene that was added after principal photography). The monument was specially made for the film and positioned at 30.576541, -97.869151 behind the tall and distinctive Charles C. Mason monument, which can be seen in the background. We return to the cemetery a short while later when the group arrives to check Sally's grandfathers grave. The road they drive along (Hero Way) has since been widened and the surrounding area has been significantly built up.
The only reference I could find to this location came from a texaschainsawmassacre.net interview with Paul Partain, who provides some essential information which in combination with reviewing some old imagery helped me find the exact spot. I believe the van stops in the area at 30.517710, -97.666213 (where Texas Tires Round Rock now is), with Franklin rolling down the hill towards what is now Brushy Creek Trail. Providing absolute confirmation is difficult as the surrounding area has changed completely since 1973 but I'm almost certain this is the correct location.
This location had remained elusive to fans for decades with no information online as to its whereabouts, which prompted hardcore Chainsaw fan Paul from Then & Now Movie Locations to reach out for my help to find it. After an exhaustive search I was finally able to uncover the location as a former Neuhoff Bros Packers feedlot, located just outside of Hillsboro, TX. The feeding troughs and some other equipment are still there but I'm unsure if the site is still in use. This scene was actually shot after principal photography, which probably explains why the location is nowhere near any of the others (about 126 miles away) and has not been found before.
For photos of this location I highly recommend visiting Then & Now Movie Locations.
The hitchiker gets picked up at approximately 30.538044, -97.563308 on Farm to Market 685 (now Chris Kelley Boulevard), which is just opposite Hutto High School. The surrounding area has been built up significantly since Chainsaw was filmed and now looks nothing like it did in the film. This road was also used extensively for the filming of the interior van scenes.
Credit to Then & Now Movie Locations for finding this location.
The hitchiker gets kicked out just 1.1 miles south of where he gets picked up, at approximately 30.5223777,-97.5693495 on FM 685. In the time since filming the road has been widened from two lanes to four, whilst the adjacent field (behind the hitchhiker) is now the home of a concrete or limestone producing business.
The gas station is located in Bastrop, TX and has been known by a few names since Chainsaw was filmed, including Ryan’s Hills Prairie Grocery and Bilbo's Texas Landmark. Currently the business is known as The Gas Station and sells BBQ under the name W.E Slaughter Barbecue, just like in the film. Fans will also find horror film merchandise for sale and even cabins available to rent.
Whilst portrayed in the film as being a distance from the family house, the grandparents house was actually located almost directly opposite on the original County Road 172 (of which only remnants still exist) at exactly 30.478433, -97.692547. After filming had completed the house sat unoccupied and subsequently burnt down in the late 1970's, leaving only limestone and some of the foundation present. In 2002 construction began on Texas State Highway 45, which now runs directly through the site where the house formerly stood.
Built in around 1909, this Victorian style house stood in Round Rock, TX back in 1973 (see the location below) when the lease holder Ron "Smokey" Isgur allowed the Chainsaw crew to film in it. Art Director Bob Burns transformed the interior into the macabre environment with blood, bones and animal carcasses. He also constructed a false doorway with the infamous sliding metal door, which led to the kitchen. In the post Chainsaw era the house remained in Round Rock, but then in 1998 it was moved to Kingsland, TX and renovated into a restaurant called The Kingsland Old Town Grill (as part of the Antlers Inn resort). Since then it has been known as The Four Bears Restaurant but is currently known as The Grand Central Cafe and it completely embraces its Chainsaw past.
The 'family house' originally stood on an area known as Quick Hill in Round Rock, at exactly 30.479299, -97.690994. At that time County Road 172 ran directly through Quick Hill between the 'family house' and the 'grandparents house', and was also the location of the film's ending, with Sally escaping and the infamous Leatherface dance. In the early 1990's a new County Road 172 was built slightly to the West (as it is now), leaving the original road gated off and abandoned. In 2002 construction then began on Texas State Highway 45 which cut straight through the old road, but fortunately left the site of the house and the driveway entrance at 30.478795, -97.692209 untouched. As of 2022 the road is still there (albeit in terrible condition) but rumours are that the land is to be redeveloped so Chainsaw fans should get out there before it is lost forever.
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