The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Released by Waxwork Records, 2025
14 Tracks with a Total Running Time of 40 min.
Composed and performed by Tobe Hooper and Wayne Bell

I have quite a few soundtracks that are not what most would call “music” but just ambiance sounds, rather than a melody or any type of music. They can range from vibrating elements to loud and quick bangs or clanking, to just different notes being played for a long time to build up that uneasy feeling it might cause, or any kind of feeling. Some of these are highly effective, especially when viewed with the actual film they are from. A lot of the times, you never even notice it because it is so subdued, it is almost like white noise but can help get under your skin. Listening to them by themselves though, sometimes can lose the impact it has as the film score.

When Waxwork Records announced they would be releasing on CD for the first time, the original score for the infamous Texas Chain Saw Massacre, I immediately pre-ordered it. I mean, I collect horror movie soundtracks but more importantly, it’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre! Once it arrived and realized that it was just a soundscape of noises and sounds from the movie, I was a little disappointed but figured it would still be nice to have. Then I started to listen to it while I was doing some other things in my office.

About halfway through the score, without really actively listening to the score, I realized that I was feeling a little uneasy, nervous, or even anxious. Then it hit me. It’s the sounds coming from the score. I have seen TCM so many times, in the theater, the drive-in, and in my own home, from VHS, to laserdisc, DVD, to Blu-ray. So, the sounds we’re hearing in the background of the film are pretty much ingrained in my subconscious, so while listening to it, even though I wasn’t watching the movie, I could feel it.

Yes, you do hear the famous stingers that we hear in the very beginning of the film while the Hitchhiker is making his corpse sculptures, but there is so much more. Track 6, Menace Medley, has a slight vibration sound, almost like the noise from the generator we hear outside the house, but slightly different, and like it’s off in the distance. We hear it again in the next track, Jerry X, interspersed with screeches and stingers to jolt the audience. Which it does, even in just the audio version!

If you’re a big fan of this movie and like soundtracks, this really is a must. But I bet you’ll be surprised to find how much you’ll feel this score, more than hear it. Great stuff here.

You can still order your copy from Waxwork Records by clicking HERE.