‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ movie timeline fully explained

via New Line

6. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)

Because the 2005 remake had a budget of less than $10 million and pulled in over $100 million at the box office, New Line was quick to order another film. But with the way the first one ended, continuing with a sequel would have been rather difficult. So for the first time in the series, a prequel was conceived, this time setting the film before the first chainsaw massacre in 1973.

2006’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning has an opening narration that provides the loose time period of 1969 to 1973 as the setting. The opening events of the film show Leatherface as a baby being adopted in 1939, then fast forwarding 30 years later to 1969. That’s when Leatherface’s brother assumes the identity of the local sheriff after killing him. Sometime soon after, the events of this film take place (with the kids arriving to the home). Though it doesn’t say when, meaning it could be anywhere between ’69 to ’73 when these killings start.

The problem with prequels is that the endings can never surprise you. Of course, we knew that Leatherface and his family had to get away with the murders in this film to go on to commit the killings in the prior film. Possibly, that played a reason into the low box office performance of this entry, leading to TCM going back on the shelf.