Come join us streaming tonight for a live-tweet of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Welcome to Now Streaming in Austin, highlighting locally-made movies to watch while self-quarantining.

Austin has always been a home to indie cinema, and that legacy began with a bunch of crazy UT grads, a house in the middle of nowhere, and a farm tool: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Tobe Hooper’s classic shocker about a bunch of college kids crossing paths with the wrong rural family in what is now suburban Round Rock is one of the definitive statements about the end of 1960s idealism as well as an oft-imitated, rarely-equaled horror masterpiece (read our cast-and-crew reunion interview for more on its cultural legacy, “Cowboys vs. Hippies: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Subtext“).

So tonight we’re all going to come together for a live tweet of this Austin-made masterpiece. Follow along on Twitter starting at 8pm Central, using the hashtag #NowScreamingInAustin.

There are plenty of options to watch along (not least the great restoration put out by Dark Sky on Blu-ray in time for the 40th anniversary) but right now horror specialists Shudder are offering a free 30-day trial subscription. Sign up at www.shudder.com with the promo code SHUTIN.

So we’ll see you online at 8pm Central tonight.

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The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

• Amazon Prime (Link)
• iTunes (Link)
• Shudder (Link)
• Tubi (Link)
• Vudu (Link)
• YouTube (Link)

Youtube video

This article appears in March 20 • 2020.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.