The 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' house and the haunting story it brings to Texas
The winding two lane roads in Texas farm country could lead you to some of the creepiest homes this side of the Mississippi, and one of the scariest.
"It's a pretty cool old house I can see why they would use it, it was scary." said JP Barrow, a Williamson County resident in the Austin area.
Scary just doesn't describe this aging mansion just outside of Austin built in 1854.
"That house has that look to it. It's very eery and it's surrounded by open corn fields." said Barrow.
If you haven't guessed why this house in the middle of nowhere looks so familiar - go back to 2003 and the remake of the classic horror film the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
The stately looking house was used as the fictional home where Leatherface and his family the Hewitt's hacked and hung human victims on meat hooks.
The house is still occupied by a real family and part of a working farm. Signs clearly state visitors on the property are not welcomed. Brochures on the gate remind people the Texas Chainsaw Massacre is not real and to respect their privacy.
"I worked on it years ago did some carpenter work and got it ready for the movie." said Barrow.
Barrow was a member of the film crew when producer Michael Bay came to Texas to remake the 1974 classic horror film.
The house was not used once but twice - again in 2006 for a prequel to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Because of that, neighbors say it has attracted people from around the country--a thorn in the side of the owner and neighbors of the creepy house.
"They want to take pictures I'm sure but the people who own the house they had too much publicity." said Barrow.
While the owners of the Chainsaw remake house shun visitors and publicity, the original Texas Chainsaw House moved from Round Rock to Kingsland welcomes fans of the movie.
"This house was actually built in 1909." said Sabrina Wills of Antlers Inn and Resort.
And this is where the horror started. The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre was filmed in this old Victorian farm house that has since been restored and turned into a restaurant and bar.
It sits smack dab in the middle of the Antlers Hotel and Resort.
"Sometimes when you're here in the morning by yourself you hear things upstairs you hear wine bottles moving and there's nothing up there." said Wills.
Haunted or not, there is still a lot to attract hundreds of fans from around the world each year to the house that started the Texas Chainsaw craze.
"It's funny seeing people eating in the dining room that know the movie and they're looking around like ok this is wild." said Wills.
Texas Chainsaw was a low budget film that became an iconic franchise spurning sequels and prequels with most of them shot right here in Texas, all at homes that have real character.
In fact, the Texas Chainsaw remake house was so popular with producer Michael Bay's team, that they came back again for a small little film called Transformers 4: Age of Extinction.
"His people called and said hey you remember that farm house we used in Texas Chainsaw...maybe a little less creepy but we want that farm house look." said Brian Gannon with the Austin Film Commission.
Houses all right here in Texas--houses that could leave you screaming at night with thoughts of a chainsaw wielding maniac and his cannibal family.