The Texas Horror Movies That We Love
These absolute creepers were shot in and/or take place in The Lone Star State
Although an excellent argument can be made that 2023 Texas is a pretty goddamn terrifying horror movie in its own right, for purposes of this piece I’m going to be highlighting the best/coolest/most memorable scary movies that are set in Texas and/or were shot here. (Note: I’m pretending that Rob Zombie the filmmaker doesn’t exist, which makes the world a better place.)
So sit back, turn the lights down, and lock your doors and windows, because the offerings on this list are ready to make all y’all sleep with one eye open.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974): Brutal, grisly, and iconic, this classic filmed in and around Austin in the Summer of ‘73 on a shoestring budget (and helmed by Tobe Hooper) is the cornerstone of this list. The weather was stiflingly hot, the actor and crew pay was poor, the shooting days were often 18 hours long, and the end result was an all-timer: A grimy, claustrophobic revelation in modern horror, that spawned numerous sequels/reboots/imitators, all inferior to the original.
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996): While perhaps not a critical darling, this Quentin Tarantino written, Robert Rodriguez directed powerhouse is nonetheless a wild, feverish, and often hilarious vampire horror roller coaster—a perfectly paced crowd-pleaser that winks at itself on the regular. Despite the fact that it was shot in Washington (?), you’ll always leave it feeling like you took a double shot of tequila with a chaser of cocaine (whatever that’s like) in a grimy, dusty Mexican saloon just across the Texas border.
The Faculty (1998): Shot by Rodriguez all across Austin in the spring and summer of 1998, and featuring everyone’s favorite scooter rider, Elijah Wood, this popcorn movie alien takeover whodunit leaves you guessing until the end, and also sometimes pointing at the screen at something, or some place, that you recognize. Despite Usher not having as big a role as the promotional posters promised, and the character archetypes socking you in the nose a bit, the cast has great chemistry and story is fun and surprisingly taut. A recent 25 year anniversary event at the Paramount featuring Rodriguez and his hat was reportedly a very cool time.
Frailty (2002): Filmed in California, but set in the Piney Woods of East Texas, this Bill Paxton-directed supernatural/noir horror tour-de-force stars Paxton and Matthew McConaughey in an atmospheric and genuinely horrifying Texas tale of a father enlisting his kids’ help to slay what he believes to be demons on Earth. With a dual timeline providing more twists than a State Fair Tilt-a-Whirl, it milks its Texas setting like a dairy farmer on a meth bender and leaves you wanting to re-watch it immediately after finishing to try and put the pieces together that you missed the first time around.
Death Proof: (2007): Even Tarantino’s worst movie is still pretty goddamn entertaining and is an extra joy to watch for Austin folk who will recognize several iconic shooting locations, like the Texas Chili Parlor (exteriors only, but a set was built to simulate the interior). A twin-timeline (and sometimes too talky) story of a serial killer called “Stuntman Mike” who hunts young women with his retrofitted “Death Proof” car, this film still packs an adrenaline-fueled punch, especially in its feverish 3rd act where Mike may or may not meet a fitting, cathartic ending. Trigger Warning: this is Tarantino, so there will be gratuitous feet.
Friday the 13th (2009): While many purists (read: total nerds) hated this reboot movie, apparently because it was superior in every way to all of the other films in the series, it’s hard to deny that its updated tale of iconic slasher Jason Voorhees hunting a new group of 95 IQ young people (except for the intuitive Clay Miller, played by Austin’s own Jared Padalecki) isn’t entertaining. It absolutely is, and the look and feel are both spot on. Filmed in Austin, Round Rock, Wimberley, and Bastrop in the sweltering Summer of 2008, this underrated movie oozes Texas vibes, while delivering really solid (if not a bit predictable) scares.
X (2022): A spiritual sequel to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre in much of its look and feel, this gritty, beautiful, slow-burn piece of horror cinema has already spawned two sequels in just over a year after its release, which is amazing. Set in rural Texas, but filmed in New Zealand (?), this movie follows a doomed group of porn film principals who pick the wrong out-of-the-way shack to rent for their new production. Mia Goth is mesmerizing in the dual role of Maxine/Pearl, and while gritty as all hell, the film never feels exploitive. Not an easy watch, but well worth the time.
I was at both the original Faculty premiere at the Paramount and the 25 year anniversary. It was indeed a very cool time. I'm pretty sure Death Proof also features the front of Gueros and Magnolia Lake Austin (RIP). I remember seeing that at the Alamo S Lamar in its former incarnation in the shopping center when it still had the massive parking lot and single story 50s store fronts and they incorporated more of the Grindhouse (Death Proof / Terror Planet) related items into the theater. That was around 2007? The year that Austin really hit the inflection point that 15 years later turned Austin into not Austin anymore. I can't remember if Terror Planet had any local filming locations. Now I need to see Frailty and that Friday the 13th remake.