Original subtitles

This indictment is only one of a series

to be handed down as a result of a special grand jury investigation.

Grave robbing in Texas is this hour's top news story.

An informant led officers of the Muerto County Sheriff department to a cemetery

just outside the small rural Texas community of Newt early this morning.

Officers there discovered what appeared to be a grisly work of art:

the remains of a badly decomposed body wired to a large monument.

A second body was found in a ditch near the perimeter of the cemetery.

Subsequent investigation has revealed at least a dozen empty crypts

and it's feared more will turn up as the probe continues.

Deputies report that in some instances

only parts of a corpse had been removed,

the head or in some cases the extremities removed,

the remainder of the corpse left intact.

Evidence indicates the robberies have occurred over a period of time.

Sheriff Jesus Maldonado refused to give details of the ghoulish case

and said only that he did have strong evidence

linking the crime to elements outside the state.

Area residents have reportedly converged on the cemetery,

fearing the remains of relatives have been removed.

No suspects are in custody as the investigation at the scene continues.

♪ percussion throughout credits

♪ percussion fades

Franklin!

Are you OK?

OK.

This heat is just drivin' me crazy. I don't know if I can take much more.

'The condition of retrogradation is contrary or inharmonious...

'to the regular direction of actual movement in the zodiac

'and is, in that respect, evil.

When malefic planets are in retrograde - and Saturn's malefic, OK -

'their malefis is increased.'

Have you been doing those Readers Digest word power columns again?

Jerry, it just means Saturn's a bad influence.

It's just particularly bad influence now because it's in retrograde.

Hey man, you believe all that stuff your old lady's hawking me?

I don't know.

My granddaddy's buried here. Can we find out if anything happened to him?

Honey, that big heavy fella standing with that flashlight in his hand.

That's the sheriff. You go tell him your granddaddy is buried in there.

- He'll let you in. - Thank you.

I'm gonna run off with the girl a minute. You don't mind, do you?

Hey folks, let us through. This girl's granddaddy's buried here.

Things happen here about they don't tell about.

I see things.

You see, they say it's just an old man... talking.

You laugh at an old man.

There's them that laughs and knows better.

Yes, they're sure.

The man said that the tail of the grave had been dug up.

Franklin, don't worry. I saw it myself.

It didn't look dug up to me.

♪ country music on radio

What's that?

What smells?

What is that stench?

Roll up the window.

Hey!

That's the old slaughterhouse.

That's where Grandpa used to sell his cattle.

We got an uncle that works at one of those places outside of Fort Worth.

You see those buildings there? That's where they kill 'em.

They bash 'em in the head with a big sledgehammer!

Oh, that's awful.

It usually wouldn't kill 'em on the first leg.

They'd start squealin' and freakin' out and everything.

They'd have to come and bash 'em 2 or 3 times and sometimes it wouldn't kill 'em.

They'd skin 'em sometimes even before they were even dead.

That's horrible! People shouldn't kill animals for food.

They don't do it like that any more.

Now they get this big air gun that shoots a bolt into their skull and then retracts it

It's just 'boom! Shhhp!'

Franklin, I like meat, please change the subject.

Sally, that's terrible it's still going on.

Oh, man! It's hot in here.

Hitchhiker!

Shall we pick him up?

Yeah man, pick him up. He'll asphyxiate out there!

What does he look like?

The son of a bitch is gonna smell just like a slaughterhouse.

Give the guy a break. He can sit by Franklin.

What do you wanna do?

Oh, he's weird looking. No!

I think we just picked up dracula.

Where you headed, man?

South.

You work at that place?

Oh, no.

How d'you get stuck way out here?

I... I was at the slaughterhouse.

I got an uncle that works at the slaughterhouse.

M... my brother worked there.

My... my grandfather too.

My family's always been in meat.

The whole family are draculas.

Hey man, d'you go in that slaughter room or whatever they call it?

The place where they shoot the cattle in the head with that big air gun thing?

That... that gun's no good.

I was in there once with my uncle.

The old way... with the sledge!

See, that was better. They died better that way.

How come? I thought the gun was better.

Oh no.

With the new way people were put out of jobs.

You do that?

Look!

I was the killer!

Let me see 'em.

They don't send the heads away.

You took these?

Yeah!

Franklin.

See, they make head cheese.

They take the head and they boil, except for the tongue,

and they scrape all the flesh away from the bone.

They use everything. They don't throw nothing away.

They use the jowls, muscles, and the eyes, and the ligaments and everything!

Look at this.

The nose and the gums and all the flesh and they boil it down to a big jelly of fat.

I didn't know that's what was in that stuff.

It's really good. You like it?

Yeah, I like it. It's good!

It sounds horrible. Can't we talk about something else?

You'd probably like it if you didn't know what was in it.

No I wouldn't and I wish you'd stop talking about it.

Oh Franklin, you're making everybody sick.

♪ radio still playing country music

What are you doing?

Put that knife up.

Oh, come on!

What are you doing to yourself?

How can you do that?

Put the knife back.

I have this knife.

Put that away, too.

It's a good knife.

I'm sure it is, man. Put it up.

He took my picture!

Hey, you could take me to my house. I live right off this road.

I don't know, man. We're in pretty much of a hurry.

How close is it?

It's real close.

Couldn't you just walk? I mean... if it's so close.

You could have dinner with us.

You like head cheese. My brother makes it real good. You'll like it.

I think we'd better push on, man. Don't you, Jerry?

Yeah, I'm sorry...

It didn't turn out so good.

It's a nice picture. You can pay me now.

Huh?

Two dollars. It's a good picture.

No, man. Franklin, give him back the damn picture.

He thinks we'll pay him for that picture.

- You're kidding! - No, I'm serious!

Oh my arm.

I'm about to freak. Calling a cop.

That's the last goddamn hitchhiker I ever pick up.

Hey! Listen to Franklin's horoscope.

'Travel, long range plans and upsetting persons around you

'could make this a disturbing and unpredictable day.

'The events in the world are not doing much either to cheer one up.'

That's just perfect!

- Franklin, I think that'll be all right. - Pam, read Sally's.

She's Capricorn.

Oh, no.

Capricorn's ruled by Saturn.

'There are moments when we cannot believe

'that what is happening is really true.

'Pinch yourself and you may find out that it is.'

♪ country music

Hurry up. Time to get home.

Here comes somebody.

How are you?

Would you fill her up, please?

I got no gas.

You're out of gas?

My tank's empty. Transport won't be here until late this afternoon.

Maybe not even until tomorrow morning.

Hey, you know where the old Franklin place is?

The old Franklin place?

Yup. It's an old two-storey rock house and it's sitting up on a hill.

I think you have to turn on that road back there, but I'm not real sure.

Yeah, maybe I've seen something like that up that way.

Well look, you boys don't wanna go messing around an old house.

Those things is dangerous, you're liable to get hurt.

We'll be careful.

You don't wanna go fooling around other folk's property.

Some folks don't like it and they don't mind showin' ya.

My father owns it.

That's your daddy's place, huh?

Yeah.

Look... I got some good barbecue here.

Why don't you fellas stick around here a while?

The transport'll be by in a little while.

You wanna get some barbecue?

Them girls, they don't wanna go messing around an old house.

Best you stick around here.

We should've asked him if there's another gas station around.

Don't you think he would have told us if there was?

It wouldn't hurt to ask, you know?

OK, I'll go ask.

Dammit the hell we should have stopped back there for gas.

Press it, it won't go down, press it. There.

You think this place has room service?

Franklin, you maniac you're cutting the van!

Yeah, I just start doing that.

Hey, I bet this is some of that guy's blood.

Look at that.

Think that's blood?

Yeah, I guess so.

That's blood, all right. And that guy cut the hell out of himself.

You think you could do that to yourself?

Like crazy?

Yeah.

It takes something, though, I mean, just to do that to yourself like he did. God!

D'you think I said something made him mad?

- What? - Franklin, you're crazier than he was.

Hey, I got us some barbecue.

Newt's the closest place to get gas.

We're going out to Grandpa's place, aren't we?

There's a creek, you could go swimmin'.

Let's go, c'mon!

Come on, Sally, we're goin' out to Grandpa's place!

Let's go.

Hey, that guy smeared blood all over the van.

Looks like he was trying to write something.

What? What did he do? He write somethin' on the van?

Let me see your knife.

Thank you.

Franklin, if we run out of gas before we get back to that service station,

you're towing us back in your chair.

Hey...

you think that guy was just trying to scare us by blowing up my picture like that?

Oh, I wish they hadn't let the place fall apart.

Watch out, this side.

I wanna see the smear that guy made.

That's weird...

Wonder if that means something.

It's the mark of Zorro. He's gonna getcha.

- Kirk, why don't you wash it off? - Jerry, come on.

I wanna show you the inside.

- Jerry! - OK.

Hey, wait a minute. Wait a minute.

Come on, Kirk.

Here, man, you wash it off.

You don't think that guy is trying to follow us, do you?

What for?

Where's my knife?

- Kirk?

Looks like it must have been a nursery room.

This was my room. I got to stay here once when I was 8 years old.

Right after my grandmother died.

What happened?

- What happened to my grandmother? - Yeah... she died!

What do you think of the wallpaper?

I think it's seen some better days personally.

These animals used to talk me asleep when I was a little kid.

Look at the zebra, see? I had this fascination for the zebras.

Sally?

Sally!

'Come on, Franklin! It's gonna be a fun trip.'

If I have any more fun today, I don't think I'm gonna be able to take it!

Agh! Ow!

- Hey, Franklin! - Franklin, what's wrong?

Didn't you say there was a swimming hole around here?

Yeah.

Well, Pam and I would like to go swimming, man.

There used to be a trail down between those two old sheds.

Come on, we'll find it.

Are Jerry and Sally going?

No, we'll see you in an hour or so.

Yeah. See ya in about an hour or so.

Sally?

Sal--

Sally!

Zero in the world.

Just shoot him. Put us out of our misery.

- Snakes! There's spiders! Scorpions! - Stop it!

Man-eating lizards!

Kirk, help! Oh!

Crap!

This must be it!

Are you OK?

How the hell did Franklin ever get down here anyway?

Somebody must have carried him when he was little.

Franklin never was little.

Gasoline!

I can leave him my guitar, you know, give him a couple of bucks.

We gotta come back by here anyway,

I can pick up my guitar, give him a couple more dollars and bring him back some gas.

They don't want your guitar, they're not gonna want to sell us some gas.

Let's just go back now.

Hey, come here!

Come here and look at this.

A generator!

What?

A generator! For electricity!

Hello in there! Is anybody here?

Hello! Is anybody home?

I got something for you.

Agh!

Let's go!

Hello?

Hello?

Hello?

- Hey Pam, come look at this! - Let's go!

Hello!

Is anybody home?

Hello?

Hey, Pam!

Hello!

Kirk!

Kirk!

Kirk?

Kirk?

Kirk!

Kirk?

Kirk?

Oh, Kirk!

He's gonna get you, Franklin. He's coming to get you!

You don't think it means anything?

We'll protect you if he tries to get you.

I'll bet it's about me.

He's gonna kill you, Franklin.

It probably doesn't mean anything, huh?

You worry too much.

Well, he couldn't find us, anyway. He doesn't even know our names.

I gave him your name, Franklin. I told him where you live.

I even gave him your zip code.

- He's gonna kill you. - Jerry.

What are you doing?

I can't find my knife.

That knife won't do you any good. He likes that knife, remember?

When did you have it last?

I didn't have it last. You had it last.

I gave it to you, remember? What d'you do with it?

I don't know. Didn't I give it back to you?

No, I didn't have it when I got out of the van.

You just never gave it back to me.

All right, I'll look for it.

Listen, I think I'll walk down to the creek before it gets too dark.

How do I get there, Franklin?

Well, there's a trail down there, between them two old sheds.

Can I go too?

I think you'd better stay here.

All right.

I can't find it.

Are you mad at me?

No, I'm not mad at you.

You really are mad, huh?

I don't blame you.

Kirk!

You really didn't want me to come, did ya?

Oh, Franklin, I'm just tired. It's been a long day.

Sally, did you believe in all that stuff Pam was telling about?

Saturn and retrograde, and all that?

I don't know.

Everything means something, I guess.

You don't think that guy'll try and follow us, do you?

I mean, there's no way that he could follow us.

He's probably afraid Kirk will kill him.

Sally...

What now?

Nothing.

Never mind.

Kirk!

Hello?

Is anybody home?

Excuse me, I'm looking for some friends.

Hello?

Is anybody here?

Damn.

Kirk?

Are you guys in there?

Hey, guys! Quit playing games. Quit goofing on me.

Pam, is that you?

OK, you guys!

Come on out.

Come on!

Kirk?

They must be lost. They don't have a flashlight or anything.

If they're not back in a minute, we've got to go look for them.

What if we get lost, too?

Sally, we ought to go to that gas station and get help.

I'm not leaving here without Jerry.

Jerry!

- Jerry! - Jerry!

Je --- rry!

- Jerry! - Jerry!

Hey!

They'll probably be back in a minute or so.

Sally, we ought to go to that gas station.

Sally...

I think we ought to go.

Are the keys in the van?

Could I see the flashlight for a minute?

What for?

Franklin, let me see the flashlight.

I'm gonna go look for them. You don't have to go.

Sally, don't go. I don't think that's a good idea, Sally.

I don't think you ought to go.

Look, I'm gonna honk the horn one more time.

Just give me the flashlight.

No, I'm gonna honk the horn...

and we're gonna wait a minute, and then if they don't come we'll go.

All right?

Sally, they took the keys! We don't have any keys!

They took the keys!

Stop it! Stop it!

- Franklin, give me the flashlight! - Jerry took the keys with him.

No, Sally, we can't go. What if they came back and we weren't here?

- Franklin, give me that flashlight! - I'll keep the flashlight!

- I'm gonna go look for them. - All right! All right!

I'll go with you. I'll go with you, all right.

No, Sally, I'll go with you, but I'll keep the flashlight.

- Give me the flashlight! - Look, I'll go with you.

I can't push you down the hill.

Sally, look... ow!

- Look, I'll go with you... - Never mind, I'll go without it.

All right, all right. Sally, wait!

Sally, wait a minute. I'm coming with you.

Sally! Hold up a minute now.

All right, let's go.

Let's go, I'll go with you.

Sally, I can't keep up with you!

Sally!

Sally, wait a minute!

Hold on!

Jerry!

Jerry!

Jerry!

Jerry!

- Jerry! - Jerry!

I thought I heard something.

There's a light!

- Yeah? - Yeah.

- It looks like a house. - Come on, push!

It's a house!

Yeah? I can't see it very well.

Oh Franklin, this is impossible.

Come on, Sally!

Get back and push, damn!

It's impossible!

I heard something out there!

Look!

Hey, Jerry!

- Jerry! - Jerry!

Sally, I hear something. Stop! Stop!

Aggghhhhh!

Somebody please!

Somebody help me!

Help!

Help! Please, please help me.

Please!

Help me! Help me!

Oh God, help! Help! Close the door.

Whoa! Whoa!

Come over here!

You're all right, girl, hey.

OK. Hold on, take it easy.

Call the police please.

He killed...

- Take it easy. - He killed Franklin.

I don't know. Call the police!

Jerry!

I don't know what happened to the others.

There's nobody out there now!

Take it easy! Take it easy!

What happened?

- Call the police. - There's no phone here.

We have to drive over to Childress.

Take it easy. Take it easy.

I'll get the truck.

- Take it easy. Take it easy. - Don't go! Don't go!

The area weather is expected to continue warm and clear

and partly cloudy through tomorrow with no chance of precipitation.

Highs in the upper 90s.

Expected low tonight of 81 °.

Our current temperature is 96

with wind out to the southeast at 3 miles an hour.

Humidity 98, barometer 29.9 and rising.

Acting on a tip, the Muerto County sheriff's office began an investigation

early this morning in the Muerto County Cemetery.

Opening crypts and mausoleums where there was evidence of tampering,

the sheriff's deputies found a reported dozen coffins

robbed of all or part of their contents.

According to sheriff Jesus Maldonado,

there were instances from which only the extremities were removed,

and others in which only a hand or foot is removed,

with the remainder of the cadaver left intact.

What are you doing?

- No need to worry. - No!

You just cooperate, young lady and we'll have no trouble.

- What do you want? - There's no need to do that...

Nobody's gonna hurt you.

♪ country music continues on radio

I had to lock up and get the lights.

The cost of electricity is enough to drive a man out of business.

I hope you're not too uncomfortable down there.

You have nothing to worry about. You just take it easy.

We're gonna be there soon.

Now, now, now.

There's no need to do that.

We'll be over this in a bit now.

Hang on.

Halfwit!

Come here, you mop-haired idiot. Why are you there?

I've been out on the road.

You damn fool, you almost got caught over at Newt.

Na. No, they didn't see me. They don't know nothin'.

I told you to stay away from that graveyard.

I told you.

I told you never to leave your brother alone, you...

Get out here and get that girl out of the car.

Get her out. Get her out of the car.

I hope that your brother didn't let any of those kids get away.

Look what your brother did to that door!

You better get back down there.

I thought you was in a hurry.

Where are the kids? Where are the children?

All of them get away?

Are you sure?

You...

You damn fool! You ruined the door!

Hey, you did good! See how nice she looks!

You get upstairs and get your grandpa!

Young lady, you just take it easy there now.

We'll fetch you some supper in a few minutes, huh?

Get back in there!

Get in there!

You just take it easy.

- Take it easy.

We'll have something to eat right away.

Hey, Leatherface.

Give me a hand with Grandpa!

Look, Grandpa! Look!

Shut up!

Quiet! You act like a pack of hounds.

We were just having fun!

You think this is a party?

Please!

You can make them stop!

No shit?

Shut your mouth!

Can't be helped, young lady.

Oh please! You can't let them kill me!

You like this face?

You're crazy! You gotta make him stop!

Please...

He's just a cook!

Shut up, you bitch hog!

Me and Leatherface do all the work.

He don't like it. Ain't that right? You're just a cook!

Shut your mouth!

You don't understand nothing.

I understand you ain't nothing! Me and him do all the work!

I just can't take no pleasure in killin'.

Just some things you gotta do. Don't mean you have to like it.

Please...

Please...

I'll do... I'll do anything you want.

No need to torture the poor girl.

You just shut up. Remember you're just a cook.

And me and him'll handle this.

Get on with it. I won't have this.

We ain't in no hurry, and you ain't going no place.

You hurry. I thought you were gonna do it.

No sense in waiting.

I've been thinking about letting Grandpa have some fun.

You always said he's the best.

He's the best all right.

Let's let him have whack.

Hey Grandpa, we're gonna let you have this one!

Let's learn how to whack.

You just hush. It won't hurt none.

My old grandpa's the best killer there ever was.

I never took more than one lick they say.

I did 60 in 5 minutes once.

Say, coulda done more

if the hook and pull gang coulda gotten the beaves out of the way faster.

Now don't you cry, now.

Grandpa's the best. It won't hurt a bit.

No!

No!

No! No! No! No!

No!

Please! Don't! Please! Please!

Please don't! No!

No!

Hit her, Grandpa!

Here Grandpa!

Here, c'mon Grandpa!

Hit her!

Hit that bitch!

Go ahead! Go ahead! Get her!

C'mon!

Give me the hammer! I'll get her.

Get her, Grandpa!

Give me the hammer.

I'll kill her. Let me get her.