If you tell a person to think of a "chainsaw movie," the first thing that's going to come to mind the vast majority of the time is The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. It was a groundbreaking horror film from 1974 about a group of young people who were targeted by a cannibalistic family, with one member of said family infamously wielding a chainsaw. It helped introduce the cinematic potential of the item as a weapon and remains a staple of pop culture thanks to various sequels and remakes.
However, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre does not have a monopoly on the mechanical power tool/improvised weapon, as the following movies demonstrate. All are examples of notable chainsaw usages outside the Texas Chainsaw Massacre series. Interestingly, all were released after 1974, too, perhaps demonstrating the trendsetting, influential nature of the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
1 'Bad Taste' (1987)
Well before making any high-budget movies set in Middle Earth or documentary miniseries' about The Beatles, Peter Jackson was a low-budget horror filmmaker making movies in his native New Zealand. The first of these was Bad Taste, a very gory horror-comedy about a group of young men standing up to alien invaders who want to eat them.
It's an extremely messy movie, with humans and aliens alike dying exceptionally gory deaths. Some of these are a result of Derek (played by Jackson himself) wielding a chainsaw as a weapon against the alien invaders. They may not be ideal weapons in real life, but Bad Taste makes a solid argument for them being handy in the event of an alien invasion.
2 'American Psycho' (2000)
Patrick Bateman from American Psycho is among the most terrifying protagonists in film history. He's a lazy and unfairly wealthy investment banker by day, and by night, he's a serial killer... probably. The film is a little ambiguous about whether his murders actually happened or not, and if they do, which ones are imagined and which ones genuinely occurred.
Regardless, Bateman wields a chainsaw during one particularly tense sequence, and either uses it or imagines using it to take out one of his victims. It's an absurd scene, making it far more likely to be imagined than not, but it's still a pretty horrifying one in any event, as the chainsaw serves to make an already horrifying character even more horrifying.
3 'Godzilla: Final Wars' (2004)
While Gigan had appeared in the Godzilla series before Godzilla: Final Wars, this 2004 movie - which was made to celebrate the series' 50th anniversary - marked the first time he got chainsaws. He re-enters the franchise more powerful than ever before, because instead of having bladed hook hands like he used to, he wielded chainsaw hands this time around.
Gigan's dramatic glow-up is just one reason Final Wars has a reputation for being one of the craziest films in the Godzilla series. It's a film that pits the titular monster against almost every foe he'd faced in the series up until that point and provides a near-constant stream of explosive smackdowns and destruction. And yes, Gigan gets chainsaw hands.
4 'The Machine Girl' (2008)
If Robocop had a lower budget, was set in Japan, and had a college girl instead of a police officer for a protagonist, it might look a little something like The Machine Girl. The main character, Ami, is dealt a heavy blow by the villains, as they murder her younger brother and leave her without her left arm. She manages to attach a machine gun to where her arm used to be, and sets out to get bloody vengeance.
Ami also teams up with another woman named Miki, whose weapon of choice is a chainsaw. Ami herself gets to utilize it during the film's climax, meaning that while The Machine Girl is most focused on showing its protagonist mowing people down with a high-powered gun, it also doesn't skimp on chainsaw action.
5 'Pacific Rim' (2013)
Pacific Rim is a science-fiction movie set in the not-too-distant future of 2025. In the film, Earth is under constant attack by giant alien creatures who are invading through mysterious portals, and so humanity bands together to build equally huge robots (called Jaegers) that are each piloted by a pair of individuals, with such mechanical constructions able to match the invaders in combat.
One of the Jaegers is called Crimson Typhoon, and it has arms with ends that can transform into spinning saws that resemble chainsaws. Some might say it's not a true chainsaw, but it serves a similar function in combat, it looks cool, and it's also an attachment to a giant mechanized robot, so it gets a pass.
6 'Scarface' (1983)
One of the less entertaining and darker depictions of on-screen chainsaw mayhem comes from the 1983 crime film Scarface. A remake of the 1932 gangster movie of the same name, it's a near-three-hour epic about one man's dramatic rise through the criminal underworld of Miami, and equally dramatic fall that comes about as a result of his greed and desire for power.
Earlier in the film, he's threatened by another criminal with a chainsaw, though his associate gets far more than threatened, being killed by the power tool (just) off-screen. It's a horrifying scene, even if not much is actually shown, and is certainly a far cry from the more explosive and cinematic violence that famously concludes the film.
7 'Evil Dead 2' (1987) & 'Army of Darkness' (1992)
The first Evil Dead doesn't contain any chainsaws, maybe because it had an incredibly low budget and an emphasis on containing genuine horror more than comedic splatter. But with a bigger budget and a slightly more playful tone came the opportunity to work in some chainsaws, as seen in Evil Dead's two sequels, Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness.
It gets used the most in the second movie, thanks to protagonist Ash finding it stashed away in a tool shed, and realizing in little time that it makes an effective weapon against the under hordes. He even gets to attach it to his arm, where his hand used to be, letting him have what's effectively a chainsaw arm. It's groovy stuff.
8 'Mandy' (2018)
There are some wonderfully strange movies to be found in Nicolas Cage's filmography, but few of them give him the opportunity to get into a chainsaw duel. This very thing happens in Mandy, which is a dark and surreal movie about seeking vengeance no matter the cost, all done with a unique style and featuring some very over-the-top violence.
Cage's character comes up against many strange foes during his quest for revenge, including one who wields a chainsaw. Naturally, the only thing that can beat a chainsaw is another chainsaw. Very few other sentences could be as enticing to a Cage fan as "Mandy features Nicolas Cage getting in a chainsaw fight." As such, it's naturally a must-watch movie.
9 'The Running Man' (1987)
When it comes to dystopian movies about dramatic battles to death featuring participants forced to compete in them, The Running Man was ahead of the curve. Well before Battle Royale or The Hunger Games, this 1987 movie starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and saw his character forced to survive a brutal, deadly series of challenges that were broadcast on live TV.
One of the people he clashes with goes by the name Buzzsaw, and it's unsurprising to learn that this guy's favorite weapon is a chainsaw. Like Mandy, The Running Man is therefore notable for giving an iconic actor the chance to get in a fight involving a chainsaw, making it stand as one of the most memorable scenes in the film.
10 'Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome' (1985)
Those expecting tons of chainsaw action in the third Mad Max film may be disappointed, but at least it leads to a funny scene. The titular character finds himself made to compete in the Thunderdome, which is like a post-apocalyptic gladiatorial arena, and for one of his fights, he chooses to use a chainsaw against his opponent.
However, as a weapon, it's a dud, given that fuel is a rare commodity and the chainsaw Max picks up needs it to work. Unfortunately, this does mean it doesn't exactly get utilized in the fight in any sort of spectacular way, but at least it's an amusing moment that suits the relatively lighthearted and comedic (when compared to the other films in the series) Beyond Thunderdome.