The first sign that The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is committed above all else to channeling the spirit of Tobe Hooper’s landmark horror film is the spelling of the titular weapon. Start the game and you’ll be treated to narration over scrolling text reminiscent of the 1974 film’s opening, and from there it’s time to choose to play as either a member of the cannibalistic Sawyer family or one of their teenage prey. Each match takes place in one of three locations pivotal to the film, including a loving recreation of the horrifying Sawyer residence, where the teens must work together to evade and escape the family, lest they become dinner.

Most asymmetrical horror titles tend to cast only one player in the villain role, either as a slasher archetype or as a single antagonist controlling numerous enemies. But The Texas Chain Saw Massacre pits three of...