Bastrop: A Town Straight Out of a Horror Film
Stay at the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Gas Station Bed and Breakfast
By Sabrina Martinez
A long straight road just south of Texas Highway 71 in Bastrop is paved with farmhouses and open land. The air is crisp and the sky is overcast with dark rain clouds. Cows and sheep are unbothered by passing cars and graze the grass. The Taco Cabana next to the Home Depot is getting further in the distance and I’m a little nervous. The drive feels like the drive Sally Hardesty and her friends took in the summer afternoon that took a turn for the worst.
Pulling up to The Gas Station in Bastrop might be confusing because there is no gas, but is instead a barbeque restaurant. Formally known as ‘Last Chance Gas Station,’ it is one original film sites from the 1974 cult classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The Sawyer family in the movie serve up human-chili.
While owners Roy and Lisa Rose are not direct descendants of the Sawyers, but they are carrying on the franchise’s story. In 2015 they got on a plane from Cleveland, Ohio, purchased the building, and remolded it to be a restaurant and memorabilia shop. The Gas Station is an ode to the movie and the actors that played the Sawyer family.
“This was Roy’s favorite movie since he was 10 years old. He contacted the owner of the property to see if she would sell it, for years, she was not interested,” Lisa Rose said. “She called on Roy’s 40th birthday and was ready to sell.”
A few months later they moved their family to Bastrop and started the renovations. The project took about two years to complete and The Gas Station opened for business on October 8, 2016.
The Texas Chainsaw History
The movie opens on a haunting line “inspired by a true story,” but is not exactly a part of Texas’ history. Director, and Austinite, William Tobe Hooper developed the story with inspiration by real-life Wisconsin murder Ed Gein. While Gein was not a chainsaw-wielding butcher, he did make skin masks and suits from his victims, according to the Texas Prison Museum.
At this gas station turned restaurant, Sally Hardesty, her brother, and three other friends arrive in their green van looking to fill up on gas. They meet Drayton Sawyer, the head of the cannibal Sawyer family. The teens drive through town and come across the Sawyers at a nearby house where they meet chainsaw-wielding Leatherface.
The parked van isn’t from the original movie, but it is the same year and color as Hardesty’s.
The Gas Station
Humans aren’t on the menu anymore, but brisket, sausage, chili are. The Gas Station today honors the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie with the same “We Slaughter Barbecue” Coca-Cola sign, a horror memorabilia shop, and tender barbeque.
“My daughter read about the Gas Station in August of 2017 before the first Cult Classic Convention and we decided that we had to check it out because we love all things horror,” said Jennifer Waits. Waits and her family travel four-and-a-half hours to visit the site and attend Bastrop’s Cult Classic Convention.
Masks and weapons are lined up on the back wall facing action figures, t-shirts, posters and more. The shop features memorabilia of other horror icons like Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th, Freddie Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Michael Meyers from Halloween to name a few.
The Gas Station has become a dream destination for many fans online as well. Filmmaker, and cosplayer, Aaron Herrera runs a fan page for The Sawyer Family on Facebook.
“Haven’t been there yet but someday,” Herrera said. “Me and my daughter are huge fans of original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I [had] seen the film 100 times as a kid, [I] wasn’t a huge fan till [my] daughter asked me about the film. We saw it together, she fell in love with it. We discussed making a fan film.”
The site also pays tribute to the movie with a bronze memorial bench dedicated to the original actors that played The Sawyers.
The outside patio holds picnic tables and looks out into the field and cabins. Napkins, cutlery, and barbeque sauce are tucked into various six-pack beer containers that nod at Texas roots.
“We love everything about The Gas Station from the staff to all the cool horror memorabilia they have. Their BBQ is some of the best we’ve ever had,” Jennifer Waits said. “The second time we visited we spent the night in one of the cabins and it was great!”
BB & Horror
For the brave fans, the site offers four cabins to rent to stay overnight. Cabins are $129.00 for one night or $110.00 a night when staying for two or more nights. Each cabin sleeps two adults and two children or three adults.
Cabins come with electricity, heat, air conditioning, a ceiling fan, a 43-inch television with a DVD player, and free Wi-Fi. Restrooms and showers are available for guests in a separate building in front.
The Cult Classic Convention
The Gas Station isn’t the only thing Roy and Lisa brought to Bastrop. The entrepreneurs partnered with Edwin Neal and Teresa Jara to create The Cult Classic Convention. The event aims to bring all fans of the horror and cult classic genres together and features art, collectibles, props, and celebrity guests.
“We loved the atmosphere of the convention and all of the guests we met were super nice and took the time to talk to us. Ed Neal told us some great stories about when they filmed Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” said Waits.
The convention is a three-day event held at The Bastrop Convention and Exhibit Center. It features film screenings, live music, live Q&As with stars from various horror movies, costume contests, and more.
Tickets range from single-day for $20 to VIP for $175.
Other Horror Locations
Bastrop and Round Rock also feature film locations from the 2009 Friday the 13th movie and the second Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie. Camp scenes from the movie were filmed at 785 FM 1441. The scenes that featured the big red barn were filmed at 180 Harrell Parkway in Round Rock.
The white bridge near Bastrop’s downtown district also makes an appearance in the second Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie.
Bastrop features other spots that will transform any beautiful day into the setting of a slasher film. Just wander down the dirt roads through the tall trees if you have the courage.
Additional Information
The Gas Station is located at 1073 SH 304 in Bastrop, Texas. It is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily except Mondays.
The Cult Classic Convention is usually held in September but will not be held in 2019 due to “unforeseen illness,” according to a Facebook post. The convention is set to return to Bastrop in 2020.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre house was built in 1853 and is located at 901 County Road 336 in Granger, Texas. The home sits in the middle of 40 acres of privately owned land. With six bedrooms and five bathrooms, the house is estimated to be worth around $500,000, according to Zillow.
