Leatherface
- This article is about the movie villain. For the punk band, see Leatherface (band). For the professional wrestler, see Michael Kirschner.
| The Texas Chainsaw Massacre character | |
|---|---|
| File:Leatherface1974.jpg | |
| Leatherface | |
| Gender: | Male |
| Race | Caucasian |
| Location | Texas |
| Height | 6' 3" (approx)[1] |
| Weight | 300 lbs (approx) |
| Enemies | Everyone but his family |
| M.O. | Serial Killer |
| Weapon of Choice: | Chainsaw |
| Portrayed by: | The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Gunnar Hansen The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 Bill Johnson Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III R.A. Mihailoff Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation Robert Jacks The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003 film) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning Andrew Bryniarski |
Leatherface is the main villain of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre movies. He is a "severely mentally retarded and severely mentally disturbed" man who wields a chainsaw. [2] The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was inspired in part by killer Ed Gein[3], who wore the skin of his victims and corpses.[4]
The Films
The Original
The character was originally played by Gunnar Hansen. His real name is unknown, although older brother Chop Top calls him "Bubba" in the second movie.
In the original film, Leatherface is never seen without one of his human-flesh masks on, the reason being either disfigurement or psychological issues.[citation needed] He differs from other movie killers in that he is not so much sadistic or evil[citation needed]; he is mentally retarded and most of the time he only does what his family tells him to do. Hansen has stated that Leatherface is "completely under the control of his family. He'll do whatever they tell him to do. He's a little bit afraid of them." [5] The people he kills are later made into barbecue and chili, which are sold by his much older brother, Drayton Sawyer. Aside from Leatherface and Drayton, the Sawyer clan includes his two brothers, Nubbins and Chop Top (real names Edward and Robert)[citation needed], as well as Grandpa and Grandma (real names unknown).
Leatherface is known to wear different masks; they have been dubbed "the Killing Mask", "Grandmother Mask" and "Pretty Woman Mask." In an interview with Gunnar Hansen, about Leatherface's masks, he says, "the reason he wore a mask, according to Tobe and Kim, was that the mask really determined his personality. Who he wanted to be that day determined what mask he put on. So, when the Cook comes home, with Sally, Leatherface is wearing the 'Old Lady' mask and he's wearing an apron and carrying a wooden spoon – he wants to be domestic, helpful in the kitchen. At dinner he wears a different face -- the 'Pretty Woman,' which has make up." In another interview, he added "The idea of the mask is that there is no personality under the mask. That was the idea in talking with Tobe and Kim. When they created the character, they said he has to put on masks to express himself because he himself can't do it. ... The way we tried to create him, there is nothing under the mask, which is what makes him so frightening." [6] [7][8]
The Sequels
Prior to the 2003 remake, there were three sequels to the Tobe Hooper original. With the exception of the first sequel, they were mostly in their own continuity each featuring Leatherface with a different family.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 is a direct sequel to the 1974 classic, but it is very different in tone, more campy and over the top than the original [citation needed]. In this film, Leatherface develops a "crush" on one of his victims, and in one scene, skins off the face of her friend and places it on her.
The third entry to the series, titled Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III takes place in its own continuity. The filmmakers attempted to make the series darker and grittier as with the original, but interventions from the MPAA quashed their vision and had them tone it down and change the ending[citation needed]. An uncut version was released in 2003. Leatherface has a daughter in this film.
Leatherface appeared one more time in the third sequel Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. In this version, Leatherface is inexplicably not a cannibal but is instead involved in a government conspiracy in league with aliens. He is also a yelping transvestite throughout most of the film. Although the film had a devoted fanbase, most horror fans and purists of the original consider it the worst film in the entire franchise.[9] [10]
The Remake and Prequel
A remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was released in 2003. Its success greenlit a prequel that was released in 2006. The prequel delved into the origins of Leatherface and his sadistic and cannibalistic family.
Here, Leatherface's real name is Thomas Hewitt. His mother died giving birth to him at the meat factory where she worked, and Thomas was left to die in a dumpster. Luda Mae Hewitt found him and took him home to raise him.
Here, Leatherface suffers from a facial disfigurement and skin disease that ate away most of his nose. Due to this disfigurement, Hewitt was horribly treated by his peers as a child. He wore a small leather mask (its material basis is not disclosed) to cover up this deformity, and worked at the same meat factory his birth mother did. After health inspectors closed the factory down, Hewitt was ordered to leave. When Hewitt didn't, his boss bullied him by calling him a 'retard' and a 'dumb animal'. Hewitt killed his boss with a sledgehammer, and later discovered a chainsaw in the factory for later use. When Winston Hoyt, the local sheriff, tried apprehending him, Thomas's uncle Charlie came to his aid by killing the sheriff and later assuming his identity.
Thomas would later make a mask out of human skin by slicing off the face of one of his victims after killing him.
Although Leatherface is still manipulated by his family here, they are at least somewhat more caring for him and less abusive than they were in the classic. His mother is fiercely protective over her son and her disgust with the teenagers is partially due to the cruelty that Leatherface suffered from his peers.
At the climax of the remake, his chainsaw arm was chopped off with a meat cleaver by one of his victims, but he managed to survive the attack. He escaped after police discovered his ranch house and found the remains of thirty-three people.
Says Andrew Bryniarski, who played Leatherface in the remake, "In my estimation, Leatherface is like a beaten dog — he was ostracized and ridiculed, and treated harshly by his peers. The psychological damage they inflicted was immense … there’s no chance for him." [11]
References
- ^ http://www.houseofhorrors.com/leatherface.htm General belief about height and weight
- ^ http://www.fridaythe13thforum.com/showthread.php?t=11596 Hansen on Leatherface's mentality.
- ^ http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/notorious/gein/bill_1.html The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, inspired by Gein.
- ^ http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/texaschainsaw.php Comparisons between Leatherface and Ed Gein.
- ^ http://www.richmond.com/ae/output.aspx?Article_ID=1308865&Vertical_ID=2&tier=1&position=4 Hansen on Leatherface and his family.
- ^ http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/3646/gunnar.HTM Hansen's explanation of the masks.
- ^ http://crezimunky.lunaticsworld.com/profile%20leatherface.htm lunaticsworld.com. URL accessed June 27, 2006.
- ^ http://www.richmond.com/ae/output.aspx?Article_ID=1308865&Vertical_ID=2&tier=1&position=4
- ^ http://www.joblo.com/arrow/reviews.php?id=624 Reaction to final sequel
- ^ http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=1348 Reaction to New Generation
- ^ http://www.maximumhorrors.com/news/Default.asp?u_file=88720.txt. Bryniarski on Leatherface's transformation
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