Revenge Of The Slashers: Leatherface

*Chainsaw Noises*

Before Jason, Michael Myers, Freddy, and pretty much every other major slasher in the horror film genre, there was Leatherface. The hulking cannibal first roared into theaters in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre in 1974 and has remained a mainstay in pop culture ever since. He is considered to be one of the most influential horror characters of all time. While he isn’t referenced as much as the “big three” of Jason, Freddy, and Michael Myers, Leatherface is always in the back of horror fans’ minds. Since he’s been around for so long, I’ve decided to give him a bullet point post like I did with Jason.

• Leatherface was created by Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel.
• Wisconsin serial killer and grave robber Ed Gein was one of the inspirations for Leatherface.
• There have been nine Texas Chainsaw Massacre films. The first film was the only one to use “Chain Saw.” Every other film (except for Leatherface) has used “Chainsaw.”
• Leatherface’s signature weapon is a chainsaw, but he will use anything at his disposal to dispatch victims.
• Unlike many other famous slashers, Leatherface is part of a murderous family of killers.

• Leatherface has been played by eight different actors across nine films. Gunnar Hansen was the first and most well known actor to portray the character. Andrew Bryniarski is the only actor to portray Leatherface in more than one film.
• Leatherface has appeared in comic books, novels, and video games. Multiple action figures and tons of other merchandise have been released as well.
• Leatherface is often seen as a sentimental character, forced to do the will of his family.
• Leatherface sometimes dresses as a woman and is sometimes referred to as a drag queen or trans character due to his sexual ambiguity.

• Elmer Wayne Henley was another inspiration for Leatherface. He was a serial killer and rapist who was part of a series of violent murders in which he and David Owen Brooks lured at least twenty-eight teenage boys to the home of Dean Corll. The trio would then torture, rape, and murder their victims. Henley eventually murdered Corll.
• Baby Huey, a giant, innocent baby duck created in 1950, was another inspiration for Leatherface.
• Leatherface wears different skin masks across all of the films, sometimes wearing more than one mask in the same film. Tom Savini, J.M. Logan, and Scott Stoddard are just a few of the many people that developed Leatherface’s look over the years.
• Leatherface has one of the lowest official kill counts of all compared to other slashers. He has only thirty-one kills in the films. While much more than thirty-one bodies appear across all of the films, there is never any confirmation of how many of those deaths were caused by Leatherface or by another member of his family.

Well, I hope that you enjoyed this look at Leatherface. Thanks for reading my post. The insanity continues tomorrow!