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!

Revenge Of The Slashers: Paul Andrews

Beautiful Forever

While most folks know the late Bill Paxton for his work in hit films like Twister (1996), Tombstone (1993), and Aliens (1986), not many remember him as Paul Andrews in 1983’s Mortuary. It was one of his earliest film roles and it’s pretty twisted!

Paul is the shy and somewhat innocent son of Hank Andrews, owner of the local funeral home and mortuary. He assists his father in embalming the recently deceased. Paul’s father is also a member of a local cult that has seances in the mortuary. That’s nothing compared to Paul’s favorite pastime……murder.

Paul has developed a crush on Christie (Mary Beth McDonough of The Waltons) and will stop at nothing to make sure that she becomes his eternally beautiful bride. In order for that to happen, though, a few people have to die. Paul’s favorite weapon of choice is a trocar, the tool used to drain bodily fluids during an embalming. He also likes to paint his face with white paint and black paint around his eyes.

Paul’s goofy charm throws off everyone and by the time that Christie realizes who he is, it’s too late. Paul goes absolutely bonkers and tries to murder Christie so that he can embalm her and love her forever. Watch Mortuary to find out if he’s successful!

Paxton did a brilliant job in this role. While he would definitely go on to bigger and better things, this is one of my favorite performances by him. While there have been numerous films released over the years with the same title, none of them are related to the 1983 film in any way. There has been no sequel nor a remake. Aside from the occasional t-shirt, I have yet to find any merchandise, either. Hopefully we’ll get some more Paul Andrews merch in the near future.

Thanks for reading my post. Tomorrow’s slasher is considered one of the earliest (and bests) slashers in film history!

Revenge Of The Slashers: Frank Zito

“You want to look pretty, don’t you?”

Although panned by critics and released in varied censored versions, 1980’s Maniac still managed to develop quite a cult following and even spawned a 2012 remake starring Elijah Wood. The film focuses on the internal conflicts of Frank Zito, a man with a severe psychological disorder thanks to the abusive relationship he had with his mother. Mr. Zito is today’s featured slasher.

Zito seeks out women, savagely murders them, and then scalps them and takes their clothing or other items. He takes their scalps and secures them to the heads of multiple mannequins in his apartment. He dresses the mannequins in his victims’ clothes as well. He talks to himself and the mannequins as if they are alive. He also has conversations with his deceased mother. He befriends a photographer and discusses photography and “capturing” beauty with her. He develops a relationship with her but ultimately snaps and attempts to murder her and add her to his collection. She manages to escape and he ends up back in his apartment. He begins to hallucinate about his mannequins attacking him and apparently commits suicide…..or does he?

Zito is portrayed by Joe Spinell, who also co-wrote the film. The character of Frank Zito was inspired by Norman Bates from Psycho and real-life serial killer David Berkowitz, better known as the Son Of Sam. The Elijah Wood version of the character (seen below) is just as gruesome as Spinell’s, and his story is fleshed out a bit more than the original film’s version. That said, Spinell’s version is much more disturbing in my opinion.

Thanks for checking out today’s slasher. Tomorrow we’ll be visiting with a character portrayed by a major film star at the dawn of his career!

Revenge Of The Slashers: Franz

“They were just dolls!”

1973’s Torso introduces the world to the psychosexual misogynist so violent that he only goes by one name: Franz. An art history professor in Italy, Franz decides to go on a killing spree after he is blackmailed by two women that pulled him into a threesome. He really, really dislikes ladies due to the fact that his brother fell to his death as a child while trying to help a young girl retrieve her doll. When another woman notices that Franz wears a scarf similar to the one used as a murder weapon early in the film, he decides that he must kill her and anybody else that gets in his way!

Franz likes to wear a facemask and a sensible jacket while he’s on the hunt. As basic as his attire may be, Franz likes adding a little flair to his murders, using a red and black scarf to choke his victims. If the scarf isn’t cutting it, he’ll resort to using a knife. He’s also a neat fellow, as he cleans up many of his kills by dismembering the bodies and dumping them elsewhere.

Franz doesn’t make it out of Torso alive, and considering the fact that this film is considered to be both a masterpiece of horror and an absolutely trashy exploitation film, I highly doubt that we’ll ever get a reboot or a sequel. Franz’ death is a tad ironic, but I won’t spoil his death for you. If you haven’t seen Torso yet, just know that there is quite a bit of nudity and gore in the film.

Thanks for checking out today’s slasher! Have you seen Torso? What did you think of the film? We’ll be looking at another sexual deviant tomorrow. This one likes mannequins……

Revenge Of The Slashers: Mother (Norman Bates)

“A boy’s best friend is his mother.”

Although his kill count is well below that of many of the other villains on this list, Norman Bates (as Mother) is arguably one of the most famous slashers of all time. Between the masterful direction of Alfred Hitchcock in the original Psycho (1960) and the amazing performance of Anthony Perkins in that film and its sequels, Norman Bates consistently lands on lists for most iconic murder scenes, best villains, and best lines.

Bates, for those of you who’ve been asleep for the last sixty years, is the primary antagonist in the highly successful Psycho films, books, and television series. He was created by Robert Bloch and made his first appearance in the 1959 novel Psycho. Alfred Hitchcock brought Bloch’s book to life on the big screen in 1960. The books and films would each have a number of sequels and both would go in very different directions. For this post, I’m focusing on the film series.

On the surface, Norman Bates appears to be a normal, albeit somewhat odd, adult male. He runs the Bates Motel for his mother whom he lives with in the home that overlooks the motel. When talking to customers, he often references his mother. As we dig deeper into his mind, however, we quickly find out that he has developed a split personality after countless years of abuse from his mother, who he eventually murders. Torn apart by guilt, Norman began talking to his mother’s corpse and would eventually take on her persona, going as far as dressing like her.

Basing his motives upon the morbid morality of his mother, Norman, dressed as Mother, murders any young woman that he finds himself attracted to in order to avoid sexual immorality. Marion Crane is his first onscreen victim. Portrayed by Janet Leigh, the death of Marion is one of the most iconic deaths in cinema. Norman would eventually be arrested for Marion’s murder, but would return to the Bates Motel twenty-two years later. Despite his best attempts at holding off his second personality, Norma (or Mother), Bates gives in to her desires and kills again in her name. This would continue in Psycho III and Psycho IV: The Beginning.

The franchise has given birth to a shot-for-shot remake of the Hitchcock film in Gus Van Sant’s 1998 film starring Vince Vaughn, a Made-For-TV film in 1987 called Bates Motel and a series of the same name in 2013, numerous comics and novels, and countless amounts of merchandise from t-shirts to action figures.

Thanks for checking out today’s post. Tomorrow’s slasher is look for dolls!

Revenge Of The Slashers: Art The Clown

“He thinks what he is doing is funny….”

Despite a fairly brief career that covers three feature films and two short films, Art the Clown has quickly risen to the top of the slasher heap in the last decade. The sadistic clown debuted in the 2009 short The 9th Circle, written, directed, and produced by Damien Leone. Leone would release another short in 2011, entitled Terrifier, that also featured Art. This would be followed by Leone’s first full-length feature, All Hallow’s Eve, in 2013, which repackaged Leone’s two shorts as part of a horror anthology.

Art was given his first full-length solo project in 2016. Terrifier, not to be confused with the short of the same name, became a cult hit and made Art a pop culture icon. Six years later, Terrifier 2 would be released and would make Art even more popular. A third Terrifier film is already in the works.

Art is known for his grisly, black-toothed smile, black and white clown costume, and for carrying his tools and weapons in a black trash bag. He’s also mute, and continuously taunts and tortures his victims with silent laughter. His murders are brutal. He kills some of his victims quickly, but primarily likes to torture his victims for extended periods of time, often forcing others to watch as he maims and murders his victims. He was portrayed by Mike Gianelli in the two shorts and All Hallow’s Eve. David Howard Thornton took over the role beginning with the feature length Terrifier.

Art is seemingly unstoppable and immortal. He has been resurrected after multiple seemingly fatal wounds including gunshots to the head and being stabbed in the brain with rebar. He also seems to have the ability to appear within dreams. He took on a supernatural sidekick in Terrifier 2, a young girl who wears garish makeup and has a smile similar to Art’s own toothy grin. Amelie McLain portrayed the character in the film. She is credited as The Little Pale Girl.

While Art The Clown still has a ways to go before he can be considered an A-list slasher like Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy Krueger, he’s definitely doing all that he can to join them at the top of the list.

Thanks for checking out today’s post. Art is easily one of the most sadistic and brutal slashers on this list. I hope that you’re ready for a legendary slasher tomorrow!

Revenge Of The Slashers: Lillian Nebb

Computers And Axes….A Love Story

When computer nerd Gerald Martin encounters the lovely Lillian Nebb in her father’s Paddock County bar, their shared love for technology makes them fast friends…and lovers in 1988’s Edge Of The Axe. Oh, and there’s a psychotic killer on the loose as well. That killer is an axe-wielding masked maniac that is eventually revealed to be none other than Lillian herself, who is out to eliminate the folks that tended to her at the psychiatric hospital, the ladies that pursued her father, and anyone else that gets in her way.

Lillian is a slasher who appreciates the simple things in life. All she needs is an axe, a slicker to stay dry, and a plain white mask that conceals her identity. Her kills are brutal and, thanks to director Jose Ramon Larraz, we get to see most of them played out on the screen. From hacking a nurse in a car wash to tricking the police into gunning down an innocent man, Lillian will do anything to feed her psychotic hunger for vengeance. Lillian was portrayed by Christina Marie Lane.

Edge Of The Axe ended with a very much alive Lillian convincing the police that Gerald was the Paddock County axe murderer. It left the door wide open for a sequel. Unfortunately, we have yet to get one. I’m actually hoping that Edge Of The Axe gets a reboot and that we get to see Lillian back in action.

Thanks for checking out today’s post! See you tomorrow!

Revenge Of The Slashers: Esther/Leena

“I’ll Shoot Mommy If You Tell.”

One of the most unique slashers that will be on this year’s Thirty-One Days O’Horror list is sweet little Esther. If you’ve seen either of the films that feature her, Orphan (2009) or its prequel, Orphan: First Kill (2022), you know just how deadly….and demented….Esther is. She’s quite possibly one of the most sinister killers on this list, and that’s a list that includes Freddy and Jason so far!

For those of you unaware, little Esther is actually thirty-three year old Leena Klammer, an Estonian serial killer who suffers from a form of hypopituitarism, a rare disease that makes her look much younger than she actually is. She uses this to her advantage, assuming the life of Esther Albright, a young girl who is accidentally killed by her brother, Gunnar, and whose body is hidden by Gunnar and his mother, Tricia. This particular fact comes into play in the second film, where Tricia agrees to let Esther live on in order to protect her son and to hide the fact that the real Esther is dead from her husband, Allen.

Esther moves from family to family, usually due to some traumatic event that involves the death of the adopted family members. In Orphan, Esther attempts to kill off her new adoptive family and seduce the father of the family. Keep in mind that Isabelle Fuhrman, who was around ten years old at the time, portrayed Esther. It is both amazing and uncomfortable to watch her performance in both films, as she does a brilliant job as both the young Esther and the adult Leena. In the second film, Fuhrman was in her mid-20s and was de-aged using makeup. Forced perspective was used to make her look much shorter than she actually was, and this led to some rather awkward looking moments in that film. Still, Fuhrman received a ton of praise for her performance in both films and definitely deserved it.

The character of Esther is based upon a real woman. Barbora Skrlova posed as a thirteen year old boy in Norway and as a twelve year old girl in the Czech Republic. You can read an article about it here. It’s an absolutely insane and twisted tale of starvation, sexual abuse, a cult, and police evasion. I highly recommend reading the article, but be prepared to feel sick after doing so.

With her death in the first film, it’s highly unlikely that we’ll get another Orphan movie. That said, I believe that the story should be left alone with just two films. A book series would work much better, as there would be no issues with the age of the actress.

Thanks for checking out today’s post. See you again tomorrow!

Revenge Of The Slashers: Candyman

“Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candy……”

Say his name five times while looking in a mirror and you just might end up on the business end of a hook! Today’s post looks at one of the final 1990s slashers to arrive on the scene prior to the rise of the Scream franchise that changed slashers forever. Of course, I’m talking about the one and only Candyman. The character and his first film are based upon a short story by Clive Barker called The Forbidden. The first film, and our first look at the Candyman, came in 1992.

As many horror films and franchises do, the Candyman films use horror as a metaphor for real life issues. The franchise addresses interracial relationships and the terrible things that can happen as a result of those relationships due to racism, discrimination, and bigotry. It also looks at racial profiling, gentrification, and other social issues.

The iconic Tony Todd has portrayed Candyman in all four of the franchise’s films. Candyman’s real name is Daniel Robitaille. He was a young slave who becomes famous for his paintings. When he falls in love with the daughter of a white farmer and impregnates her, the farmer has a lynch mob cut off his right (painting) hand, smear him in honey to attract bees that eventually sting him to death, and burn his body. The mob scatters his ashes on what would become the Cabrini-Green Homes housing authority of Chicago. As the years go by in Cabrini-Green, Candyman’s legend grows. He requires people to keep his legend alive by having them say his name five times while looking in a mirror. He then comes back to murder the person that speaks his name and anyone else that witnesses them do so. Each film has expanded upon the urban legend of the character, with the fourth film, which largely ignores the second and third films in the series, opening up the “role” of Candyman to a wide group of black men that have been executed or murdered wrongfully. This group is collectively known as the Hive.

The fourth film also brings back one of Candyman’s early targets, Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). McCoy was saved by Helen Lyle, who sacrificed herself and replaced him in the Hive when he was an infant. McCoy is essentially being groomed to become the next Candyman in a long line of Hive members. The Candyman before him is a homeless man that is wrongfully gunned down by police. His name was Sherman Fields and he is portrayed by Michael Hargrove. He is the most prominently featured Candyman in the film until the end.

As I’ve already mentioned, there are four films in the Candyman franchise. The 1992 original and the 2021 fourth film are both titled Candyman. The second film took place in New Orleans and was called Candyman: Farewell To The Flesh (1995). The third film, Candyman 3: Day Of The Dead (1999) is a direct sequel to the second film and takes place in Los Angeles in 2020. Thankfully the 2021 film brings the story back to Chicago and back to Cabrini-Green.

Have you ever spoken the name of the Candyman????? Lemme know in the comments and thanks for checking out today’s post. Tomorrow, we’ll be looking at a young killer with an affinity for older men!

Revenge Of The Slashers: Brenda Bates

“Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!”

The death of her would-be husband at the hands of two young ladies recreating an urban legend is all the motivation that Brenda Bates needs to recreate a few urban legends herself in 1998’s aptly titled Urban Legend. While the film definitely one of the weaker entries in the 1990s slasher revival spearheaded by Scream, no one can argue with the fact that Brenda is one of the most bat-slappy slashers from that era.

Brenda’s killing spree starts with one of the oldest and most basic of urban legends: the stranger in the backseat of the car. From there, each kill gets a bit more dramatic and a bit more over-the-top. Theft of one’s kidney, a hanging death unwittingly caused by an innocent person, and even eating Pop Rocks and drinking a Coke are some of the urban legends that Brenda Bates reenacts.

Brenda conceals her identity by wearing a hooded winter coat and a black mask. She also enjoys toting around an axe and utilizes it when necessary.

Brenda is portrayed by Rebecca Gayheart in the film. In all honesty, had any other actress taken on the role, Brenda would most likely have been a very dull villain. Gayheart, however, sells the completely bonkers Brenda with zeal! She delivers not only the best performance in the film, but one of the best crazed killer performances of all time in my opinion. Had the film been just a bit better, I’m sure that Brenda would have had a much longer on-screen life because, spoiler alert, she doesn’t die at the end of the film!

Unfortunately for us, however, both of the sequels to Urban Legend, Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000) and Urban Legends: Bloody Mary (2005), don’t bring Brenda back as the gorgeously goofy killer. Instead, the second film introduces a new urban legend-themed killer and the third film goes full blown supernatural. To its credit, the first sequel does give us a Brenda cameo, but I’d love to see her return as the primary antagonist in a future film. At this time, no plans are being made for a reboot, remake, or new sequel in the franchise.

Thanks for checking out today’s Revenge Of The Slashers entry. I have an extra sweet slasher planned for tomorrow!