Analyzing Evil: Leather Face From The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

hello everyone and welcome to the ninth episode of analyzing evil in this video we'll be covering perhaps one of the most iconic horror villains of all time leatherface from the texas chainsaw massacre this film and leatherface are both credited with inspiring many of the great slasher films that would come after it and the first film has stood the test of time to be considered a classic among horror enthusiasts now as with the hellraiser franchise the texas chainsaw massacre franchise is expansive and encompasses a number of films comic books and video games the timeline within the texas chainsaw massacre universe is incredibly muddy and it's for that reason that today we'll be going over leatherface as he appears in the first two installments the texas chainsaw massacre one and two as they were both written by the original creators of the film toby hooper and kim heinkel i'm sure the other films have their merit and bring some detail to leatherface's character that these two do not but for continuity's sake we're going to stick with these two if you'd like to see more videos on leatherface as he appears in other media feel free to let me know down below without further ado let's head into the backwoods and get to know the friendliest butcher in texas leatherface like many of the slasher flick villains that he inspired doesn't say a word throughout the entire film he does make noises however and they do serve some importance to his character but will mainly be focusing on his actions mannerisms and the influence his family and environment have had on him let's start with how leatherface became the man we see in the films we don't have too much to go off of regarding his upbringing as in these films there's no mention of leatherface and his brother's childhood but we do know that their family has supposedly been in the meat business for quite a long time starting with their grandfather who brought them into the trade and taught the boys everything they needed to know nubbins mentions early on in the film that his brother used to work at the slaughterhouse as well implying that either the cook or leather face followed in their grandfather's footsteps it could have been the cook and i say this only because out of the three he seems the most sane and perhaps able to keep down a job like that but it's more likely that it was leatherface whose appearance and proficiency would indicate that he learned his trade from his time as an employee there this doesn't provide too much of a background for the family but at the very least we can assume that the sawyers have lived in that area of texas for a long time and that the family trade of meat and subsequently death is a time-honored tradition for them this means that from the get-go leatherface was likely indoctrinated into this lifestyle this must have affected his development early on in a lot of ways but that doesn't account for the fact that leatherface obviously suffers from some form of mental disability while the other brothers may also suffer from a mental disability their cases are far less severe in comparison to leatherface as they're able to function in the outside world and actually speak abuse also seems to have been in the cards for not only leatherface but all three brothers as the older frequently berates and assaults his younger brothers likely as their father or grandfather once had when they were younger leatherface when faced with his victims is a deranged and brutal killer but when faced with his older brother who is much smaller than he is he transforms into an image of a beaten dog cowed by its master into obeying out of blind loyalty to his family now that we've established the dynamic between leatherface's family and its influence upon him let's take a look at the way he moves and the sounds he makes in the first film we primarily see leatherface in a state of murderous rage charging at his victims and overpowering them with his chainsaw or a hammer the man is not very precise typically going about his killings with no regard for anything around him even cutting through his own door when he's locked out of his house he does show some semblance of precision when he's playing his trait of butchery but even there he's shoddy at best he's never confirmed whether he's the one crafting the furniture or his brother is but if he is the one who makes the furniture then perhaps that shows when he's calm and in his element he attaches great care for the objects that he crafts this could also tie into the tenderness he shows for stretch in the second film further supporting that when he's calm he's more gentle and caring that's just a theory though and if you guys have any input on this particular tidbit i'd love to hear it as far as the noises he makes we can often hear leatherface making pig squeals in the first film and when he does attempt to speak the only sounds he's able to produce is incoherent babble that only his brothers seem to understand of course he also roars like a beast when he's enraged as well in short the way he acts and speaks gives us all the indication that he is supposed to be seen as a monstrous brute with little intelligence now for the emotional and psychological aspect of leatherface i think one thing that defines leatherface in particular is his and his family's disassociation with humans outside their own family i imagined a leatherface with one notable exception in the second film every one of his victims is nothing more than meat in his eyes he shows absolutely no remorse for his victims and with sally in the first film even joins in with his brother in mocking her cries as she howls for release further showing his complete disregard for the suffering of others outside of his own family he also shows his penchant for reveling in the fear he gives his victims such as when he's running his chainsaw along the door of the truck at the end of the first film or when he's stabbing the ice tub beneath stretch in the second film his appetite for carnage and bloodshed has to be immense as well his entire life most likely revolving around death and the killing of other beings whether they be animal or human one detail of particular note when it comes to his family is the dinner scene in the first film with sally where he's wearing a woman's face and serves the family dinner in an almost motherly way could this show his attachment to an unseen mother figure or maybe he's taken on the role of a mother at times for his brothers i'm unsure but it's an interesting little detail that the creators inserted into the film the tragic thing about leatherface though is what could have been i suppose you could say that for almost any villain but with this much exposure to his terrible family and the fact that he's mentally disabled this notion rings particularly true for leatherface this man is the man he is because of the environment he grew up in and the manipulation he suffers at the hands of his family but how could he not turn out the way he did this isn't a way to write off his crimes but rather shed light to the fact that he almost had no choice in the matter of becoming leatherface the greatest indicator for this is when his rage is quieted by stretch in the second film and he forms a tender attachment to her she brings this out in him simply by stating that he's good something i'm sure he doesn't hear very often in his own twisted way he even tries to hide her from his family the only way he knows how the way he hides himself these masks he uses his leather face is the final bit of his character that i'd like to touch on before we sum him up does he wear this mask because he enjoys it because he wishes to hide his true face and be somebody else or is this another way his family has manipulated him into becoming someone they want him to be by hiding the man beneath the mask we'll never know but it's an interesting component of leatherface to think about so what do all of these things make leatherface into we have a boy who's raised in an environment of death and cannibalism whose circumstance and mental disability shape him into a sadistic cannibalistic serial killer who finds joy in the torment and torture he bestows on his hapless victims leatherface can be seen as a tragic character in his own way but this tragedy is far outweighed by brutality and he serves as the what if lurking in the woods for many viewers of these films i hope you've enjoyed this entry in this series and if you liked this video and wish to see more of my content feel free to subscribe to my channel please leave any thoughts comments or feedback you have down below and don't forget to drop a suggestion for a villain you'd like to see featured in a future episode you can follow me on twitter as well for updates about the channel at the violi thanks for watching and i'll be seeing you soon

Channel: The Vile Eye

Views: 412,868

Rating: 4.9604502 out of 5

Keywords: Leather Face, Villain, Horror, Evil, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, October, Spooky Season, Spooktober

Id: wQMZdmEBTA4

Length: 7min 28sec (448 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 14 2020