Leatherface is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise’s signature killer, but the family of cannibals surrounding him changes in every movie. Directed by Tobe Hooper, 1974’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the most revered horror films ever. Made on a tiny budget, Texas Chainsaw partially works due to its grainy, grindhouse look, which lends the proceedings a quasi-documentary feel, and leaves viewers wondering if some real life equivalent to Leatherface will one day appear to menace them with a sharp appliance.
Unlike most slasher villains though, Leatherface doesn’t work alone. Through the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, Leatherface is surrounded and supported by a family of killers. The weird thing is, they’re never the same family twice. The closest the movies come to keeping Leatherface’s family intact is the lineup in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1 and 2, which features only a slight alteration to the cannibalistic clan. It’s after Texas Chainsaw 2 that things really get hard to follow in the family department.
As Drayton Sawyer tells Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, “the saw is family.” In fact, the chainsaw is indeed the only member of Leatherface’s family that joins him in every film, albeit still with occasional changes to its look. Here’s why we think that is.
Why Leatherface’s Family Changes in Each Texas Chainsaw Massacre
In the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Leatherface is presented as the youngest brother of the family, later revealed to be named Sawyer. Heading the family is oldest brother Drayton, who first appeared to be a friendly gas station attendant. Drayton’s younger brother is named Nubbins, although he’s better identified as the crazy hitchhiker Sally Hardesty and her friends pick up early in the film. There’s also Grandpa, a decrepit corpse-like man who at first appears to be dead. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 adds a previously unseen Grandma to the mix, who actually is deceased, and fan favorite Chop Top (Bill Moseley), the twin brother of Nubbins.
1990’s Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3 replaces the titular killer’s family entirely, headed by Tex, Leatherface’s brother. They’re joined by Mama Sawyer, the family matriarch, other psychotic brothers Alfredo and Tinker, and an unexplained little girl that’s revealed to be Leatherface’s daughter. One assumes her conception wasn’t consensual. 1994’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation introduces two new Sawyer brothers, W.E. and Vilmer, the latter played by a young Matthew McConaughey. Vilmer has a wife named Darla, who he abuses. Strangely enough, the Sawyers aren’t cannibals in this film, but are instead part of a conspiracy. The 2003 Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake and its 2006 prequel introduce yet another new family, this time named Hewitt.
While the films themselves don’t provide a specific reason for the family’s constant changes, we can make a few educated guesses. Since Leatherface seemingly dies in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 but reappears in the next film with no explanation, it’s possible every film after TCM2 takes place in an alternate timeline, which easily works for the 2003 remake, as it already establishes its own continuity. This would also explain the Sawyers not being cannibals in The Next Generation. It’s also feasible that Leatherface’s family has different branches, or that the word family is being used Charles Manson-style, and the people Leatherface associates with aren’t actually blood relatives. For the more literal minded, there’s also the fact that almost every Texas Chainsaw Massacre film has had different producers, who likely wanted to go their own way with the property.
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