#The texas chain saw massacre mask movie

That, however, is what makes this version of Leatherface work. It’s a demented film with lots of unexpected laughs. Original Leatherface Gunnar Hansen did not, but his replacement Bill Johnson more than holds his own. Original director Tobe Hooper came back for this bizarre sequel. This gives us one of the worst lines ever, when Daddario cheers Leatherface on with, “Do your thing, cuz.” The filmmakers try to remake Leatherface as a sympathetic anti-hero, a mass murderer who can be redeemed simply because those who are out to take him down are bad people, too. She reveals her relation to him, and he chooses not to kill her, but instead turns his rage upon the mob. Those out to kill Leatherface are so brutal that Daddario’s character begins to feel sorry for him, despite the fact that he’s just spent most of the film chopping up her friends. In a late twist, it’s revealed that the protagonist, Alexandra Daddario, is the maniac’s long lost cousin, which now puts her life on the line as well. The townsfolk and the police are shown to be the true villains, who are out to kill everyone in Leatherface’s family. It would be a sufficient portrayal, but then comes the final act. He is physically imposing, and the mask is creepy looking.

The curveball is so far out of left field that it’s not realistic.ĭan Yeager does a fine job playing Leatherface in this sequel, which picks up from the first film. This results in an odd looking muzzle being attached to his mangled face, and now given a chainsaw, boom, he’s Leatherface. He can speak and seems less disturbed than the others, but then he snaps, kills a cop, and is shot in the face by another. Leatherface is revealed to be a different inmate, a good-looking kid played by Sam Strike. The climax sees a twist that exists solely to shock the audience. He looks and acts just like we’d expect Leatherface to be, which means that it can’t be him. He’s disturbed and mentally challenged, with long hair and a heavy build. One of the escapees, played by Sam Coleman, seems the obvious choice to be the young Leatherface. It’s a semi-interesting approach, but it fails in its execution. We’re promised that one of them will be revealed as Leatherface. This film is a whodunit that follows a group of escapees from a mental asylum. “Horror can be such a powerful tool when it comes to social commentary … because horror creates such strong reactions,” Read said.This entry comes in last for the simple fact that the Leatherface we know is barely in it. Recent examples of horror’s success in theaters are “Get Out,” the 2018 remake of “Suspiria” and the box-office smash hit “Us,” Read said. Phillips said today, just like in the ‘70s, “we are in a moment where mainstream studios and creative, thoughtful directors are returning to horror.” “When we feel unsettled, we often find ourselves going to the movies to watch unsettling stories,” Phillips said. Phillips said various “unsettling” events around that time, such as the Watergate scandal, Vietnam War and civil rights movement pushed horror to have a resurgence. “You needed to be self-sufficient, you didn’t rely on other people, you guarded your privacy, and that’s the Leatherface family.” “Many of us in Texas grew up in rural areas where the nearest neighbor was miles away,” Phillips said. “Texas Chain Saw” was filmed in Round Rock, and Hooper is from Austin, which gives the film a strong tie to traditional Texan values, Phillips said. “Just being in the same room as the mask that Gunnar Hansen wore in one of my favorite movies - it just seems cool.” “From a fan’s perspective, it’s something that I love,” Read said. Radio-television-film freshman Brayden Read said preserving the mask is invaluable to horror fans. “It gives us an insight not only into the film but the process that people went through to make that film, which casts a tremendously important light on the process through which American culture is made,” said Phillips, a communication and rhetorical studies professor at Syracuse University.

The Leatherface mask is important to preserve because of “Texas Chain Saw’s” place as one of the “best American horror films of all time,” said Kendall Phillips, author of the book “Projected Fears: Horror Films and American Culture” and an expert in the horror genre. Students can become a patron by filling out a short form online or at the Center. Jennifer Tisdale, director of public affairs for the Ransom Center, said in an email that any patron of the Center may view the mask. The mask was donated by the director, writer and producer of the film, Tobe Hooper, and went on display at the Ransom Center last year.

#The texas chain saw massacre mask movie

The iconic Leatherface mask from the horror movie “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” has been preserved by the Harry Ransom Center and is available for patrons to view.