A remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre appeared in 2003 with Leatherface returning as a major antagonist. Its success greenlit a prequel, released in 2006, which delved into the origins of Leatherface and of his sadistic and cannibalistic family.
Biography[]
In this continuity, Leatherface has the name Thomas Brown Hewitt; his mother Sloane (last name and the identity and status of his father unknown) dies giving birth to him on at the Blair meat co. (a Slaughterhouse) where she works, and her uncaring and cruel unnamed boss leaves the infant to die in a dumpster. Luda May Hewitt finds him and takes him home to raise him. Says producer Brad Fuller, "The Hewitts raise Leatherface as their own. But in a lot of ways, Thomas Hewitt is more like a pet than a member of the family. At the same time, they do love and admire one another, albeit in peculiar and unusual ways."
The Hewitts used to work at the Blair meat co. but after they were fired and became poor they switched to kidnapping people, murdering them, and selling their flesh in meat at Luda mays butcher shop. In the prequel it is revealed that they eat some of the meat themselves (which was only implied in the remake).
Leatherface in this continuity suffers from a facial disfigurement and a skin disease that eats away most of his nose. Due to this disfigurement, his muteness and mental retardation (carried over from the first series), Hewitt is bullied as a child. He wears a small leather mask to cover up his deformity, and works at the same meat factory where he was born for the same boss his mother had, ironically the same man who left him for dead. He also has a tendency toward self-mutilation, and is diagnosed with mental degeneration at age 12.
Leatherface as seen in the remake. Played by Andrew Bryniarski.
The Beginning[]
After health inspectors close the factory down, Hewitt's boss and a reluctant co-worker order him to leave. When Hewitt doesn't, the boss and the co-worker bully him and call him a "retard" and a "dumb animal". Acting on a long-burning rage, Hewitt kills his boss with a sledgehammer, and discovers a chainsaw in the factory which he later uses as a weapon. When Winston Hoyt, the local sheriff, tries to apprehend him, Thomas' uncle Charles "Charlie" Hewitt Jr comes to his aid by killing the sheriff; Charlie later assumes the sheriff's identity. Hewitt later makes a mask out of human skin by slicing off the face of one the victims he has killed.
Although Leatherface's family still manipulate him in this interpretation, they do show themselves somewhat more caring for him and less abusive than in the original film. Before killing the sheriff, his uncle Charlie even defends him by saying, "He's not retarded, he's misunderstood". The cruelty suffered from his peers inspires his murderous and detrimental behavior.
1973[]
At the climax of the remake, protagonist Erin Hardesty cuts off Leatherface's chainsaw-arm with a meat cleaver, but he survives the attack. He escapes after police discover his ranch house and find the remains of 33 people. The police fail to secure the crime scene properly, allowing Leatherface to attack and kill two officers. Leatherface then escapes and disappears, forcing the case to remain open.
Behind the Scenes[]
Andrew Bryniarski, who played Leatherface in the remake, states: "In my estimation, Leatherface is like a beaten dog — he was ostracized and ridiculed, and treated harshly by his peers. The psychological damage they inflicted was immense … there's no chance for him." Says Terrence Evans, who played Leatherface's uncle Old Monty, "I think there was a chance Thomas' life could have been different. But the teasing he suffered, coupled with a bad temper, and following Hoyt around like a puppy dog, left room for Hoyt to get absolute control."
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