Characters of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

The following are fictional characters in the American horror "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" franchise.

The Sawyer family

The Sawyers (renamed the Hewitts in the remake and its prequel) are a family of cannibals in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" franchise.

Chop Top

Chop Top appears in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2", as one of the film's villains and is played by Bill Moseley. cite video | people = Gregory, David (Director and Writer) | year = 2000 | date = | url = http://imdb.com/title/tt0286214| title = Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Shocking Truth | medium = Documentary| publisher = Blue Underground ]

A member of the cannibalistic Sawyer family, Chop Top, whose actual name has never been revealed, is a deranged and sadistic individual, gleefully murdering people when given the chance; possessing a hippie-like mentality and view on life, Chop Top adorns himself in a variety of multi-colored and tattered clothing and claims music is his life. cite video|people = Tobe Hooper (Director)|title = The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2|medium = DVD|location = United States|publisher = Cannon Films Inc.|year = 1986 ] In "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2", Chop Top first appears alongside his brother Leatherface (Bill Johnson) attacking a pair of drunk motorists on a bridge with their pick-up truck. Chop Top and Leatherface kill the two drivers, not realizing that their attack on them was being recorded at a radio station the two drunkards had called into using a car phone prior to the attack. When DJ Vanita "Stretch" Brock (Caroline Williams) plays the recording of Chop Top and Leatherface's attack on the drivers over the radio, the two brothers (Chop Top covering his exposed metal plate with a wig) break into the radio station intent on killing Vanita. This plan ultimately fails, as Leatherface, having become infatuated with Vanita, tricks Chop Top into believing he's killed her when the two leave the station, taking an injured co-worker of Vanita's with them.

When Chop Top and his brother Drayton (Jim Siedow) discover that Vanita is still alive after finding her in the family's home in an abandoned amusement park called the Texas Battle Land (bought by Chop Top using government cheques), cite video | people = Gregory, David (Director and Writer) | year = 2000 | date = | url = http://imdb.com/title/tt0286214| title = Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Shocking Truth | medium = Documentary| publisher = Blue Underground ] the brothers hold her captive and decide to let the decrepit patriarch of the Sawyer family, Grandpa (Ken Evert), kill her with help of Chop Top. Vanita is saved when protagonist Lieutenant "Lefty" Enright (Dennis Hopper) bursts on to the scene and engages in a chainsaw duel with Leatherface. The battle between the Sawyers and Lefty reaches a climax when a hand grenade, accidentally set off by Drayton, explodes, killing Grandpa, Lefty, Leatherface and Drayton.

Narrowly escaping the grenade explosion, Chop Top follows Vanita, who had also escaped, to the top of a Matterhorn attraction in the Texas Battle Land, which the Sawyers have turned into a shrine known as "Chainsaw Heaven". cite video | people = Gregory, David (Director and Writer) | year = 2000 | date = | url = http://imdb.com/title/tt0286214| title = Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Shocking Truth | medium = Documentary| publisher = Blue Underground ] Slashing Vanita several times with a straight razor, Chop Top evidently meets his end when Vanita, stumbling upon the mummified corpse of Great-Grandma Sawyer, tears a chainsaw out of her abdomen and attacks Chop Top with it, sending him plummeting him into the ruins of Texas Battle Land. cite video|people = Tobe Hooper (Director)|title = The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2|medium = DVD|location = United States|publisher = Cannon Films Inc.|year = 1986 ]

Though Chop Top doesn't appear in the 1991 "Leatherface" by Northstar Comics, a reference to him is made in the form of his catchphrase "Lick my plate!", which can be seen spray painted on the side of Alfredo Sawyer's Last Chance Gas Station. [ Cite comic
Writer = Mort Castle
Story = Leatherface
Title = Leatherface
Volume = 1
Issue = 1
Date = May 1991
Publisher = Northstar Comics ]

Drayton Sawyer

Drayton "Cook" cite video|people = Tobe Hooper (Director)|title = The Texas Chain Saw Massacre|medium = DVD|location = United States|publisher = Bryanston Distributing Company|year = 1974 ] Sawyer appears in "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2", portrayed by Jim Siedow.

In all his appearances, Drayton appears as an antagonist. A mentally unstable and murderous cannibal, Drayton, along, with his family of fellow serial killers, lives in the backwoods of Texas, preying upon travelers, who he and his relatives capture and devour, selling some of their meat to unwary people in chili. Drayton's name wasn't mentioned until the second film, the first simply referring to him as Cook and Old Man. cite video|people = Tobe Hooper (Director)|title = The Texas Chain Saw Massacre|medium = DVD|location = United States|publisher = Bryanston Distributing Company|year = 1974 ]

Drayton Sawyer makes his debut appearance in "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre", in which he first appears as the proprietor of the Last Chance Gas Station, a gas station and barbecue, where a group of teenagers stop while passing through the area. Drayton's malevolent nature is only revealed later in the film, where he beats Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns) unconscious and captures her after she approaches him seeking help when her friends disappear and her brother Franklin (Paul A. Partain) gets killed by Leatherface, having been chased by him previously and is highly hysterical after her shocking experience. Taking Sally to his home, Drayton torments her alongside his siblings, Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) and the Hitchhiker (Edwin Neal), before deciding to let the family patriarch, Grandpa (John Dugan), kill her. When Grandpa proves too decrepit to kill Sally with a hammer, Drayton, the Hitchhiker and Leatherface attempt to aid him, but only succeed in losing grasp on Sally, who flees out a window, in their over-eagerness to help. Also, his more humane side of him is revealed when he states "I just can't take no pleasure in killing people" when Hitchhiker accuses him of doing nothing but cooking while he and Leatherface do all the killing. cite video|people = Tobe Hooper (Director)|title = The Texas Chain Saw Massacre|medium = DVD|location = United States|publisher = Bryanston Distributing Company|year = 1974 ]

In "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2", Drayton reappears, now living in an abandoned amusement park by the name of Texas Battle Land, due to the intense police investigation sparked by the events of the first film, with what remains of his family, Leatherface (Bill Johnson), Chop Top (Bill Moseley) and Grandpa (Ken Evert). Now an award-winning chili cook, Drayton appears far more unhinged than in the previous film, happily joining in on his family's murderous frenzies, which previously disturbed him somewhat. Drayton dies, off-screen, at the end of the film, when, during the fight between Leatherface and Lieutenant "Lefty" Enright (Dennis Hopper), he is accidentally struck by Leatherface and the hand grenade he is holding explodes prematurely. cite video|people = Tobe Hooper (Director)|title = The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2|medium = DVD|location = United States|publisher = Cannon Films Inc.|year = 1986 ]

In Topps Comics' 1995 comic miniseries "Jason vs. Leatherface", Drayton, only identified by the name Cook Slaughter, appears as a main character. After Leatherface and the Hitchhiker bring Jason Voorhees, the main antagonist of the "Friday the 13th" franchise home, Drayton befriends him and inducts him in as an unofficial member of the Sawyer family. [ Cite comic
Writer = Nancy Collins
Inker = Steve Montano
Story = Goin' South
Title = Jason vs. Leatherface
Volume = 1
Issue = 1
year = 1995
Publisher = Topps Comics ]

The comics expand on Drayton's back story, revealing that, though he aspires to gain fame and fortune using his culinary skills in the city, he stays in the Texan backwoods due to a vow he made to his younger sister Velma on her deathbed, promising he would always look after her children, the Hitchhiker and Leatherface. The comics also portray Drayton as much more apathetic and lax towards his relatives murdering of people, with him, at one point, stating that he wishes the Hitchhiker and Jason, who had just delivered to him a freshly killed couple, had brought him some children as well ("their meat's so much more tender...") Cite comic
Writer = Nancy Collins
Inker = Steve Montano
Story = A Day in the Life...
Title = Jason vs. Leatherface
Volume = 1
Issue = 2
year = 1995
Publisher = Topps Comics ]

Grandpa

Grandpa appears in "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre", and it's sequel "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2", portrayed by John Dugan and Ken Evert, respectively. cite video|people = Tobe Hooper (Director)|title = The Texas Chain Saw Massacre|medium = DVD|location = United States|publisher = Bryanston Distributing Company|year = 1974 ] cite video|people = Tobe Hooper (Director)|title = The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2|medium = DVD|location = United States|publisher = Cannon Films Inc.|year = 1986 ]

Snippets of Grandpa's history prior to the events of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" films are made throughout the series; it is revealed that Grandpa was originally a worker at a slaughter house whose skills at killing and butchering cattle were unmatched. After new technology was implemented in abbatoirs, Grandpa lost his job due to "the shame". Grandpa later apparently settled down with the unnamed Grandma and began a family, the cannibalistic Sawyers. cite video|people = Tobe Hooper (Director)|title = The Texas Chain Saw Massacre|medium = DVD|location = United States|publisher = Bryanston Distributing Company|year = 1974 ]

In "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre", the one-hundred and twenty-four year old Grandpa (John Dugan) appears as a somewhat minor character, initially thought to be already dead; after heroine Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns) is captured by his grandchildren, Drayton (Jim Siedow), Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) and the Hitchhiker (Edwin Neal), Grandpa is taken from the second floor of the house and brought to her by them. The Hitchhiker proceeds to slash Sally's finger and forces it into Grandpa's mouth, so he can suck her blood (proving that he is, in fact, alive), an event that causes Sally to fall unconscious. Some time after Sally is awakened, Drayton, Leatherface and the Hitchhiker decide to allow Grandpa to end her life through the use of a hammer; due to his advanced age, Grandpa is largely incapable of using the hammer efficiently and continues to drop it. The hassle that ensues with Grandpa's continued dropping of the hammer and his grandchildren's over-eagerness to help him causes Sally to break free of the Sawyer family and jump out a window. cite video|people = Tobe Hooper (Director)|title = The Texas Chain Saw Massacre|medium = DVD|location = United States|publisher = Bryanston Distributing Company|year = 1974 ]

Grandpa (Ken Evert), now one-hundred and thirty-seven years old, later appears in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2", inhabiting a fictional abandoned theme park named the "Texas Battle Land" with what remains of his family; when the film's heroine, Vanita "Stretch" Brock (Caroline Williams), is captured by his grandson Chop Top (Bill Moseley), Grandpa is brought forth to kill her with help from Chop Top, though he succeeds in only causing a minor head wound to her with a sledgehammer. When character Lieutenant "Lefty" Enright (Dennis Hopper), the film's male protagonist, engages in a chainsaw duel with Leatherface (Bill Johnson), Grandpa attempts to aid his grandson by throwing a hammer at his opponent, only to hit Leatherface instead and subsequently fall to the floor. Grandpa apparently meets his demise when a grenade, accidentally set off by Drayton (Jim Siedow), Lefty and Leatherface, detonates in close proximity to him. cite video|people = Tobe Hooper (Director)|title = The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2|medium = DVD|location = United States|publisher = Cannon Films Inc.|year = 1986 ]

In "", which has only loose connections to "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2", Grandpa appears only as a decayed corpse kept and treated as if he were alive by Leatherface (R.A. Mihailoff) and his new family; when one of the film's protagonists, Benny (Ken Foree), opens fire on the Sawyer house with an automatic rifle, Grandpa's body takes several shots to the chest and one to the face, but the body is left for the most part intact. cite video|people = Jeff Burr (Director)|title = Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III|medium = DVD|location = United States|publisher = New Line Cinema|year = 1990 ]

In the 1994 film "", a minor character similar to Grandpa, referred to as "Grandfather" (Grayson Victor Schirmacher), appears as a member of the Sawyer family. [ cite video|people = Kim Henkel (Director)|title = Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation|medium = DVD|location = United States|publisher = Columbia Pictures|year = 1994 ]

In the 1991 "Leatherface" comics by Northstar Comics, which are based upon "Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III", Grandpa appears, though he is portrayed as extremely different in this appearance than in others; instead of the solitary and silent figure he is usually shown as, this version of Grandpa is depicted as a rambling old man with a habit of telling non-linear stories, he also appears largely oblivious to his surroundings. It is also revealed by the character Mama that Grandpa isn't biologically related to the featured version of the Sawyer family and that he was abandoned as a child and subsequently adopted into it. [ Cite comic
Writer = Mort Castle
Story = Reach Out of the Darkness
Title = Leatherface
Volume = 1
Issue = 3
Date = October 1991
Publisher = Northstar Comics
Page = 21
Panel = 1 ]

Grandpa also appears throughout the 1995 "Jason vs. Leatherface" comic miniseries by Topps Comics; in the comics, Grandpa acts as essentially nothing more than a background character and has little interaction with any other characters, mostly appearing only in dinner scenes in the comics. Also of note, a picture depicting a much younger Grandpa is found by Jason Voorhees in the attic of the Sawyer house. [ Cite comic
Writer = Nancy Collins
Story = A Day in the Life...
Title = Jason vs. Leatherface
Volume = 1
Issue = 2
Date = November 1995
Publisher = Topps Comics
Page = 29
Panel = All ]

Luda May Hewitt

Luda May Hewitt appeared in the 2003 remake and its prequel, "". She was portrayed by Marietta Marich and Allison Marich.

Luda May Hewitt is the matriarch of the Hewitt family and the mother of Sheriff Hoyt. She found the young baby who would later become Leatherface abandoned in a dumpster, and took him in to raise him, naming him Thomas Brown Hewitt. cite video|people = Jonathan Liebesman (Director) |title = The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning |medium = DVD|location = United States |publisher = New Line Cinema |year = 2006 ]

Luda May runs a local butcher shop in Texas and is the first member of Leatherface's family that the teenaged protagonists meet in the first film. Unlike in the original 1974 film, in which Leatherface's family was somewhat abusive to him, Luda May is fiercely protective of him. Part of her hatred towards the teenagers is due to the abuse that her deformed, mentally retarded son suffered as a child at the hands of bullies. cite video|people = Marcus Nispel (Director) |title = The Texas Chainsaw Massacre |medium = DVD|location = United States |publisher = New Line Cinema |year = 2003 ] On the commentary for the DVD release the writers revealed a cut plotline that, prior to the prequel's continuity, involved Leatherface's abusive father locking him in a woodshack for three years. Once her husband dies, Luda May vows that she had stood by long enough and decides to look after her son and take responsibility for his shortcomings. [ "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" commentary ]

Marich has commented that "Luda Mae is the matriarch of what I like to call the 'killer brood'. I always make up a personal history of characters I play, so I suspect that Luda Mae was a homeless young woman who had to make her own way during the Depression. When she finds Thomas, she takes him home, even though he's disfigured and hideously ugly, and protects him as much as possible from the cruel people he encounters and the world at large. That's her main purpose, and the only reason Luda Mae sticks around." cite web|url=http://www.writingstudio.co.za/page1418.html|title=The art of writing and making films: "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning"|publisher=The Writing Studio|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-21] In the prequel, she, with the rest of the Hewitt family, are discovered to be cannibals, something only implied in the first film. cite video|people = Jonathan Liebesman (Director) |title = The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning |medium = DVD|location = United States |publisher = New Line Cinema |year = 2006 ]

Luda May is a prominent character in Wildstorm Comics's continuation of the movies. With the family exposed after the events of the first film, the comics finds the Hewitt family living in a series of tunnels in the sewers of Travis County. In the comics Luda May has become, perhaps in light of Sheriff Hoyt's death, more of a leader figure to the family than she was in the films. She exhibits more depravity as well (at one point snapping a victim's neck to prepare dinner) but still believes what she does is necessary for her family's survival, and that outsiders don't understand what she's been through and have no right to judge her.

Luda May also appears in the one-shot "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: About a Boy". Taking place in Leatherface's teenage years, the story has a concerned teacher meeting with Luda May. The teacher tells her about evidence of Thomas' various problems, such as disturbing drawings in his notebooks and skins made from animals he caught and killed himself. Throughout the conversation, Luda May remains apathetic, stating that "There's nothing wrong with my boy". When the frustrated teacher threatens to contact the city about Thomas, Luda May retaliates, bashing in the teacher's head with a shovel, once again proclaiming that there was nothing wrong with her son. [ Cite comic
Writer = Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Penciller = Joel Gomez
Inker = Troy Hobbs
Story = About a Boy
Title = The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Volume = 1
Issue = 1
Date = 2007-07-18
Publisher = Wildstorm ]

The Hitchhiker

The Hitchhiker appears in "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" and the first sequel, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2". He is portrayed by Edwin Neal as a mentally unstable cannibal and grave robber, he lives with his equally depraved family, the Sawyers, in the back roads of Texas, capturing, torturing and feasting on unwary travellers. cite video|people = Tobe Hooper (Director)|title = The Texas Chain Saw Massacre|medium = DVD|location = United States|publisher = Bryanston Distributing Company|year = 1974 ]

The Hitchhiker is first seen in the "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" film walking along a road, where he is picked up by a group of friends traveling through the area, who feel sorry for him having to walk in the heat. The Hitchhiker soon begins acting erratically after being allowed into the traveller's van, slashing his own hand with a knife; after Franklin Hardesty (Paul A. Partain) refuses to buy a picture he took of him, the Hitchhiker sets the photo on fire and slashes Franklin's arm with a straight razor before being kicked out of the van. The Hitchhiker briefly chases after the van, yelling and smearing a bloody handprint on it, but soon relinquishes his attack on it.

The Hitchhiker is later revealed to be the brother of the two other main villains of the film, Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) and Drayton Sawyer (Jim Siedow), as well as the middle son of a family of murderous cannibals. It's also revealed that he was the one responsible for the graverobbings mentioned at the beginning of the film. Together, they torment Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns), Franklin's sister whom Drayton had captured. Eventually deciding to kill Sally, the Hitchhiker, Drayton and Leatherface are at first content to allow their highly-regarded Grandpa (John Dugan) to do so, but when Grandpa proves unable to kill Sally with a hammer, the Hitchhiker and his brothers become impatient and over-eager in trying to help him, the Hitchhiker forgets to keep a hold on Sally, allowing her break free of their grasp and jump out a nearby window; as Sally flees, the Hitchhiker and Leatherface give chase to her, with the Hitchhiker catching up to her on a road. While slashing Sally with a knife, the Hitchhiker meets his demise when he is run over by an 18-wheeler.

In "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2", the Hitchhiker, having been reassembled by his family after the events of the first film, appears only as a macabre puppet-like corpse carried around by his twin brother, Chop Top (Bill Moseley). The Hitchhiker's corpse is presumably destroyed when a hand grenade, accidentally set off by Drayton and the film's secondary protagonist, Lieutenant "Lefty" Enright (Dennis Hopper), blows up the family's hideout with the Hitchhiker's body in it.

In the "Jason vs. Leatherface" Topps Comics' miniseries, the Hitchhiker (bearing only a minor resemblance to his film counterpart) appears as a main character. Encountering Jason Voorhees (the main villain of the "Friday the 13th" franchise) in the woods near the Sawyer house, the Hitchhiker, after seeing Jason non-lethally disarm Leatherface after a brief skirmish and decapitate a man he and Leatherface were chasing, befriends him and takes him home, where Jason is inducted as an unofficial member of the family by Drayton. [ Cite comic
Writer = Nancy Collins
Inker = Steve Montano
Story = Goin' South
Title = Jason vs. Leatherface
Volume = 1
Issue = 1
year = 1995
Publisher = Topps Comics ]

The miniseries expands upon the Hitchhiker's character, revealing that he owns a pet dog named Sparky (whom he killed by shooting in the head and treats as if it were still alive) and that he creates furniture and sculptures out of corpses (another possible reference to Ed Gein, upon whom "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" series is loosely based).cite web|url=http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/texaschainsaw.php|title=Ed Gein - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - The True Story|publisher=Chasing the Frog|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-21] The miniseries also showed the extent of the Hitchhiker's abuse of Leatherface whom the Hitchhiker constantly bullies for little or no reason (although he apparently respects Leatherface's prowess at frightening and killing people, as he laments to Jason). The comics also hint that the Hitchhiker, as well as Leatherface, were born of incest, with Drayton's younger sister Velma being implicated as being their sister and mother.

An unnamed character similar to the Hitchhiker in both mannerisms and appearance appears in the one-shot comic book "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Cut!" by Wildstorm, which takes place in the remake continuity of the films. A member of the Hewitt family and brother to Leatherface and an unnamed, Drayton Sawyer-esque character, the Hitchhiker look-alike utilizes a sledge hammer and bolt stunner as his weapons. In the comic, the character terrorizes and murders two members of a group of teenagers seeking to make an amateur film about the Hewitt family murders, and near the end of it, aids his siblings in slaughtering the film project’s director in a manner similar to livestock. [ Cite comic
Writer = Will Pfeifer
Title = The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Cut!
Volume = 1
Issue = 1
year = 2007
Publisher = Wildstorm ]

heriff Hoyt

Charlie Hewitt, Jr., a.k.a Sheriff Hoyt, appears in the 2003 remake of the 1974 film "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" and its prequel "". He is portrayed by R. Lee Ermey.

A POW during the Korean War, Charlie Hewitt is forced into cannibalism to survive, as rations are extremely scarce. Each week, someone has to be killed and eaten. Charlie apparently grows to like the taste of human flesh and later introduces the grisly practice to his family. cite video|people = Jonathan Liebesman (Director) |title = The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning |medium = DVD|location = United States |publisher = New Line Cinema |year = 2006 ]

Charlie shoots and kills the local sheriff, Sheriff Winston, during the sheriff's attempt to apprehend Charlie's nephew Thomas for murdering his boss at the meat factory. Charlie takes on the identity of the sheriff, going under the name Sheriff Winston Hoyt. He uses this new identity to lure teenagers off the road where they will meet Leatherface and his family to be killed and eaten. cite video|people = Jonathan Liebesman (Director) |title = The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning |medium = DVD|location = United States |publisher = New Line Cinema |year = 2006] Hoyt is arguably one of the driving forces behind his adoptive nephew's cannibalism and murders, assuring Thomas that the butchery of human beings is no different than the slaughterhouse: "Meat is meat, and bone is bone." Later, Hoyt is present during Leatherface's first chainsaw murder, urging him to go forward and cheering him on at the same time. cite video|people = Jonathan Liebesman (Director) |title = The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning |medium = DVD|location = United States |publisher = New Line Cinema |year = 2006] A gruff, mean-spirited bully, Hoyt not only makes no effort to conceal his contempt for everyone around him, he seems to revel in it. For example, when he is called to investigate the suicide of a young girl in the first film, he leers at the corpse and cracks jokes about his predilection for "copping a feel" on dead female bodies. cite video|people = Marcus Nispel (Director) |title = The Texas Chainsaw Massacre |medium = DVD|location = United States |publisher = New Line Cinema |year = 2003]

Leatherface

Leatherface is the main antagonist of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" films and appeared in every single one. He uses a chainsaw to kill his victims. He was portrayed by Gunnar Hansen in the original 1974 film, Bill Johnson in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2", R.A. Mihailoff in "Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III", Robert Jacks in "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation" and Andrew Bryniarski in the 2003 remake and it's prequel. Leatherface is portrayed as being "severely mentally retarded and mentally disturbed," and often uses a chainsaw and sledgehammer to slaughter his victims. [cite web|url=http://store.thundermall.com/leandtechma.html|title=Leatherface and Texas Chainsaw Massacre|publisher=Thunder Mall|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-21] He lives with a family of fellow cannibals, who are often abusive and violent towards him. The character was loosely inspired by serial killer Ed Gein, who also wore the skin of his victims.

The character was originally played by Gunnar Hansen. His real name is unknown, although older brother Chop Top calls him "Bubba" in the second movie. His surname would most logically be Sawyer, sharing the last name of his older brothers, making his full name Bubba Sawyer. In the original film, Leatherface is never seen without one of his human-flesh masks on. He differs from other movie killers so much sadistic or evil; he is in fact mentally retarded and most of the time he only does what his family tells him to do. Hansen has stated that Leatherface is "completely under the control of his family. He'll do whatever they tell him to do. He's a little bit afraid of them." [cite web|url=http://www.richmond.com/arts-entertainment/16015|title=Call Him Mr. Leatherface|last=Foster|first=Richard|date=March 27, 2001|publisher=Richmond.com|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-21] Tobe Hooper has argued on the documentary "The Shocking Truth" that Leatherface is a 'big baby' and kills in self-defense because he feels threatened, pointing out that in the first film Leatherface is actually frightened of all the new people entering his house. [cite video | people=Gregory, David (Director and Writer) | year=2000 | date= | url=http://imdb.com/title/tt0286214| title=Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Shocking Truth | medium=Documentary| location= | publisher=Blue Underground]

The people Leatherface kills are later made into barbecue and chili, which are sold by his oldest brother, Drayton Sawyer. Aside from Leatherface and Drayton, the Sawyer clan includes two more brothers, Nubbins and Chop Top, as well as Grandpa, Grandma and Great-Grandma (real names unknown). "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2" is a direct sequel to the 1974 film, but is more campy and over the top than the original. Tobe Hooper said on "The Shocking Truth" that he wanted to expand on the dark comedy in the original film, an element that he felt no one truly picked up on. In this film, Leatherface develops a "crush" on one of his victims, and in one scene, skins off the face of her friend (while alive) and places it on her to hide her from the rest of his family. At the end of the film, he apparently dies in an explosion after being impaled with a chainsaw in a fight with the uncle of his previous victims from the first film.

"", takes place in its own continuity, although minor references are made to the previous two films. The filmmakers attempted to make the series darker and grittier as with the original, but interventions from the MPAA quashed their vision and had them tone it down and change the ending. An uncut version was released in 2003. Leatherface has different family and a daughter in this film, possibly from a rape. cite web|url=http://www.joblo.com/arrow/reviews.php?id=623|title="Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III" Review|publisher=Joblo.com|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-06] A four issue comic series based on the film, entitled "Leatherface" was also created; notably, portions of the comics are narrated by and shown from Leatherface's point of view.

"" also takes place in its own continuity, in which Leatherface is inexplicably not a cannibal but a pizza-eating transvestite involved in an Illuminati conspiracy to provide society a source of horror, and again, with a different family. [cite web|url=http://www.joblo.com/arrow/reviews.php?id=624 |title=The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 4|publisher=Joblo|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-21] [cite web|url=http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=1348|title=Return of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre|last=Parcellin|first=Chris |date=October 31, 2000|publisher=FilmThreat|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-21]

Old Monty

Old Monty appeared in the 2003 remake and it's prequel. He was portrayed by Terrence Evans.

Old Monty is a bitter, lecherous old man whose legs have been amputated, confining him to a wheelchair. After Sheriff Hoyt kills a biker's girlfriend, the biker seeks revenge on the Hewitts and attacks Monty by shooting him in the leg. As a bit of impromptu 'surgery', Hoyt orders Leatherface to remove the wounded leg with his chainsaw. Leatherface accidentally nicks Monty's second leg, so Hoyt tells him to remove that as well for 'balance'. cite video|people = Jonathan Liebesman (Director) |title = The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning |medium = DVD|location = United States |publisher = New Line Cinema |year = 2006 ]

He is the third member of Leatherface's family to meet the stranded teenagers in the first film that eventually become Leatherface's victims (the first being Luda May and the second being Jedidiah) and he is the one to first summon the killer by repeatedly rapping his cane against the floor. cite video|people = Marcus Nispel (Director) |title = The Texas Chainsaw Massacre |medium = DVD|location = United States |publisher = New Line Cinema |year = 2003 ] His role in the family is unclear, with various people on the film speculating that he is either Luda May's husband or brother.

In "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" comics by Avatar Press, which are set between the events of the remake and prequel, Monty appears as a prominent character; the Avatar Press comics depict Monty as somewhat more depraved and vicious then the films, with the 2006 miniseries "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Grind" having him strangle a girl to death and later attempt to rape the girl's foster sister, who escapes by punching Monty in the head repeatedly after freeing herself from the restraints he has her in. [ Cite comic
Writer = Brian Pulido
Penciller = Daniel HDR
Inker = Bob Koya, Elvis Moura and Newton Barbosa
Story =
Title = The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Grind
Volume = 1
Issue = 3
Date = June 2006
Publisher = Avatar Press ]

Vilmer Sawyer

Vilmer Sawyer is a fictional character featured in the 1994 film "". He is portrayed by actor Matthew McConaughey. cite video|people = Kim Henkel (Director)|title = Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation|medium = DVD|location = United States|publisher = Columbia Pictures|year = 1994 ]

Vilmer is presented as the head of a family of serial killers, which includes two brothers: the excitable W.E. Sawyer and the chainsaw-wielding transvestite known only as Leather (who is never addressed as Leatherface in the film). Vilmer is accompanied by his lover Darla, a married woman who, while independently minded, often suffers abuse at Vilmer's discretion. Vilmer drives around in an unidentified rural Texas town in his tow truck hunting down fresh victims to bring back to his house. He wears a custom-built mechanical leg brace made from a hodgepodge of hoses, medal rods and electrical devices. He operates the brace's locomotive controls with several television remote controls, which he keeps tucked away inside of his pants pocket. The nature of Vilmer's leg injury is never revealed, but according to W.E., he has been shot and run over several times throughout his life.

W. E. Sawyer

W. E. Sawyer appeared in "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation", and was mentioned in "Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III". He was portrayed by Joe Stevens. cite video|people = Kim Henkel (Director)|title = Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation|medium = DVD|location = United States|publisher = Columbia Pictures|year = 1994 ]

A character named W. E. Sawyer is first mentioned in the 1990 film "Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III". In the films prologue, it is said that a man named W. E. Sawyer was arrested some unspecified time between 1973 and 1981 and charged with the murders of the various characters from the original film and the attempted murder of Sally Hardesty, the heroine of the aforementioned film. Deemed guilty for the murders, W. E. Sawyer is executed in a gas chamber in the fictional Huntsville State Penitentiary late in 1981. Leatherface, the main antagonist of "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre", is concluded to be Sawyer's alternate personality which manifested when he wore a mask created from the skin of his victims (Leatherface's M.O.); this theory was assumed to be correct as none of Sally Hardesty's accounts about Leatherface contradicted it. The assumption is later proven false though, as the actual Leatherface appears "Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III". cite video|people = Jeff Burr (Director)|title = Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III|medium = DVD|location = United States|publisher = New Line Cinema|year = 1990 ]

In the 1994 film "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation", W. E. Sawyer appears as a main antagonist. A relative of the Sawyer family, W. E., like them, is an agent for a shady government organization (which in-turn, appears to be controlled by aliens) who has the family forcibly employed for the purpose of terrorizing society. His fate in the film is left ambiguous, as his head is bashed with a hammer by the increasingly unstable Vilmer Sawyer and he does not appear again, leading to the possibility the attack could have killed him, or at least incapacitated him. cite video|people = Kim Henkel (Director)|title = Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation|medium = DVD|location = United States|publisher = Columbia Pictures|year = 1994 ]

Despite his somewhat stereotypical redneck appearance and general insanity, the W. E. Sawyer appearing in this film is depicted as being highly cultured, continually quoting famous works of literature, even while torturing people.

Other members

*Grandma: Grandpa's wife, she died an unspecified time before the first films events, although her corpse has been preserved by the family and was originally kept in the attic of the Sawyer ranch.

*Great Grandma: First mentioned by Drayton in the second film, who states "Oh Great Grandma in chainsaw heaven!"; her skeletal corpse is later seen in chainsaw heaven, which is actually a macabre shrine hidden in the amusement park what remains of the Sawyers live in in the second film.

*Little Girl: Leatherface's unnamed daughter, apparently conceived from the rape of one of his victims; she carries around a dead child as a doll, which she refers to as "Sally" (a possible reference to Sally Hardesty). In the rated version, her fate is unrevealed. In the unrated version, she's seen at the end in the back of the Sheriff's car, probably arrested, however, her hands weren't cuffed. In the comics based on the film, no reference is made to Little Girl being Leatherface's child, with her appearing to be just another one of his relatives.

*Eddie "Tex" Sawyer: A cowboy and brother of Leatherface, Eddie completely despises his real name for unknown reasons and prefers to be called "Tex", and goes into a rage when referred to be his true name. In the rated version, Tex is killed when set ablaze by survivalist Benny. In the unrated version, Tex is set on fire, but survives, and then is killed when Michelle pushes him into a spike trap. Tex (never referred to as Eddie) is portrayed as one of the more sane members of the family in the Leatherface comics, actually showing some level of remorse for his actions. Tex is killed in the comics by Michelle, who beats and disembowels him with the very knife he was planning to butcher her with.

*Tech/Tinker Sawyer: Another brother of Leatherface, he has a hook in place of a right hand and an affinity for machines and technology. Tech is killed when Benny opens fire on the families' house with an automatic rifle, blasting two of Tech's fingers off, as well as an ear. In the Leatherface comics, Tech is depicted as a former hippy fixated with music and a "Chrome Machine God" he believes controls everything. Tech is fatally injured in the comic by being shot repeatedly by Benny, later dying in Leatherface's (who admired Tech, who was his favorite brother) arms.

*Mama Sawyer: Leatherface's mother, Mama is an aged, wheelchair-bound woman and also has an electronic voice box. When Benny begins to blast the families' house with an automatic rifle, Mama dies after taking several shots to the chest as Tech watches on in horror. Mama's role is expanded upon in the Leatherface comics, which depict her as a stereotypical kindly old woman, capable of speaking under her own power. Mama meets her demise in the comics when her face is smashed in by Benny, who she was holding at gun point, using his automatic rifle.

*Alfredo Sawyer: Another brother of Leatherface, he appears to be highly demented and suffers from a speech impediment and heterochromia. In the rated version, Alfredo is killed when attacking Michelle with a sledgehammer in his pickup truck, she grabs his shotgun lying on the truck's floor and blasts him, his last words being "What are the chances a brainless bitch like you knows how to use that thing?" In the unrated version, he's hit in the head by Benny with the stock of the shotgun, and falls in a bog. In the Leatherface comics, Alfredo is drawn with an eye patch for unexplained reasons and is depicted as more insane than his film counterpart. Alfredo is killed in the comics' final issue, being forced underwater and drowned by Michelle.

*Darla Sawyer: Vilmer's apparent girlfriend or wife (who routinely suffers abuse at his hands) Darla is one of the more sane members of the family; she appears highly disgruntled under Rothman and Vilmer's control and is hinted at having once had a normal life, making references to another husband living elsewhere.

*Grandfather: Shown only briefly in a scene in which Vilmer, W. E., Darla and Leatherface are eating with a captive, not much is revealed about his character, as soon after he appears, he quickly leaves the scene, not speaking any dialogue.

Other characters

* Sally Hardesty – Sally was the survivor of the original film, but she is believed to have died in a mental hospital after her ordeal. The character returned for a cameo in the fourth film, where she is seen alive, being wheeled through a hospital on a gurney. However, the credits listed her as "Anonymous".

* Lefty Enright – male hero of the second film. He is the uncle of Sally and Franklin. He in a way was the one who was responsible for the death of Drayton. After he shoved a Chainsaw through Leatherface's abdomen, Leatherface accidentally hit Drayton who was holding a primed Grenade.

* Vanita "Stretch" Brock – The main character in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2". She escapes the Sawyer family in time for their hide out to explode (thanks to Drayton) which supposedly kills the family. Chop Top follows her and horribly attacks her wielding a straight razor until she grabs a chainsaw and attacks him with it, knocking him over an edge down into the abandoned theme park (where the family lived). In "Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III", Vanita makes a cameo appearance as a news reporter, her identity being confirmed in DVD commentary.

* Michelle – The main female protagonist of "", Michelle, while en route to California with her companion Ryan to return a car to her father, encounters Leatherface and his deranged family. With help from Benny, Michelle escapes from the family's swamp home.

* Benny – An ex-Marine and survivalist, Benny appears "Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III"; after his car crashes into Michelle and Ryan's, who were fleeing from Leatherface's family, Benny aids the two in trying to escape, successfully killing several members of the family. In the rated edition of the film, Benny, along with Michelle, survives and escapes, though in the unrated edition and "Leatherface" comics, he is killed by Leatherface.

* Jenny – The main female protagonist of "", Jenny, encounters Leatherface and his family after ending up in a car accident. Spending the bulk of the film trying to escape from the family, Jenny is eventually saved by the enigmatic Agent Rothman. The unrated edition DVD of the film reveals somewhat more on Jenny, showing that she is routinely abused by her stepfather.

* Rothman – A member (or possibly the leader) of a government organization or cult, Rothman appears in "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation" as the boss of the Sawyer family. After discovering that Leatherface and his family are "breaking the rules" he has set for them, Rothman decides to shut them down, ordering Vilmer to be assassinated and rescuing Jenny from him. In a brief scene of the film, Rothman is depicted as having intricate patterned carvings and large piercings on his body.

*Erin Hardesty – Erin was the only survivor of the remake. She's responsible for chopping off Leatherface's arm with a meat cleaver and killing Sheriff Hoyt by running him over with his car. The novelization states that her last name is 'Hardesty', a reference to the heroine of the 1974 original. [ cite video |people= Nispel, Marcus (Director) |date2=2003-10-17 |month2=October |year2=2003 |title= The Texas Chainsaw Massacre |url= |format= |medium=DVD |publisher= New Line Cinema |location= |accessdate=2008-09-06 |time= |quote= ]

*Chrissie – Chrissie is the main character of the prequel to the remake. She risks her life many times to save her friends but is eventually captured. She manages to escape from the Hewitts only to be murdered by Leatherface in the backseat of a car. [ cite video |people= Liebesman, Jonathan (Director) |date2=2006-10-06 |month2=October |year2=2006 |title= The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning |url= |format= |medium=DVD |publisher= New Line Cinema |location= |accessdate=2008-09-06 |time= |quote= ]

References