Most hardcore horror fans know that the iconic villainLeatherfacefrom directorTobe Hooper’s enduring 1974 horror classicThe Texas Chainsaw Massacrewas inspired by Wisconsin serial killerEd Gein. That real-life killer also served as the inspiration for a number of iconic horror movies such asPsycho,ManiacandSilence of the Lambs.Tobe Hooperrevealed quite the surprise in a new interview, when he revealed that this iconic character was actually inspired by a cartoon character.
October 1 marked the 42nd anniversary of the originalhorror classic, andTobe Hoopermade this surprising revelation during an interview with theNew York Post. The filmmaker revealed that the beloved cartoon duck Baby Huey was the real inspiration for Leatherface, even though they both don’t seem to have much in common. In the Baby Huey cartoons, the massive duck was hunted by a fox who wanted to eat him, but inTexas Chainsaw Massacre, it was Leatherface and his sadistic brothers who hunt down their victims. Here’s whatTobe Hooperhad to say about how Baby Huey inspired Leatherface.
“He never became an adult. He was like Baby Huey. It’s kind of the way I envisioned him from the cartoons.”
The originalTexas Chainsaw Massacrespawned a franchise that is still going strong to this day.The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2hit theaters in 1986, followed by 1990’sLeatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre IIIand 1994’sThe Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Nearly a decade later, Platinum Dunes’Michael Bay,Brad FullerandAndrew Formrebooted the franchise with 2003’sTexas Chainsaw Massacre, and the 2006 prequelTexas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. The last incarnation of thehorror franchisewas Lionsgate’sTexas Chainsaw 3Din 2013.
While we don’t know when it will hit theaters quite yet, there is aTexas Chainsaw prequelthat started production earlier this year. What’s interesting about this project is the story will center on four main characters, one of which will be revealed at the end of the movie as the real Leatherface.Sam Strike,Sam Coleman,James BloorandJessica Madsenstar as the four teenagers who escape from a mental institution, all of whom have an affinity for wielding chainsaws. They kidnap a young nurse (Vanessa Grasse) as they make their escape, with a local sheriff (Stephen Dorff) trying to track them down.
Tobe Hooperalso revealed that the MPAA originally wouldn’t let him hang a girl on a meat hook, without being slapped with the dreaded X rating. However, he promised that the scene wouldn’t be too gory, and they let him keep the scene inThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Even 42 years later, this beloved horror classic is still finding ways to surprise the fans.
