THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE prequel LEATHERFACE finished production quite a long time ago now. So where is the film? Good question. Turns out Lionsgate is having second thoughts about how, and when, to release the flick.
I'm guessing it has something, if not all, to do with the under-performance ( that's a nice way of putting it) of their last foray into horror follow-ups with BLAIR WITCH, the surprise sequel to THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT.
Anyway, over this past weekend Bloody Disgusting took to Twitter with the hashtag campaign #WeWantLeatherface in an attempt to get Lionsgate's attention and let them know that… well you get the picture.
Turns out the guys are doing their best to help old LEATHERFACE get back to the screens as they recruited LEATHERFACE screenwriter Seth M. Sherwood to help out by giving exclusive insights into what the prequel holds in store for us fans.
Sherwood told the site:
When I was writing Leatherface, I tried really hard to make it feel like part of the franchise on the whole— which is actually not easy when you consider continuity was pretty loose between the original trilogy and two remakes that followed it. Chainsaw films aren’t exactly a perfectly shared universe, but at the same time, they are all undeniably Chainsaw at their heart. To tap into that I tried to pay subtle homage to all the films in some way; I wanted to tap into some of the key ideas and tropes so that it would feel familiar, but at the same time, go in a different direction.
He then talked about what ties LEATHERFACE would have to the rest of the saga:
Tying to the original was the easiest— in terms of continuity I needed to dovetail my story in that general direction. My take on Leatherface was inspired directly by how Tobe and Gunnar described his mindset (or lack thereof). The Sawyer Farm is a key location. These connections were more literal.
From Chainsaw 2 I borrowed a few things. Obviously, the character names. Drayton, Nubbins, the Sawyer surname— were all discovered in the sequel. Mainly though, the idea of a corrupt, mentally unstable Texas Ranger on a vendetta against the Sawyers gave birth to Hartman, the real villain of my story. Like Lefty, he’s out for revenge against the Sawyers over something they did to his family. The character Clarice started as a pretty clear Chop Top homage, though along the way we decided to develop her into being more original. That said, when you see her, you can see a little of that DNA in there.
The original Leatherface, Chainsaw 3, took the idea of the backwoods isolation of the original and exploded it tenfold. I always think of the locations of this film— the scrub brush filled badlands and remote roadside outposts as feeling like another world— a dark fairy tale land in some way. To be reminded, no, we’re just lost in Texas, is awesome. I filled my story with similar locations to hopefully capture a similar vibe.
Sherwood then goes on to mention his film will indeed have a connection to even TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D:
While I didn’t find any thematic inspiration from 3D, this is from the same team, so we decided early on that we needed some ties. Those come mainly from using names to establish a little continuity. The corrupt Mayor in 3D is the son of Stephen Dorff’s character. The cameo by Marilyn Burns as Sawyer matriarch Verna is the character played now by Lili Taylor.
He then speaks more in-depth about how LEATHERFACE will delve a bit more into how Leatherface became the Leatherface we all know and love:
Leatherface is very much about identity. Gunnar Hansen said that Leatherface was devoid of identity beyond doing what his family told him, or what his mask might define. Instead of starting Jed Sawyer as a gibbering simpleton, I was more interested in taking somebody that could almost pass as normal and then explore how they could be reduced to nothing. Leatherface doesn’t know who he is, he doesn’t remember his family— but the saw becomes integral to restoring that… because the saw IS family!
So there you have it. That's a ton of awesome info to digest and I can only hope it helps spark the interest in all of you to take to Twitter yourselves and jump on the #WeWantLeatherface hashtag.
Let's get this flick released people!
The LEATHERFACE synopsis goes like this:
Jessica Madsen plays one of four inmates (Sam Coleman, Sam Strike, James Bloor) who escape from a mental hospital. One of them becomes the title character and iconic slasher. The quartet kidnap a young nurse (played by Vanessa Grasse) and take her on a road trip from hell. Along the way, they are pursued by an equally deranged lawman (Stephen Dorff) out for revenge. The Conjuring‘s Lili Taylor plays Mother Sawyer.
Oh, and The Hitchhiker (aka Nubbins Sawyer) is totally in the new prequel. Glad you read this article now, huh?