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Which Leatherface Origin Story Did It Better?

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Leatherface

Origin stories have become a popular trend in the world of horror. With so many memorable villains and psychopaths, it’s no wonder why fans have become obsessed with finding out about what event flipped that character’s internal switch, to become such a grotesque and vile monster. Leatherface is no exception to this desire, and more than one attempt at showcasing his horrific upbringing has been made.

Upon first being introduced to Tobe Hooper’s 1974 masterpiece, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, viewers were captivated by the actions of the Sawyer family, and the franchise has spawned three sequels, two remakes, and two origin stories. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre:The Beginning, released in 2006, and Leatherface, released in 2017, display two completely different stories and styles for our introduction to the homicidal mad man and his deranged family.

Intended as a prequel to the 2003 remake starring Jessica Biel and R. Lee Ermey, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre:The Beginning opens with a slaughterhouse employee giving birth to a mutated infant, before dying on the work floor from labor complications. The child is then thrown aside like a piece of garbage, literally, before being adopted by a scavenger searching for food.

After developing an unknown skin disorder, Thomas is raised by the Hewitt family to work in a meat packing facility. Once the plant is condemned and ordered to close down however, he doesn’t understand that he must stop working. One ill advised insult too many from the head foreman, and Thomas surges into a fit of rage, bludgeoning the man to death with a tenderizing mallet, and claiming his first victim in a long spree of carnage.

‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning’ via IMDB

The thing that works so well for this origin story, besides R. Lee Ermey’s performance as the tormenting Sheriff Hoyt, is its sheer simplicity. A deformed mute, with a cannibalistic family, who has only ever known how to slaughter and package animals, finds a chainsaw and brutalizes anyone his family tells him to… doesn’t seem that far-fetched. The writers also pay homage to the original by putting an emphasis on the family, and not just Leatherface.

Fans of the 2003 remake appreciate the details throughout; like showing how Monty loses his legs and winds up in a wheelchair, Thomas’s first mask worn to cover his facial disfigurement, or how Uncle Charlie came to be the self proclaimed local law enforcement.

Overall, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning delivers a unique perspective into what drove Thomas Hewitt to become the murderous chainsaw slayer, while still giving fans the gore and thrills they’ve come to expect from the franchise. The same may not be said for the second, and more recent, origin story, Leatherface.

Directed by French duo Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury, the pair decided to take a different approach, showing Leatherface as both a young boy and a teenaged mental
patient. Aside from a few well-acted scenes from Lili Taylor as Verna, mother to the soon to be Leatherface, the horrific nature of the family is absent throughout the majority of the film. After escaping during a wild riot at the local mental hospital, four patients and a nurse are on the run from the vengeful sheriff Hal, played by Stephen Dorff.

While the idea of Leatherface being an escaped mental patient might sound good on paper, the end result lacks a certain grit and griminess to it that a slaughterhouse employee fills more substantially. Throughout a large portion of the film, the viewer is left guessing as to which character actually turns out to be the deadly killer. It’s only within the final few scenes that we find out who is elected to become the monster, and how he came to adorn the iconic mask (that was considerably underwhelming and resembled something of a leather bondage piece).

Leatherface

Sam Strike in ‘Leatherface’ via IMDB

The main issue many fans had, without giving too much away, is the dramatic change the character went through in such a short amount of time- from being very vocal and seemingly compassionate and intelligent, to suddenly becoming mute and losing all sense of a conscience in a matter of minutes. Add that to a few unrealistic scenes that seemed to serve no purpose other than to deliver what little gore and shock value there is (like three young adults all fitting inside of a dead carcass to hide from the police; or a random act of necrophilia during an unnecessary sex scene), and you have the makings of an origin story that falls short of its ambitious attempt to showcase a horror icon in a new and modern light.

Whether you want them or not, prequels and sequels will continue to re-imagine, reinvent, and often times downright embarrass some of our most beloved killers, psychos, and miscreants. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning and Leatherface are two examples of what can go well, and not so well within an origin story. At the end of the day, if neither of these prequels works for you, watch Tobe Hooper’s original and see what kind of origin your own mind creates for the chainsaw wielding maniac.

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Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

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Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

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Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

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The Blair Witch Project Cast

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

Blair witch
The Blair Witch Project Cast

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

The blair witch project

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello

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