The Chainsaw massacre hit theaters in 1974. Its director, Tobe Hooper, investigated the life and crimes of Ed Gein and Elmer Wayne Henley to terrify an entire generation.
The premiere of the reboot of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre on Netflix has made more than one remember the story behind this famous franchise. With Leatherface as its iconic character, streaming takes up the horror plot to give its users a new version of this horror movie classic.
For this plot, the service bets on new faces, but also on the return of a historic cast member: Sally Hardesty (Olwen Fouéré), a character who was part of the 1974 version.
The true story of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Although Leatherface is a fictional character, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has a story behind it. The Texas chainsaw massacre was inspired by true events and the actions of two serial killers: Ed Gein and Elmer Wayne Henley, who served as a sample for the creation of one of their characters.
The 1974 film included real-life events that brought legendary director Tobe Hooper to his attention. The filmmaker closely followed the acts of violence that the media in those years presented on television, as well as the increasing appearance of serial killers in the United States. According to Screenrant, the director credited Gein and Henley as influencing the creation of Leatherface.
In the documentary, A-Z of Horror (1997), Hooper recounts what his relatives - who lived near Gein - told him how the police had arrested the subject in 1957. Among other things, he was found with human remains in your home. “I didn't know who he was, or the horrible things he had done, but what they told stayed with me growing up,” he explained.
His crimes shocked an entire nation in the 1950s. After being captured in 1957 for being involved in the disappearance of a woman, he confessed to exhuming corpses and making objects from his bones and skin. After attributing the murders of two women to him, he was declared mentally ill and spent the rest of his days in a psychiatric institution until his death he died in 1984.
The story of the serial killer Ed Gein has reached film and television on more than one occasion, it is enough to know that the man served as the basis for creating another icon of suspense and horror cinema: Norman Bates from Psycho.
In Henley's case, he was the primary source for bringing Leatherface's family to life. He was convicted in the 1970s for being part of the Houston mass murders, where he killed 26 minors. Henley was only 17 years old when he was captured.
The 'hoax' of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
For many, the success of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, in addition to the stories of serial killers that the director used as a reference, is also due to how it was sold to the public. The 1974 tape included a narration at the beginning indicating that Sally Hardesty and her brother could have had another life if they had not made their deadly journey. The doubt that what was shown in the film really happened, led viewers to fill the theaters.
“The idyllic summer walk turned into a nightmare for the brothers. The events of that day would lead to the discovery of one of the most bizarre crimes in the annals of American history: The Texas Massacre”, this is the message that is read at the beginning of the film.
What will happen in Netflix's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre?
The film takes place decades after the events of the original film. Leatherface (Mark Burnham) stalks and attacks a group of young men trying to bring a forgotten town in rural Texas back to life.
As they struggle to survive, they are introduced to Sally Hardesty (Olwen Fouéré), the female lead of the 1974 film. She has waited 50 years to meet her enemy again and end her reign of terror.
