Leatherface (2017 film)

Leatherface

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo
Produced by Christa Campbell
Lati Grobman
Carl Mazzocone
Les Weldon
Screenplay by Seth M. Sherwood
Based on Characters
by Tobe Hooper
Kim Henkel
Starring Stephen Dorff
Lili Taylor
Music by John Frizzell
Cinematography Antoine Sanier
Production
company
Campbell Grobman Films
Mainline Pictures
Millennium Films
Distributed by Lionsgate
Release date

[1]

Running time
 90 minutes[2]
Country United States
Language English

Leatherface is an upcoming American horror film directed by Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, written by Seth M. Sherwood, and starring Stephen Dorff, Vanessa Grasse, Sam Strike, and Lili Taylor.[3] It is the eighth film in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, and works as a prequel to 1974's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, explaining the origin of the series' lead character.[4][5][6]

Following the financial success of Texas Chainsaw 3D, Lionsgate commissioned the production of another Chainsaw film. Seth M. Sherwood proposed the film to the studio as an origin story focusing on how the titular Leatherface became a mentally handicapped killer, in favour of avoiding the convoluted continuity of the previous films. Leatherface will follow the canon established by The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Texas Chainsaw 3D, chronologically taking place before said films.

Principal photography took place in Bulgaria in May and June of 2015. The film will be made exclusive via DirecTV on September 21, 2017, before receiving a wider release on Video on demand and limited theaters, simultaneously, in North America on October 20, 2017.

Plot

Leatherface is a prequel to 1974's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre that revolves around the mystery of which teenage psychopath introduced will ultimately become the chainsaw wielding killer known as Leatherface,[7] as they escape with a nurse from a mental institution with a revenge-stricken lawman in pursuit.[8]

Cast

Production

Concept and development

"In a way, there is nothing behind the mask. That, I think, is why he is such a frightening character. The reason he wore a mask, according to Tobe and Kim, was that the mask really determined his personality. So, when the Cook comes home with Sally, Leatherface is wearing the "Old Lady" mask and his wearing an apron; he wants to be domestic. At dinner he wears a different face -- the "Pretty Woman," which has make up. Behind the mask, really, Leatherface was very simple -- he killed anything that came along, he obeyed his brothers, he loved his Grandpa."[20]

—Actor Gunnar Hansen on Leatherface's characterisation

In January 2013, it was revealed that due to the success of Texas Chainsaw 3D, Millennium Films began planning a prequel film to be called Texas Chainsaw 4 which was expected to begin filming later in 2013 in the state of Louisiana.[21][22][23] Even though there have been over a half dozen films in the franchise, including a remake and prequel to the remake, calling the film Texas Chainsaw 4 was an indicator that it was a follow-up to the third film in the original continuity, Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III.[21] Millennium Films Chairman Avi Lerner shared that the project was brought to him by Christa Campbell and Lati Grobman. Millennium signed on to produce and Lionsgate agreed to distribute the finished product.[23][24][23] The idea for the prequel came when Seth M. Sherwood was given the chance to pitch the film to the studio. Dissatisfied with the inconsistencies of the franchise's continuity, he opted to make a Chainsaw film that wasn't just another sequel to the original: "My pitch was always about doing it completely out of left field and making it different. The first thing I said to Millennium was 'I bet I can tell you what everybody else is pitching you and it’s X-Y-Z, but I want to do 1-2-3', and luckily, that's the direction they were interested in going as well."[25] The script was approached as a story of identity, based on the statements given by Tobe Hooper and Gunnar Hansen on how the character Leatherface is entirely devoid of personality beyond the masks he wears and what his family commands him to do.[26] Sherwood chose not to have Leatherface be born as intellectually disabled, finding the story of a functional person that has their mental capabilities reduced to be more fascinating.[27]

Pre-production

On August 13, 2014, Seth M. Sherwood was announced to write the film,[4][28] retitled Leatherface.[6] On October 31, 2014, Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo were hired to direct the film,[29] who admired its distinction in narrative with the series' previous installments.[30] On March 9, 2015, Sam Strike joined the cast to play Jackson.[12] On March 11, 2015, James Bloor joined the cast.[14] On March 31, 2015, Stephen Dorff joined the cast to play Hal Hartman.[9] On April 27, 2015, Jessica Madsen joined the cast.[15] On May 5, 2015, Lili Taylor joined the cast, replacing Angela Bettis who had dropped out due to a scheduling conflict.[11] On May 6, 2015, Vanessa Grasse joined the cast to play Lizzy, a young nurse at a mental hospital.[13]

Filming

Principal photography began on May 18, 2015,[31] shooting on locations in Bulgaria.[32][33] The Bulgaria location was used for budgetary reasons, as Millennium Films has a studio in the area. To accommodate the 1960s era in which the film is set, cars modeled after that of the period were sent to the filming areas. Sites were also chosen for an aesthetic of wild, open fields and scrubs that resemble the Texas landscape. Seth M. Sherwood likened the film's visual style to that of an art film, comparing it to "Badlands with gore". In addition to the brutal murders in the screenplay, additional kills were inserted by directors Bustillo and Maury during filming, with the creation of Leatherface's first flesh-mask cited by Sherwood as his personal favourite. Practical effects were primarily used to bring the killings, corpses, and gore to life; much of the budget was spent on building a realistic cow carcass. The crew utilised computer-generated imagery as necessary, albeit to a much lesser extent.[34] Leatherface was made intentionally graphic in response to fan criticisms of Texas Chainsaw 3D lacking sufficient violence.[35] Lati Globman said on the matter, "Gore is not always the point in horror movies, although there will be plenty, it needs to be psychologically challenging and twisted."[36] While five of the Texas Chainsaw franchise's seven films have been shot in Texas and one in California and one in Louisiana, Bulgarian filming marks the first time a film in the franchise has been shot outside the United States. Filming continued through June 2015.[37] Sherwood wrote some of the film's locations into the script as homage to Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III. As Sherwood explains, "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. I filled my story with similar locations to hopefully capture a similar vibe." The fictional Sawyer farm is a key location in Leatherface,[19] which was rebuilt to accurately resemble its appearance in the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre.[36]

Continuity

Serving as a direct prequel to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Leatherface was written by Seth M. Sherwood to also act as a prelude to the series as a whole. Sherwood intentionally distanced the film from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake and its prequel The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, while respecting the fictional events of the original film and its various sequels. Leatherface's characterisation is based on Gunnar Hansen's performance from the original film. Certain character names, such as Drayton, Nubbins, and the Sawyer surname, were pulled from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. The creation of the deranged lawman Hal Hartman was inspired by Lefty Enright, a Texas Ranger that appeared in the second film, while Clarice was originally conceived as a tribute to Chop Top Sawyer. Hal Hartman is the father of Burt Hartman, a vigilante character that first appeared in Texas Chainsaw 3D. The character Verna Sawyer (Lili Taylor) was played by Marilyn Burns in Texas Chainsaw 3D.[19] Sherwood confirmed that the Texas Chainsaw film canon followed by Lionsgate Pictures and Millennium Films consists of, chronologically, Leatherface, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Texas Chainsaw 3D: "While there’s plenty of things for fans, one could also go into [Leatherface] blind as their first TCM film and effectively see the beginning of the story."[27]

Release

In May 2017, producer Christa Campbell stated that the film will be released in October 2017.[1] It will premiere at FrightFest 2017 on August 25,[2] followed by an exclusive release through the DirecTV satellite service on September 21, and wide distribution via Video on demand and a limited theatrical run coinciding on October 20.[38][39][40]

References

  1. 1 2 Collis, Clark (May 13, 2017). "Texas Chain Saw Massacre Prequel To Be Released In October". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Barkan, Jonathan (June 30, 2017). "FrightFest 2017: Cult of Chucky’s World Premiere Leads a Stellar List of Horror". Dread Central. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  3. ↑ Wintermond (November 1, 2014). "JULIEN MAURY und ALEXANDRE BUSTILLO drehen "Leatherface"" (in German). DGF Magazine. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Lussier, Germain (August 14, 2014). "Latest ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ Franchise Reboot Will Get a New Prequel". Slash Film. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  5. ↑ Miska, Brad (July 28, 2014). "Leatherface’s Puberty: New ‘Texas Chainsaw’ Details! (Exclusive)". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Dickson, Evan (August 13, 2014). "Texas ChainsawMassacre Prequel is Now Titled Leatherface and Has a Writer". Collider. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  7. ↑ http://movieweb.com/texas-chainsaw-prequel-cast-leatherface-mystery/
  8. ↑ http://screenrant.com/leatherface-movie-prequel-story-spoilers/
  9. 1 2 Anthony D'Alessandro (2015-03-31). "Stephen Dorff To Star In ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ Prequel ‘Leatherface’". Deadline. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
  10. ↑ Miska, Brad (March 27, 2015). "Stephen Dorff Joins ‘Leatherface’ As a Texas Ranger!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  11. 1 2 Borys Kit (2015-05-05). "Lili Taylor Joins 'Texas Chainsaw' Prequel 'Leatherface'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
  12. 1 2 Jeff Sneider (2015-03-09). "'EastEnders' Star Sam Strike in Talks for Lead in 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' Prequel 'Leatherface' (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Jeff Sneider (2015-05-06). "'Leatherface' Casts Newcomer Vanessa Grasse as Female Lead (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
  14. 1 2 Linda Ge and Jeff Sneider (2015-03-11). "James Bloor in Final Negotiations to Join 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' Prequel 'Leatherface' (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
  15. 1 2 Jeff Sneider (2015-04-27). "'Mr. Selfridge' Actress Jessica Madsen Joins Horror Movie 'Leatherface' (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved 2015-06-03.
  16. ↑ "Leatherface". Millennium Films. Retrieved 2017-07-29.
  17. ↑ Brad Miska (2016-01-26). "Here’s Stephen Dorff In ‘Leatherface’!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  18. 1 2 John Squires (2017-02-08). "[Exclusive] We Will Meet Sally and Franklin’s Father in ‘Leatherface’". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
  19. 1 2 3 "[Exclusive] Writer of ‘Leatherface’ Talks Connections to Previous ‘Chainsaw’ Films". Bloody-Disgusting. Retrieved 2017-02-14.
  20. ↑ "Interview with Gunnar "Leatherface" Hansen". Geocities. Archived from the original on October 25, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  21. 1 2 Walkuski, Eric (January 9, 2013). "'Texas Chainsaw 2' Is Coming, Will Strangely Be Titled 'Texas Chainsaw 4'". Screen Crush. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  22. ↑ Dickson, Evan (January 8, 2013). "Confirmed! New ‘Texas Chainsaw’ Sequel To Start Shooting Later This Year! Oddly Titled ‘Texas Chainsaw 4’?!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  23. 1 2 3 Fleming Jr., Mike (January 8, 2013). "Millennium Films Revs Another ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’". Deadline. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  24. ↑ Dickson, Evan (April 27, 2013). "‘Texas Chainsaw 4′ NOT Moving Ahead With “Hannah Montana” Star". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  25. ↑ Smith, Jerry (July 14, 2016). "We Chat With Seth Sherwood, Writer Of The Upcoming LEATHERFACE". Blumhouse. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  26. ↑ 1981, Jinx (June 8, 2017). "TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME WITH LEATHERFACE '17 SCREENWRITER SETH M. SHERWOOD". Scream Addicts. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  27. 1 2 McGrew, Shannon (May 22, 2017). "Interview: Writer Seth Sherwood Talks Origins of Leatherface". iHorror. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  28. ↑ Jeff Sneider (2014-08-13). "'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' Prequel 'Leatherface' Draws Blood List Writer (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
  29. ↑ On, Cs (2014-10-31). "Julian Maury and Alexandre Bustillo to Take on Leatherface". Coming Soon. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
  30. ↑ Clément Cuyer (2015-10-06). "Leatherface: the prequel of Chainsaw Massacre unveils [EXCLUSIVE]". Allocine. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  31. ↑ Sokol, Tony (2015-05-05). "Nu Image Adds Leatherface To Cannes Market". Den of Geek. Retrieved 2015-06-03.
  32. ↑ Miska, Brad (May 28, 2015). "‘Leatherface’ Cast, Crew and Location Shots!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  33. ↑ Miska, Brad (May 29, 2015). "One More On the Run From ‘Leatherface’ (Exclusive)". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Tn Horror News The Horror Basement Podcast 53". TN Horror News. 2017-06-14. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
  35. ↑ Walkuski, Eric (2015-04-10). "EXCLUSIVE: LEATHERFACE PRODUCERS TALK HARDCORE PREQUEL AND DAY OF THE DEAD!". JoBlo. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  36. 1 2 Sokol, Tony (2015-05-04). "Leatherface Producers Christa Campbell and Lati Grobman Interview". Den of Geek. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  37. ↑ Hamman, Cody (May 28, 2015). "PICS EMERGE FROM THE SET OF ALEXANDRE BUSTILLO/JULIEN MAURY'S LEATHERFACE". JoBlo. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  38. ↑ Kennedy, Michael (20 June 2017). "Texas Chainsaw Massacre Prequel Leatherface Sets Release Date". Screen Rant. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  39. ↑ Sandwell, Ian (30 June 2017). "FrightFest 2017 to open with 'Cult Of Chucky' starring Jennifer Tilly". Screen Daily. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  40. ↑ Foutch, Haleigh (30 June 2017). "‘Leatherface': ‘Texas Chainsaw’ Prequel Finally Gets a Release Date and Brutal First-Look Images". Collider. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
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