Leatherface (2017) is a psychological horror film directed by Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury. It serves as a prequel to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre series and explores the origin story of the iconic killer, Leatherface. Set in 1950s rural Texas, the film opens with a violent incident involving the Sawyer family, a group known for their brutality and disregard for the law.
After a tragic murder blamed on the young Jedidiah Sawyer, the boy is taken away by the state and placed in a mental institution for troubled youths. There, he is given a new identity and grows up under a different name, separated from his violent past. The institution is grim and oppressive, filled with disturbed teens and harsh staff, which only adds to the tension and instability brewing beneath the surface.
Years later, Jedidiah, now a teenager, escapes from the facility along with three other inmates and a deranged nurse they take hostage. Their journey across the desolate Texas landscape becomes a brutal and chaotic road trip marked by violence, betrayal, and madness. As they flee the authorities, particularly the vengeful Sheriff Hartman, their actions spiral out of control.
As the group begins to unravel, the film gradually reveals which of the escapees is the future Leatherface. Themes of identity, trauma, and the impact of abuse are central to the story. The transformation of Jedidiah into the infamous chainsaw-wielding killer is portrayed as the tragic result of years of psychological and physical torment.
In the end, Leatherface offers a disturbing and violent origin to one of horror’s most notorious figures. Unlike other entries in the franchise, the film leans more toward psychological horror than slasher gore, focusing on how a vulnerable child is shaped into a monster by a cruel and unforgiving world. It provides a dark and tragic backstory to the creation of a horror legend.
