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Some are silk, some are Leatherface
August 18, 2006

Some 30 years ago, Iceland-born, U.S.-raised Gunnar Hansen donned a fleshy mask and snatched up a portable power tool for no-budget indie horror flick, and the legend of Leatherface and Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was born. Nearly 30 years later, the film is as popular as ever, spawning sequels, remakes and even an upcoming prequel, all featuring a host of other actors in the infamous role of the Black-and-Decker bad guy. 

But Hansen, God bless 'im, continues to keep his Leatherface creation alive, attending conventions, holding court on his own Web site (www.gunnarhansen.com) and chatting up journalists whenever a new edition of the original 1874 film is re-issued, as is the case this Sept. 29 when Dark Sky Films releases The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Two-Disc Ultimate Edition.

We forewent talking about the film itself--is there anything else to be said?!--and instead asked Hansen about his legions of fans, the one who've trekked across the country just for an opportunity to meet Leatherface.

VB: Are you overwhelmed by the interest people have in Leatherface?

HANSEN: I’m always surprised and pleased to see how many people love this movie. There are some people who, er, surprise me with their level of devotion and their level of knowledge about the film.

VB: Surprised or shocked?

HANSEN: I don’t know if shocked is the word. I’ll stick with surprised. I get people bringing me chainsaws to sign, and then they want me to hold the chainsaw and pose next to them. That’s OK. Sometimes I get someone bringing in a Leatherface and they want me to wear it, but I won’t go that far. Then there are the Leatherface tattoos.

VB: Really? Real tattoos?

HANSEN: Oh yes, some nice ones.

VB: What’s your reaction when you see something like that?

HANSEN: The first time I saw a tattoo, I said ‘The problem with your tattoo is that it doesn’t have my autograph on it.' So, I signed it and he went out that night and got a tattoo artist to make my signature a tattoo. I saw him a year later and the signature looks pretty good, too.

Posted by Laurence Lerman on August 18, 2006 | Comments (11)