The 2022 Netflix Sequel: Leatherface's Return

Lore & Background

In this timeline, Leatherface has been living in isolation for decades after the events of the original film. The town of Harlow, Texas, has largely forgotten the horrors of the Sawyer family, but the land and its secrets remain. Leatherface, now elderly but still driven by a primal rage, has been hiding in a remote orphanage, cared for by a woman named Virginia, who believes he is a harmless, traumatized man. When a group of young entrepreneurs from Austin arrive to gentrify the town, they inadvertently disturb Leatherface's sanctuary, triggering a violent rampage that proves the past is never truly buried—and that some chainsaws never run out of gas.

In Their Own Story

The air in Harlow was thick with the smell of new paint and old blood. Melody, a tech entrepreneur, saw only potential in the abandoned buildings, while her sister Lila saw only ghosts. They didn't know that in the orphanage at the edge of town, a giant of a man sat in the dark, his face a mask of stitched leather, his breath a slow, wet rasp. When the renovation crew broke down a wall, they found a room of bones and a single, buzzing sound that seemed to come from the walls themselves. Leatherface rose from his chair, his gnarled hands finding the familiar weight of a chainsaw, its teeth still caked with rust and gristle. The first scream was lost in the roar of the engine, and the new Harlow was baptized in the old ways—a baptism of blood and gasoline.

Reader's Guide

The story begins with Melody, her sister Lila, and their friends arriving in Harlow to flip a ghost town into a trendy community. They evict the sole resident of the orphanage, an elderly woman named Virginia, and her silent, massive charge. Virginia dies of a heart attack during the eviction, triggering Leatherface's rage. He retrieves his chainsaw and begins a killing spree, targeting the group one by one.

Leatherface's rampage is relentless, using his iconic weapon and the environment to dispatch victims. Lila, a survivor of a school shooting, is forced to confront her trauma as she fights for her life. The climax occurs at a gas station, where Lila and the sole survivor, Dante, attempt to escape. Leatherface is seemingly killed in a car crash, but the final scene reveals he has survived, walking away into the night, his chainsaw roaring once more. The film ends with the threat uncontained, suggesting the legend will continue.

Did You Know?

• The film was originally conceived as a direct sequel to the 1974 original, ignoring all other sequels and remakes.
• Leatherface's mask in this film is made from the skin of a victim from the original movie, connecting the two timelines.
• The character of Lila is a survivor of a school shooting, a thematic choice that was controversial but intended to explore trauma.
• The film was shot in Bulgaria, standing in for rural Texas, due to budget and production constraints.
• The chainsaw used in the film was a custom-built, gas-powered model that could run for over 20 minutes straight—far longer than the original film's notoriously unreliable props.