The Hewitt Family - 1974

The Hewett is perhaps one of the greatest, villainous families ever portrayed on film. What can be more terrifying than being trapped, alone and isolated in the backwoods of Texas being chased and hunted down by a cannibalistic family? Well, in some cases, for the holiday season, some of use would rather have that than spend time with their families during Thanksgiving. So I got thinking and came up with a good idea. Considering Thanksgiving normally brings our families together… I’m taking the time to present the different families portrayed in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre films. They are pretty much your typical family; they do things together, they eat at the same table, they fight but in the end they really love each other. I know it’s a bit dark and grim but hey… isn’t that what makes Texas Chainsaw great is the dark humor? Well, here is the first family.

Even though the official name for the TCM family wasn’t given out until the remake and the TCM prequel, we’ll refer to all of them as the Hewett family. In the first movie the Hewett’s are portrayed as dead on psychopathic sociopaths. They are twisted, dark, violent and very frightening. Their means of killing rely on the stupidity of teenage drivers, Leatherface and sometimes dumb luck. I think the dinner scene perfectly shows how crazy they are because they are torturing this poor girl while mocking her for crying at her dead friends. It’s childish but also very traumatically frightening. Aside from Leatherface himself, the family doesn’t seem to have that much characterization aside from a back-story.

Now lets talk about Leatherface briefly. In the first one he is portrayed the best. We assume that he is mentally challenged but at the same time very disturbed. Despite his handicap he is actually very clever and very artistic; making small little knick-knacks out of bones and other random stuff. Out of the rest of the family, he is the only one with some personality that is revealed through the ‘masks’ he chooses to wear.

Iconic object: Leatherface

Thank you MC Sex for the pictures.

Note: I know Hewitt is spelled wrong.