Leatherface

Leatherface more than just a masked fictional and cinema villain

“The film you are about to see is an account of the tragedy which befell a group of five youths in particular Sally Hardestry and her invalid brother Franklin. It’s all the more tragic that they were young. But, had they lived very, very long lives..” 

Voice Over, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 1974)

Leatherface - The history of masks in art and ceremonies 

The masked villain as a main antagonist in fiction and generally in art is old but it was re introduced in American Independent Horror Cinema by Tobe Hopper in the milestone film “Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1973).  The Mask is not only an object to increase the value of a plot structure or an object to maximize the importance of a fictional or cinema character. In my opinion the mask in cinema is more than an object is a global symbol of unknown, a warning of danger and a sign of death.

The use of masks is also in rituals and ceremonies, is a very ancient human practice across the world. Also, masks were used in drama and psychotherapy. Masks used for their expressive power as a feature of masked performance both ritually and in a large number of theater traditions.

Masks play a key part within theater traditions and especially in non – western theater. They also continue to be ritual; force within contemporary theater. Masks used also in Ancient Greece and Rome. In contemporary theater masks and puppets incorporated into European theater by avant – garde artists from the turn of the ninetieth century.

Leatherface -  the background
 

Tobe Hooper the director, producer and co- writer of the film “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” was inspired by a chainsaw and he created one of the most successful horror film franchises ever. The film “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is based on a true crime case of Wisconsin grave ripper, body snatcher and cannibal Ed Gein. Before “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” Ed Geith case inspired the creation of Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece Psycho and two decades after the release of “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” the same real crime case inspired the creation of another unforgettable villain Jame Gumb in the film The Silence of the Lambs.      

             

Leatherface – The fictional character

The original character Leatherface was introduced by Tobe Hooper in 1974 legendary independent Horror film “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. The character is presented as a fat, ugly and antisocial man who works at the meat factory of the family. He kills cows for a living and also young teenagers.

At the initial film Leatherface appears as a killing machine who is under the complete control of his family he looks that he afraid the other members of his family and especially the elders.

 to be continued 

You can watch the trailer of Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 1974) and see the initail Leatherface character    

Elias Stoikos

Relative Articles 

Norman Bates

Jason Voorhees

Gunnar Hansen

Texas Chainsaw 3D

Resources 

Leatherface - Wikipedia

Leatherface - IMDB

Leatherface - Wikia

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

I need to mention that this article tries to provide information to reader using all the available data on the day of its publishing. New information and data for this subject and issue are published every day. It’s been highly recommended to the reader to search on Google for more information. World is moving searching is the driving force. Searching is the source of inspiration and the source of truth.               

         

Joseph Stefano

Writing a masterpiece - The Psycho movie (1960)

Jopseph Stefano is a screenwriter of Psycho film and he acquired his recognition and international fame because of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho script.

The first steps of Joseph Stefano

During his teenage years Joseph Stefano wanted to start a career as an actor. He drop out high school and traveled to New York City and he started his career as an actor in Big Apple.

Beyond, Joseph Stefano’s theater career, Joseph was also a composer of pop music in the 1940’s he wrote songs for Las Vegas showman Donn Arden.

Joseph Stefano’s career as a screenwriter

Joseph Stefano’s first screenplay was the Black Orchid (1958). Source of inspiration for this movie was his childhood years and especially his father who was tailor and he used to make silk flowers.

Joseph Stefano was chosen by Alfred Hitchcock to adapt Rober Bloch’s novel Psycho for cinema. Joseph Stefano is responsible for many changes in script that I have already mentioned on the relative article - Psycho creating a masterpiece.  Joseph Stefano’s work in Psycho was recognized and received in 1961 the Edgar Award for Best motion Picture Screenplay by the Mystery Writers of America.

After the enormous success of Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock offered to Joseph Stefano to write the screenplays of Birds (1963) and Marnie (1964). Joseph Stefano, refused during that period he was producing and writing the TV series Outer Limits. I need to highlight that the Outer Limits TV series was directed by Stefano’s friend Leslie Stevenson.

After the Outer Limits TV series Stefano decided to write and direct “The Ghost of Sierra de Cobe” (1964), then a thriller titled Eye of the Cat (1969) and a comedy film with the title Furtz! (1969).

During 1970’s and 1980’s Joseph Stefano wrote many TV movies such as “Home for the Holidays” (1972), Snowbeast (1977). Joseph Stefano wrote also an episode of the first season of Star Trek : The Next Generation.

In 1995, Joseph Stefano wrote and executive produced the film “Two Bits”  (1995) with Al Pacino in casting playing the part of the main character. “Two Bits” is a drama film and its a very personal project and unfortunately for Joseph Stefano the film had not achieved any box - office success. After, “Two Bits”, Joseph Stefano had no interest to write about the modern Hollywood.

Personal opinion about Joseph Stefano

To be continued

Elias Stoikos

   

Norman Bates

Norman Bates the second greatest villain in American Cinema

Norman Bates is a film and fictional character. Norman Bates was created by Robert Bloch as the antagonist - villain character of Psycho’s story - line. Robert Bloch a Hugo Award winner, a Bram Stroker Award winner and finally winner of the World Fantasy Award, has written the Psycho novel. The villain character of Psycho book was inspired by the real crime case of Edward Theodore Gein, a  murderer and body snatcher known also with the nickname “The Plainfield Ghoul” and “The Mad Butcher”.

The Psycho storyline has an unforgettable twist end. It’s an interesting story that can be filmed in a low - budget. Alfred Hitchcock shown an interesting about the film rights of the book.

Alfred Hitchcock finance the production of Psycho and he created one masterpiece of Cinema and the fictional character of Norman Bates from the pages of a horror book entered into the audience memory as an unforgettable villain.

Norman Bates as a fictional character (Robert Bloch's books)

Norman Bates during his childhood suffered by emotional abuse at the hands of his mother. Norman Bates and his mother “Norma Bates” , after Norman’s father death, live together in their isolated Gothic style house in the countryside beside their own - Bates Motel. Norman's mother used to preacher Norman, during his teenager years, that sexual intercourse is sinful and that all women (except herself) are filthy and whores.

When Norman Bates came to the age, his mother started a love affair with another man, Joe Considine. Norman Bates driven jealously poisons both of them.

After the crime, Norman Bates, feels guilty and a dissociate identity disorder appears (multi personalities syndrome). He preserves his mother corpse and he assumes that his mother is alive. Norman Bates believes that by preserving his mother corpse can escape the guilt of his deadly crime - the murder of his mother. After his mother death Norman is the owner of the house and Bates Motel.                          

According to Psycho novel, Norman Bates killed a young woman Marry Crane (in the film Afred Hitchock - changed the name to Marrion Crane) and a private detective who was looking for her. I need to mention, that Norman Bates killed both of them dressed as his mother. After his arrest by police, Norman Bate is sent in a mental institution where the personality of his mother “Norma Bates” completely Norman’s mind, thinking and life.

Robert Bloch in his book Psycho II, started a new fictional story line by offering the chance to Norman Bates to escape from the mental institution by murdering a nun. Norman Bates runs away from mental institution he hitchhikes, a car - driver picks him and during the drive Norman Bates attacks the driver. The car driver tries to avoid Norman’s attack and during his effort he causes a deadly car accident. The corpse of Norman Bates is found and doctors assume that it’s the corpse of Norman Bates.

Norman Bates the Cinema character (Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho)

Alfred Hitchcock is responsible for the international recognition of Norman Bates as a Cinema and Fictional character. As I have already mention on horror 2112 blog on my relative article “Psycho - creating a masterpiece” in Psycho novel Norman Bates  is an unsympathetic character. The scriptwriter of film Psycho - Joseph Stefano transformed the character of Norman Bates. Joseph Stefano wanted Norman Bates to be more interesting and more sympathetic to audience. The film character of Norman Bates does not drinking alcohol and  he has not have any interest in spiritualism, occult and pornography.

Briefly, I can say that in the sequel film, Psycho II, Norman Bates is back to his house and to his Bates Motel, after 22 - years in a mental institution. The sister of his victim, Lila Loomis (Vera Miller) and hers daughter try to sent him back to mental hospital. In Bates Motel, strange event take place, mysterious phone calls, mysterious hand notes and finally unexplained and mysterious murders. In Psycho II we have a twist end when a revelation takes place and  the real murder is not Norman Bates but his aunt. Norman killes her aunt and embalmed her dead body  too - the Bates Mother once again conquered the Norman Bates life.

To be continued ….

Elias Stoikos                                

Anthony Perkins

Anthony Perkins the unforgettable Narman Bates in Psycho

The Unforgettable perfodmance of Anthony Perkins in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho made Anthony Perkings an international recognized actors in horror genre.

The Early live of Anthony Perkins

Anthony Perkins was born in 1932 in New York, his father Osgood Perkins was a film and theater actor. Anthony Perkins attended the Brooks school, the Browne & Nichols School, Columbia Unversity and Rollins School.

The Career of Anthony Perkins

(a). Before the Psycho film

Anthony Perkins started his career in the film “The Actress” (George Cukor,1953). The film is based on the Ruth Gordon’s theatrical play “Years ago”. The film Actress is about dreams and desires of a young woman from Boston to start a theatrical career in Broadway, New York. She is very young and she wants to drop - out school and go to New York. She has to overcame great obstacles as hers fathers resistance, the hard live in a mega city like New York and finally the theatrical system of auditions. Anthony Perkins plays the part of Fred Whitemarsh a film debutant and he received a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year for his performance in the Actress film.

In 1956 Anthony Perkins participates in film Friendly Persuacion (William Wyler, 1956). The Friendly Persuacion is a Civil War film based on the same name novel (1945) by Michael Wilson. The Friendly Persuacion is a film about the dilemma to participate in a war because you need to support your family or not to participate because it’s against your religious, ethical and family values, principals and beliefs. Anthony Perkins plays the part of John Bindwell, the elder son of a Quaker family, he is trapped in the above mentioned dilemma, he has to choose between his hate for violence and the need for survival, the need to protect his family and to join the armed forces and fight for his life. The performance of Anthony Perkins was amazing, unforgettable and incomparable and he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in Supporting Role.

In 1957 Anthony Perkins participate in the autobiographical film “Fear Strikes Out”. Anthony Perkins portrays the legendary trouble maker Boston Red Sox baseball player Jimmy Piershall. The fear strikes out, was directed by Robert Mulligan and was distributed by Paramount Pictures.

The Career of Anthony Perkins as Musician

Anthony Perkins had released three pop music albums in 1957 and 1958 as “Tony Perkins”. I need to highlight that his singel “Moon Light Swim” it was a great hit in U.S.A. and peaked at 24th position on the Billboard hot 100 in 1957.

(b) The Career of Anthony Perkings - Before the Psycho Film Pt. 2

In 1958 Anthony Perkins participate in the film version of the Thorton Wildre’s (American novelist and playwright) theatrical play “The Matchmaker”. The script was adapted by John Michael Hayes and it was directed by Joseph Anthony.

Anthony Perkin’s Theater career

Anthony Perkins was also a great theatrical actor. His exceptional performance in “Look Homeward, Angel” on Brodaway (New York) was considered one of the best theatrical performances in 1958 and Anthony Perkins was nominated for a tony Award for Best Actor in Play.

Among the most remarkable theater performances of Anthony Perkins are (a) Desire over the Elms (1958) with Sophia Loren, (b) Tall Story (1960) where he played the role of a basketball player.

Anthony Perkin’s in Psycho film

“I ‘m Norman Bates, welcome to our hotel”

Anthony Perkins was cast by Alfred Hitchcock for the part of Norman Bates. His performance as Norman Bates is one of the best ever in horror genre. Really unforgettable acting. The enormous commercial and artistic success of Psycho film gained Perkins an enormous International fame and recognition as an actor.

Obviously the part of Norman Bates in Psycho was the highest pick in Anthony Perkin’s career. After Psycho film the Hollywood career of Anthony Perkins went into permanent decline. He has offered parts in European film projects and he playd the part of Norman Bates other three times in Psycho II, Psycho IV and finally at the prequel Psycho III (he also directed the last film)

Elias Stoikos     

Sir Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock the lord and master of Suspence

Alfred Hitchcock is considered among the best film directors ever. His point if view of filmmaking as an industry rather than an art, and his primary aim to entertain audience, meant that his films were immensely popular to the general public. Alfred Hitchcock gained an Universal recognition for his works and Cahiers du Cinema (French cinema magazine) consider him a master of form and not just a popular and famous entertainer.

Sir Alfred Hitchcock ’s only horror movies are Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963) his works are considered among the best in horror genre. Sir Alfred Hitchcock is the patron saint of the horror genre and has influenced the works of many younger filmmakers as Dario Argento, Brian De Palma, John Carpenter.

Sir Alfred Hitchcock’s film Psycho is  a milestone film, a crucial turning point in horror genre  after the Master of Suspense determined to frighten audiences, he used all the techniques that he had perfected over three decades as filmmaker.

The Early leive of Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock was born in Leytonstone in London, he received a Jesuit education and during his teenage years became interested in cinema. Firstly, he was working in a Telegraph company in 1920, later he found a job as titles designer in silent films at Lasky Studios London (Alfred Hitchcock started his career in filmmaking by designing the titles between the shots in silent films).

Alfred Hitchcock's first film

The silent film “The Lodger” was the first film of Alfred Hitchcock (1926) based on the Jack the Ripper real crime case and as all his film projects the film Lodger was imbued with paranoia, revelations and abnormal psychological states.

Alfred Hitchcock in Horror genre

Alfred Hitchcock enricted the horror genre with two masterpieces - Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963). The characters on both films tend to be “normal” orfinary people trapped into extraordinary circumstances, with whom the audience can easily sympathise and then we as viewers we feel, could easily happen to us.

Acts of horror from Alfred Hitchcock films can occur anywhere and the director’s villains are often likeable, sumpathetic characters that audience can also love while they are carrying their deadly, inhuman and painfull works.

Alfred Hitchcock the director of Psycho (1960)

Psycho film was shot in black and white, it was a low - budget production with an innovative story telling structure and an unforgettable ending. Psycho is a masterpiece. Kitchcock with Psycho redefined the horror genre through the influence of his themes (voyarism, double personality, psychosis and mental disorder), filming techniques (lighting, camera angels) and methods of optical storytelling (two acts films and the death of main character at the middle of the film).

Psycho was an enormous box office successs and changed for ever the horror gender.

Alfred Hitchcock the director of Birds (1963)

The Birds are based on Daphne Du Maurier book with the same name. The Birds was a very successfull horror film and it features a number of striking images and it was very influential to the genre. The wild life horror and especially the siege sequence influenced films from “Night of the living dead” to Stram Dugs (Sam Peckinpan, 1991) also the wild nature as a villain can be found in films like - Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975), The Sharm (Irwin Allen, 1978), Willard (Daniel Mann, 1970), Squirm (Jeff Lieberman, 1976), Frogs (George McGowan, 1972), The Uncanny (Dennis Heroux, 1977) and Dogs (But Brickenhoff, 1970).

The most important is that after “Psycho” and “The Birds”, Alfred Hitchcock return on more Hitchcockian forms. The majority of his post - horror (Psycho, The Birds) period films are pale of shadows of his former work. Psycho’s status grew and grew and it was placed on critics top lists.

Afred Hitchcock and the plot device - MacGuffin (McGuffin).

In a lecture at Columbia University, Alfred Hitchcock explained the term “Mac Guffin” (McGuffin).

“We have a name in the Studio, we call it the MacGuffinn (McGuffin), it’s a mechanical elementa that usually crops up in any story. In crook stories it’s almost always the necklage and in spy stories is almost always the papers”

We can define the MacGuffin (McGuffin) as a plot device that appears as a desired object or a goal. It can be protagonist main source of motivation - on the other hand can be the main motivator fore antagonist too. I can say that MacGuffin is the main force to motivate the main character to act, to sacrifice and to fight to acquire it. Mac Guffin is a plot element that captures the viewers attention and drives the plot of a work of fiction.

Interview (1966) by Francois Truffaut, Alfred Hitchcock illustrated the term “MacGuffin”  (McGuffin) with the following story :

It might be a Scottish name, taken from a story about two men in a train. One man says “What’s the package up there in the baggage rack?” and the other answers “Oh, that’s a MacGuffin (McGuffin)”. The first one asks “What’s  a MacGuffin? (McGuffin)”. “Well”, the other man says “It’s an apparatus for tapping lions in the Scottish highlands”. The first man says “But, there are no lions in the Scottish highlands” and the other one answers “Well, then that no MacGuffin(McGiffin)”.

As you can see MacGuffin (McGuffin) is nothing.    

You can see the trailer of the film "Psycho" on youtube:

You can see the trailer of the film "The Birds" on youtube:

Elias Stoikos               

Relative Horror 2112 Articles

Anthony Perkins

Norman Bates

Psycho sequels and prequels

Psycho the movie

Psycho the movie Part 2

Casting of Psycho

Psycho Shower Scene

Recognition of Psycho

Psycho - Creating a masterpiece

Psycho - Creating a masterpiece Part 2

Psycho - Creating a masterpiece Part 3

Psycho : The soundtrack 

Relative Articles

Alfred Hitchcock in Wikipedia

Alfred Hitchcock on Internet Movie Database

Alfred Hitchcock - Master of Suspence

Aflred Hitchcock - Biography.com

Relative Books 

McGilligan, Patrick "Alfred Hitchcock : A life in Darkness and Light"  - Regan Books, 2003 A comprehensive biography of Director.

Francois Truffaunt, "Hitchcock"  - Simon & Schuster Books (1985)

Leff Leonard "Hitchcock,Selznick," Strange - Collaboration Hollywood" - University of California Press, 1999.

Leitch Thomas "Companion Alfred Hitchcock"  - Willy Blackwell (2001). 

Psycho - Creating a masterpiece Pt 3

Difficulties in filming Psycho

1. Shower Scene inPsycho

At the final shot of the shower scene there is an extreme close up on Marrion’s (Janet Leigh) eye and then camera pulls up and out. I had to mention that the shot is interior, in the shower and according to shower scene film sequence Marrion is dead in the shower under while water is dropping to her body.

Obviously there was not enough free space for the camera to move and there was also the water splashing on Marrion’s face. As a result the inability of camera to focus manually and to be moved into the bathroom in relation with Marrion’s difficulty to make the scene because of the water splashing on her face (he wanted to blink her eyes) made the shot very difficult. So, Alfred Hitchcock was forced to do retakes of the final shot of shower scene.

2. The opening scene

According to Alfred Hitchcock there was a problem. In the opening scene (Hotel room in Phoenix) Leigh and Cavin were not passionate enough. There was a luck of eroticism and this fact was unacceptable by Alfred Hitchcock. As a result Alfred Hitchcock changed camera angels and shots to cover the performance of Leigh and Cavin in the beginning scene.

3. The discovery of Bates Mother                

The scene is complicated and combines three different actions - (a) the chair turning around, (b) miles hitting the light bulb, (c.) the lens flare and the three actions to be coordinated at the same time.

4. The murder of Arbogast

There was a very big obstacle because the overhead camera angel was necessary to hide the twist ending of Psycho. The Arbogast murdered was shot on a stairway so there was not enough space for any camera movement.

Alfred Hitchcock and his production team was necessary to innovate and find a solution to this huge problem. The solution was the construction of a multipurpose camera track constructed on pulleys alongside the stairway with a small chair like device.      

Elias Stoikos

Relative Articles

Psycho (1960)

Psycho the movie

Psycho the Movie Part 2

Casting of Psycho

Psycho Shower Scene

Resources 

Psycho - Internet Movie Database

Psycho in Wikipedia

Psycho - Creating the masterpiece Pt 2

From Script to Film

As I have already mentioned on Creating a masterpiece Pt 1 - Alfred Hitchcock finance the production of Psycho through his  own Shampley Productions and he decided to shoot at Universal Studios under the Revue television unit.

It deserves to be mentioned that Hitchcock’s original Bates Hotel and Psycho house movie set, are still standing at Universal Studios in Universal City City near Hollywood.

The Black and White Film format of Psycho

Alfred Hitchcock decided to film Psycho in black and white, actually Hitchcock wanted to use black and white format, because:

1. He wanted to keep production cost low

2. He wanted to avoid the shower scene to be too gory

3. Also, he admired the french black and white film Diaboliques / Les Diaboliques (Clouzot, 1955).

Psycho and the crew from the Television show

Alfred Hitchcock wanted  to keep the overall cost manageable and as I have already mentioned he used his own Shamley Production television crew (from the Alfred Hitchcock presents TV show). Among the crew were the cinematographer, set designer, script supervisor and the first assistant director, the editor and the storyboard artist.

Producing Psycho

Psycho was shot at Reuvene Studios at the same location as the Alfred Hitchcock presents television show. Psycho filming lasted 80 days (from 11 November 1959 to 1 February 1960). Alfred Hitchcock used 50 mm lens on 35 mm film cameras, his idea was to involve the audience in the optical storytelling by mimicking the human vision.

Alfred Hitchcock sent two crews, one in Phoinix - Arizona and the other on Highway 99 between Fresno and Bakersfield to film external shots. It’s very interesting that among the footage was a Christmas decoration, so Alfred Hitchcock, decide to use this footage to the opening scene marking the date as “Friday, December the Eleventh”.

Alfred Hitchcock scooters had prepared  a list of 140 locations for later reconstruction in the studio (among the photos were - photos of Real Estate Offices, homes, local people etc). The Architectural style of the Bates house was inspired by the Edward Hopper’s painting “The House by Railroad”.

Alfred Hitchcock cameo in Psycho

Alfred Hitchcock used cameo in most of his films. In Psycho he can be seen through  a window, standing outside of the Real Estate Agent - where Marrion Craine is working. There are many different opinions about Alfred Hitchcock decision to appear so early, according to which:

A. He wanted to be near his daughter - she is playing the part of Marion Craine Real Estate Office colleague.

B. He wanted to not disturb the audience from Psycho plot.

Elias Stoikos  

Relative Articles

Psycho (1960)

Psycho the movie

Psycho the Movie Part 2

Casting of Psycho

Psycho Shower Scene

Resources 

Psycho - Internet Movie Database

Psycho in Wikipedia