W. E. Sawyer
| The Texas Chainsaw Massacre character | |
|---|---|
| File:W e sawyer.jpg | |
| W. E. Sawyer | |
| Aliases | Leatherface W |
| Gender | Male |
| Location | Texas |
| Race | Caucasian |
| Creator(s) | Jeff Burr David J. Schow Kim Henkel |
| Portrayed by: | Joe Stevens [1] |
W. E. Sawyer is a fictional character from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre series of films and spin-off media. Due to the loose continuity of the franchise, it is apparent multiple, alternate W. E. Sawyers exist, without any tangible connection between them aside from the name and some relation to the Sawyer family, the main villains of the franchise.
Concept and creation
During the production of Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, the character of W. E. Sawyer was originally Drayton "Cook" Sawyer from the first two Texas Chainsaw Massacre films; this character was ultimately replaced by W. E., a character previously mentioned in the prologue of th 1990 film Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III. [2]
Film appearances
Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III
A character named W. E. Sawyer is first mentioned in the 1990 film Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III. In the films prologue, it is said that a man named W. E. Sawyer was arrested some unspecified time between 1973 and 1981 and charged with the murders of the various characters from the original film and the attempted murder of Sally Hardesty, the heroine of the aforementioned film. Deemed guilty for the murders, W. E. Sawyer is executed in a gas chamber in the fictional Huntsville State Penitentiary late in 1981.
Leatherface, the main antagonist of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, is concluded to be Sawyer's alternate personality which manifested when he wore a mask created from the skin of his victims (Leatherface's M.O.); this theory was assumed to be correct as none of Sally Hardesty's accounts about Leatherface contradicted it. The assumption is later proven false though, as the actual Leatherface appears Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III. [3]
In Northstar Comics' 1991 comic adaptation of Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, the prologue mentioning W. E. Sawyer is removed completely, being replaced by one involving the character Sara from the film. [4]
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
In the 1994 film Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (also known as The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre) W. E. Sawyer appears as a main antagonist. A relative of the Sawyer family, W. E., like them, is an agent for a shady government organization (which in-turn, appears to be controlled by aliens) who has the family forcibly employed for the purpose of terrorizing society. His fate in the film is left ambiguous, as his head is bashed with a hammer by the increasingly unstable Vilmer Sawyer and he does not appear again, leading to the possibility the attack could have killed him, or at least incapacitated him. [5]
Despite his somewhat stereotypical redneck appearance and general insanity, the W. E. Sawyer appearing in this film is depicted as being highly cultured, continually quoting famous works of literature, even while torturing people.
Comic appearances
Jason vs. Leatherface
The name W. E. is mentioned in the non-canon comic book miniseries Jason vs. Leatherface, created in 1995 by the now defunct Topps Comics. The Hitchhiker, after finding Jason Voorhees, the main antagonist of the Friday the 13th franchise, decides to bring him home after witnessing him decapitate a man he and his brother Leatherface were chasing. As the Hitchhiker walks to the Sawyer house with Leatherface and Jason, he tells Jason that he can stay there whilst exclaiming "Well, Gran'pa and W. E. will be tickled pink to have the company." [6]
Reception
In his review for Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation on the website Arrow in the Head, critic John Fallon states that "Joe Stevens is credible, but his book quoting character is a snore." [7] Horror magazine Fangoria refers to the character as a "nutty young man who mutters incessantly" and also compares his role to that of Jim Siedow's from the original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. [8]
References
- ^ Kim Henkel (Director) (1994). Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (DVD). United States: Columbia Pictures.
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110978/trivia
- ^ Jeff Burr (Director) (1990). Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (DVD). United States: New Line Cinema.
- ^ Mort Castle (w). "Leatherface" Leatherface, vol. 1, no. 1 (May 1991). Northstar Comics.
- ^ Kim Henkel (Director) (1994). Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (DVD). United States: Columbia Pictures.
- ^ Nancy Collins (w). "Goin' South" Jason vs. Leatherface, vol. 1, no. 1, p. 23/4 (October 1995). Topps Comics.
- ^ http://www.joblo.com/arrow/reviews.php?id=624
- ^ http://www.angelfire.com/ca/TCM4/Fangoria.html
External links
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