- Sep 22, 2013
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Leatherface is the iconic fictional chainsaw-wielding cannibal from the cult-favorite Texas Chainsaw Massacre horror film franchise.
Leatherface is a lot like Pinocchio in that they both symbolize a paranoia about 'consciousness humor.'
Leatherface is a pure maniac and he embodies humanity's deepest fears about self-control and complete loss of morality (and sanity!). The fact that he's not a ghost or alien makes him even more alarming.
When Oliver Stone released his controversial crime-glorification film Natural Born Killers, there were a string of 'copycat crimes' modelled after the film, which sent chills down the spine of America, compelling people to ask questions such as, "Can art/entertainment/media affect social psychology?"
Woody Allen's fame-inquisition film Celebrity presents one vignette of an unruly but luxurious American movie star named Brandon Darrow (portrayed with an uncanny realism by the talented real-life actor Leo DiCaprio) who embodies modern age obsession/hypnosis with media hysteria and paparazzi (and hence 'social psychology').
What if DiCaprio said in an interview, "Sometimes, I get so frustrated when people ask me, 'Do you think you're like the Woody Allen character you portrayed --- Brandon Darrow?' that I want to respond, 'I'd rather 'copycat' a fictional horror-film ghoul such as Leatherface than believe I'm some kind of unethical 'celebrity' Woody Allen 'envisioned'!"?
Maybe America's brand of 'confluence culture' (i.e., multiculturalism) makes identity and daydreams part of the 'pedestrian rubric,' which explains why Halloween is so popular in the USA perhaps.
So if you're trick-or-treating on Halloween Eve somewhere in America and come across a fellow dressed in a Leatherface costume and suddenly consider the possibility that the costumed Halloween reveller may actually be a psychotic 'Leatherface copycat' making some bizarre 'pseudo-political' anti-consumerism statement about the Texas Chainsaw Massacre film not coming out on Blu-ray soon enough, ask yourself, "Do I need to be Woody Allen to avoid such an 'American psycho'?"
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Martin looked at his little brother's silly little childish doodle of Batman (DC Comics) standing next to Leatherface (the fictional chainsaw-wielding cannibal from American horror-cinema). Martin realized the doodle was simple and straightforward (and innocent!) but hid a special intuition regarding the childlike-fascination with Halloween (especially in the USA!). Halloween Eve was only two days away, and Martin was excited to go trick-or-treating with his girlfriend in the suburban New Jersey neighborhood where he grew up. His girlfriend had planned a creepy prank which was actually a foreshadow of a suburban 'Hellmouth.'
Martin was dressed as the fictional American comic book 'vigilante' Batman for Halloween, and he took stock of the colorful costumes others were wearing on Halloween that year. He noticed costumes of the Easter Bunny, Spider-Man, Barbie, the Wicked Witch, pirates, etc. His cell phone started ringing. It was his girlfriend who told him, "There's a freak on Elm Street in a Leatherface costume making trouble, Martin!" Martin ran to the 'scene' and discovered the entire fiasco was a prank. However, when he got there, he noticed a real strange individual in a real Leatherface costume lurking by the side of a house with what seemed to be a real chainsaw!
Martin ran towards him with his powerful flashlight and began shining it in the individual's eyes (to distract him and drive him 'batty') while yelling, "Hey, you there! You look a little unusual. Are you ok?" The individual immediately turned his chainsaw on and started chasing Martin. Martin ran and ran and ran until he came upon a forest-area in the suburban neighborhood and found an area by the muddy bank by the pond in the mini-forest and hid there. The psychotic 'Leatherface copycat' stood by the pond, confused by the odd disappearance of Martin. Martin made his way home and found his little brother safe and called the police. The 'Leatherface copycat' was soon arrested (before committing any crimes), and Martin stared at his little brother's Batman-Leatherface doodle again and wondered to himself, "What's the difference between Pinocchio and Leatherface?"
====
Leatherface is a lot like Pinocchio in that they both symbolize a paranoia about 'consciousness humor.'
Leatherface is a pure maniac and he embodies humanity's deepest fears about self-control and complete loss of morality (and sanity!). The fact that he's not a ghost or alien makes him even more alarming.
When Oliver Stone released his controversial crime-glorification film Natural Born Killers, there were a string of 'copycat crimes' modelled after the film, which sent chills down the spine of America, compelling people to ask questions such as, "Can art/entertainment/media affect social psychology?"
Woody Allen's fame-inquisition film Celebrity presents one vignette of an unruly but luxurious American movie star named Brandon Darrow (portrayed with an uncanny realism by the talented real-life actor Leo DiCaprio) who embodies modern age obsession/hypnosis with media hysteria and paparazzi (and hence 'social psychology').
What if DiCaprio said in an interview, "Sometimes, I get so frustrated when people ask me, 'Do you think you're like the Woody Allen character you portrayed --- Brandon Darrow?' that I want to respond, 'I'd rather 'copycat' a fictional horror-film ghoul such as Leatherface than believe I'm some kind of unethical 'celebrity' Woody Allen 'envisioned'!"?
Maybe America's brand of 'confluence culture' (i.e., multiculturalism) makes identity and daydreams part of the 'pedestrian rubric,' which explains why Halloween is so popular in the USA perhaps.
So if you're trick-or-treating on Halloween Eve somewhere in America and come across a fellow dressed in a Leatherface costume and suddenly consider the possibility that the costumed Halloween reveller may actually be a psychotic 'Leatherface copycat' making some bizarre 'pseudo-political' anti-consumerism statement about the Texas Chainsaw Massacre film not coming out on Blu-ray soon enough, ask yourself, "Do I need to be Woody Allen to avoid such an 'American psycho'?"
====
Martin looked at his little brother's silly little childish doodle of Batman (DC Comics) standing next to Leatherface (the fictional chainsaw-wielding cannibal from American horror-cinema). Martin realized the doodle was simple and straightforward (and innocent!) but hid a special intuition regarding the childlike-fascination with Halloween (especially in the USA!). Halloween Eve was only two days away, and Martin was excited to go trick-or-treating with his girlfriend in the suburban New Jersey neighborhood where he grew up. His girlfriend had planned a creepy prank which was actually a foreshadow of a suburban 'Hellmouth.'
Martin was dressed as the fictional American comic book 'vigilante' Batman for Halloween, and he took stock of the colorful costumes others were wearing on Halloween that year. He noticed costumes of the Easter Bunny, Spider-Man, Barbie, the Wicked Witch, pirates, etc. His cell phone started ringing. It was his girlfriend who told him, "There's a freak on Elm Street in a Leatherface costume making trouble, Martin!" Martin ran to the 'scene' and discovered the entire fiasco was a prank. However, when he got there, he noticed a real strange individual in a real Leatherface costume lurking by the side of a house with what seemed to be a real chainsaw!
Martin ran towards him with his powerful flashlight and began shining it in the individual's eyes (to distract him and drive him 'batty') while yelling, "Hey, you there! You look a little unusual. Are you ok?" The individual immediately turned his chainsaw on and started chasing Martin. Martin ran and ran and ran until he came upon a forest-area in the suburban neighborhood and found an area by the muddy bank by the pond in the mini-forest and hid there. The psychotic 'Leatherface copycat' stood by the pond, confused by the odd disappearance of Martin. Martin made his way home and found his little brother safe and called the police. The 'Leatherface copycat' was soon arrested (before committing any crimes), and Martin stared at his little brother's Batman-Leatherface doodle again and wondered to himself, "What's the difference between Pinocchio and Leatherface?"
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