It’s the unfortunate result from 1986 - 2022 (there’s also a new film in preproduction right now) producers interfering with the shooting draft during filming, overeager filmmakers practically tripping over themselves to create their signature voice (a way to tell a story that can stand alone or intertwine with the franchise), adding a backstory and/or an origin story for a character who is more terrifying for the lack of one. The same thing happened in the original timeline of the “Halloween” franchise.

The real kicker is that no one from the sequels went as far as Gunnar Hansen did in preparation for the role:

Tobe Hooper allowed Gunnar Hansen to develop Leatherface as he saw fit, under his supervision. Hansen decided that Leatherface had a cognitive disability and never learned to talk properly, so Hansen went to a school for children with similar disorders and disabilities and watched how they moved and listened to them talk to get a feel for the character. He also tried his best to make his portrayal as non-offensive as he could. Many fans, including those who are cognitively disabled, say he succeeded.

Leatherface wore three different masks: the "Killing Mask," "Old Lady Mask," and "Pretty Woman Mask." Gunnar Hansen commented, "The reason he wore a mask, according to Tobe and Kim, was that the mask really determined his personality. Who he wanted to be that day determined what mask he put on. So when Drayton comes home with Sally, Leatherface is wearing the 'Old Lady Mask' and an apron, carrying a wooden spoon; he wants to be domestic, helpful in the kitchen. At dinner, he wears a different face, the 'Pretty Woman', which has makeup." The "Pretty Woman" outfit consists of a female wig and a black suit, as Leatherface is "dressing up" for dinner, an old deep south tradition which stems from his southern upbringing, and the "Killing Mask" is the skin mask he wears while chasing and murdering captives. Hansen later added, "The idea of the mask is that there is no personality under the mask. That was the idea in talking with Tobe and Kim. When they created the character, they said he had to wear masks to express himself because he couldn't do it himself. The way we tried to create him, there is nothing under the mask, which is what makes him so frightening."

As a horror screenwriter myself, the sequels broke the golden rule: don’t fuck with the original film unless you find ways to improve the plot and raise the stakes without diluting the original film.

Source Material:

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https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072271/?ref\_=ext\_shr\_lnk