Have Leatherface, will travel: Fans flock to sites of cult...
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_ The Dallas Morning News Sunday, October 19, 2003 Page 3I Have Leatherface, will travel: Fans flock to sites of cult chiller Story and Photo Illustrations by G. NOEL GROSS Staff Writer I t’s only a movie. No coed ever met a grisly fate at the business end of a meat hook or served as a cannibal combo meal. Yet three decades and a new Hollywood remake later, Tobe Hoop- er’s 1974 horror hallmark, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, still digs its teeth deep into Lone Star legend. This tall tale follows a vanload of road trippers whose sweltering excursion finds them running on empty and square into a macabre mess of Southern inhos- pitality. It’s enough to give real-life travel- ers pause or even night sweats. Others can’t resist retracing the steps of the doomed, however. Four notable filming locations survive, all within 60 miles of the state capitol in Austin, and Saw fans know them by sight. Often lugged along for cheeky photo-ops is the chainsaw two-stepper himself, Leatherface, or rather his diminutive and decidedly less cranky stand-in (shown here in photos), an 18-inch figure avail- able for $39.95 from McFarlane Toys. So, let’s top off the tank and go. Quick Hill It’d be easier to note what wasn’t shot here. The remnant of Old Country Road 172, most recently trafficked by strictly vegetarian bovines, was the setting for Sally’s climatic rescue by a passing motorist and Gunnar Hansen’s immortal chainsaw two-step as a deeply despondent Leatherface. The gentle hill is due to be redeveloped as part of Round Rock’s La Frontera business and residential project. A new Marriott overlooks it, and a fresh stretch of State Highway 45 parallels the property where the “Leatherface House” once stood. Signs of its gravel driveway remain, as does the scraggly tree that screened its facade. However, the railroad-tie swing set, windmill and rusted vehicles of countless cannibalized victims have long since vanished. Yet, if fans squint, they’ll swear they can almost see Sally scampering down the fence line, steps ahead of a fatal whomping. “Grandpa’s House” sat just south of old 172 until it burned less than 10 years after filming. Hills Prairie Grocery After booting an insane hitchhiker for trying to carve his initials into the arm of Franklin (the whiny one), the kiddos stopped at this lonely gas station near Bastrop for a fill-up. Unfortunately, the pumps remain dry today, though the building still stands. Just don’t huff or puff. It’s here Ms. Hardesty and pals were warned not to “go fooling around other folks property ... [because] some folks don’t like it and don’t mind showing you.” If only they’d listened to their elders! Later that night, the spot is also the finish line of Sally’s screeching six-minute foot race against a certain chainsaw- wielding maniac. Bagdad Cemetery Surprisingly, the pre-credit grave-robbing scene ranks among the flick’s most gruesome moments. Flashbulbs burst in the pitch-black night, slowly revealing portions of what morning radio reports describe as a “grisly work of art” lashed atop a headstone. Naturally, no tombs were needlessly disturbed at this Leander graveyard, as the corpse of the movie and its faux perch were placed among existing markers. The neighboring monolith had already stood 108 years at the time of filming. Wanna take a ride? Directions and site maps, 5I Four Bears Restaurant If the film were Gone with the Wind, this would be Tara. If Citizen Kane, it’d be Xanadu. To horror hounds, this white Queen Anne cottage is the not-so-sweet home of Leatherface and his killer kin. For 27 agonizing hours, in blazing August temperatures, cast and crew holed up inside, shooting cinema’s most depraved din-din scene — without air conditioning! No wonder poor, poor Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns) so hastily beat feet through that front plate-glass window. Twenty-five years later, the ailing house was, well, chainsawed into seven pieces and hauled from its foundation in Round Rock, roughly 50 miles west to Kingsland where it joined the quaint grounds of The Antlers Hotel. Extensive renovations soothed years of neglect and transformed the former den of horrors into a charming Hill Country eatery known as Four Bears Restaurant. “They come from all over the country,” co-owner Tom Fox says of Saw-enthused patrons. “They know so much about the movie and want their pictures taken in certain places. I wish we had a break-out window!” But the most requested photo-op? Mr. Fox doesn’t blink: “Back there where that first guy got whacked!” That would be the former steel doorway at the base of the stairs. (It was built for the film and doesn’t look the same today.) Left of the stairway is the aforementioned dining room and the adjoining “Chicken Room.” Fortunately for diners, lovely lace curtains, handsome hardwoods and Spanish artwork have long since replaced Leatherface’s roadkill decor. Four Bears will likely sellout its inaugural Halloween ode to Saw, which will feature an outdoor showing of the film on a 20-by-40 foot screen, filmmaker Q&A, guided house tours and the requisite costume contest. (Careful with those chainsaws, fellas.) Resident culinary maestro Sebastian Weddle has outlined a special indoor feast for VIP ticketholders of Osso Buco — roasted pork shank with the bone appropriately prominent. Outdoors? Tasty barbecue and, as featured in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, the Sawyer family’s award-winning chili. For information on the event, call 512-474-1510 or visit www.rollingroadshow.com. One killer Web site Tim Harden twisted his ankle and landed crossways on a cactus the first time he went hunting for Leatherface’s crib. His second trip was less accident-prone. Early one Sunday morning, a friend’s hand-drawn map led then-29-year-old telecom tech and his indulgent wife Cheri straight to the hallowed homestead. “The house had been moved only days before I got there. It was very disappointing,” recalls Mr. Harden who now lives in Round Rock. “But I took good enough pictures to start a very simple Web site.” Five years later, that simple site’s swelled into a clearinghouse of all things Saw (www.texaschainsaw massacre.net) and has inspired other chiller fans to make their own pilgrimages. “One of the most impressive things I see are people traveling from all over the world,” Mr. Harden said. “I vividly remember a guy from Australia who asked me a few questions and said he’d be flying in to see the locations. Sure enough, he came and had a ball.” Fellow native Texans often make the trip as well. “Most invite me to come along as a tour guide,” says Mr. Harden. “I’m very flattered by that, but think I’m done with my days of jumping fences. My Web site is the best tour guide around.” But how did the movie first become such a personal passion? “I was about 16 years old and a friend of mine somehow got it on VHS. We locked ourselves in the total darkness of his windowless garage,” Mr. Harden recalls. “I felt as if I’d been dragged through the halls of insanity when I walked away from that film. It changed me forever.” E-mail [email protected]
Transcript of Have Leatherface, will travel: Fans flock to sites of cult...
_ The Dallas Morning News Sunday, October 19, 2003 Page 3I
Have Leatherface, will travel:Fans flock to sites of cult chiller
Story and Photo Illustrations by G. NOEL GROSSStaff Writer
I t’s only a movie. No coed ever met a grisly fate at the businessend of a meat hook or served as a cannibal combo meal. Yetthree decades and a new Hollywood remake later, Tobe Hoop-
er’s 1974 horror hallmark, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, still digsits teeth deep into Lone Star legend.
This tall tale follows a vanload of roadtrippers whose sweltering excursionfinds them running on empty and squareinto a macabre mess of Southern inhos-pitality. It’s enough to give real-life travel-ers pause or even night sweats. Otherscan’t resist retracing the steps of thedoomed, however.
Four notable filming locations survive,
all within 60 miles of the state capitol inAustin, and Saw fans know them by sight.Often lugged along for cheeky photo-opsis the chainsaw two-stepper himself,Leatherface, or rather his diminutive anddecidedly less cranky stand-in (shownhere in photos), an 18-inch figure avail-able for $39.95 from McFarlane Toys.
So, let’s top off the tank and go.
Quick HillIt’d be easier to note what wasn’t shot here. The remnant of OldCountry Road 172, most recently trafficked by strictlyvegetarian bovines, was the setting for Sally’s climatic rescueby a passing motorist and Gunnar Hansen’s immortalchainsaw two-step as a deeply despondentLeatherface. The gentle hill is due to beredeveloped as part of RoundRock’s La Frontera business andresidential project. A newMarriott overlooks it, and a freshstretch of State Highway 45parallels the property where the“Leatherface House” oncestood. Signs of its gravel drivewayremain, as does the scraggly treethat screened its facade. However, therailroad-tie swing set, windmill and rusted vehiclesof countless cannibalized victims have long sincevanished. Yet, if fans squint, they’ll swear they can almost seeSally scampering down the fence line, steps ahead of a fatalwhomping. “Grandpa’s House” sat just south of old 172 until itburned less than 10 years after filming.
Hills PrairieGrocery
After booting an insane hitchhiker fortrying to carve his initials into the arm ofFranklin (the whiny one), the kiddosstopped at this lonely gas station nearBastrop for a fill-up. Unfortunately, thepumps remain dry today, though thebuilding still stands. Just don’t huff or puff.It’s here Ms. Hardesty and pals werewarned not to “go fooling around otherfolks property ... [because] some folksdon’t like it and don’t mind showing you.”If only they’d listened to their elders! Laterthat night, the spot is also the finish lineof Sally’s screeching six-minute foot
race against acertain
chainsaw-wieldingmaniac.
Bagdad CemeterySurprisingly, the pre-credit grave-robbing sceneranks among the flick’s most gruesome moments.Flashbulbs burst in the pitch-black night, slowlyrevealing portions of what morning radio reportsdescribe as a “grisly work of art” lashed atop a
headstone. Naturally, no tombs were needlesslydisturbed at this Leander graveyard, as the corpse of
the movie and its faux perch were placed among existingmarkers. The neighboring monolith had already stood 108
years at the time of filming.
Wanna take a ride?Directions and site maps, 5I
Four Bears RestaurantIf the film were Gone with the Wind, this would be Tara. If Citizen
Kane, it’d be Xanadu. To horror hounds, this white Queen Annecottage is the not-so-sweet home of Leatherface and his killer kin.For 27 agonizing hours, in blazing August temperatures, cast and
crew holed up inside, shooting cinema’s mostdepraved din-din scene — without air
conditioning! No wonder poor, poor SallyHardesty (Marilyn Burns) so hastily beatfeet through that front plate-glasswindow.
Twenty-five years later, the ailinghouse was, well, chainsawed into seven
pieces and hauled from its foundation inRound Rock, roughly 50 miles west to
Kingsland where it joined the quaint groundsof The Antlers Hotel. Extensive renovations soothed
years of neglect and transformed the former den of horrors into acharming Hill Country eatery known as Four Bears Restaurant.
“They come from all over the country,” co-owner Tom Fox says ofSaw-enthused patrons. “They know so much about the movie andwant their pictures taken in certain places. I wish we had abreak-out window!” But the most requested photo-op? Mr. Foxdoesn’t blink: “Back there where that first guy got whacked!”
That would be the former steel doorway at the base of the stairs.(It was built for the film and doesn’t look the same today.) Left ofthe stairway is the aforementioned dining room and the adjoining“Chicken Room.” Fortunately for diners, lovely lace curtains,handsome hardwoods and Spanish artwork have long sincereplaced Leatherface’s roadkill decor.
Four Bears will likely sellout its inaugural Halloween ode to Saw,which will feature an outdoor showing of the film on a 20-by-40foot screen, filmmaker Q&A, guided house tours and the requisite
costume contest. (Careful with thosechainsaws, fellas.) Resident culinary
maestro Sebastian Weddle hasoutlined a special indoor feast for VIP
ticketholders of Osso Buco —roasted pork shank with the boneappropriately prominent.Outdoors? Tasty barbecue and,as featured in Texas ChainsawMassacre 2, the Sawyerfamily’s award-winning chili.For information on the event,call 512-474-1510 or visitwww.rollingroadshow.com.
One killerWeb site
Tim Harden twistedhis ankle and landedcrossways on a cactus thefirst time he went huntingfor Leatherface’s crib.
His second trip was lessaccident-prone. Early oneSunday morning, a friend’shand-drawn map ledthen-29-year-old telecomtech and his indulgent wifeCheri straight to thehallowed homestead.
“The house had beenmoved only days before Igot there. It was verydisappointing,” recalls Mr.Harden who now lives inRound Rock. “But I tookgood enough picturesto start a very simpleWeb site.”
Five years later, thatsimple site’s swelled into aclearinghouse of all thingsSaw (www.texaschainsawmassacre.net) and hasinspired other chillerfans to make their ownpilgrimages.
“One of the mostimpressive things I see arepeople traveling from allover the world,” Mr. Hardensaid. “I vividly remember aguy from Australia whoasked me a few questionsand said he’d be flying in tosee the locations. Sureenough, he came andhad a ball.”
Fellow native Texansoften make the trip as well.“Most invite me to comealong as a tour guide,” saysMr. Harden. “I’m veryflattered by that, but thinkI’m done with my daysof jumping fences. MyWeb site is the best tourguide around.”
But how did the moviefirst become such a personalpassion? “I was about 16years old and a friend ofmine somehow got it onVHS. We locked ourselvesin the total darkness of hiswindowless garage,” Mr.Harden recalls. “I felt as ifI’d been dragged throughthe halls of insanity when Iwalked away from that film.It changed me forever.”
E-mail [email protected]
