In The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, the chainsaw-wielding killer is known as Leatherface.
Leatherface is a large, masked member of a cannibalistic family encountered by a group of young travelers in the 1974 film. He wears masks made from human skin, with different masks associated with different behaviors, and uses a chainsaw as his signature weapon.
The character was played by Gunnar Hansen, who was a little-known actor at the time. Director Tobe Hooper and co-writer Kim Henkel drew on several sources of inspiration, including real crimes associated with Ed Gein, but Leatherface is a fictional character and is not a direct portrait of Gein.
Leatherface is sometimes incorrectly identified as the film’s title character. The title refers to the massacre and its weapon, while Leatherface is the killer’s nickname. The character later appeared in numerous sequels, remakes, games and comics.