Warning: Spoilers ahead for 2022's Texas Chainsaw Massacre!
Netflix's Texas Chainsaw Massacre repeats one of the most memorable but strangest moments involving Leatherface from the 1974 original movie, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Gunnar Hansen first played the horror icon in Tobe Hooper's film that launched the long-running Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise. Nearly 50 years later, Mark Burnham has taken over the role of the chainsaw-wielding killer in an installment from David Blue Garcia that serves as a direct sequel to the original movie.
In 2022's Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Leatherface went free after the cannibalistic Sawyer family encountered Sally Hardesty and her group in the early '70s. He found refuge with Ginny McCumber, the owner of an orphanage in Harlow, Texas, where Leatherface remained until another run-in with more young people who like to barge into places they don't belong. Despite another encounter with Sally Hardesty and hard-fought fights with sisters Melody and Lila, Leatherface once again survives just like the original movie. However, Leatherface's survival serves as a shock to viewers and the sisters, snatching Melody out of the fleeing car before using a chainsaw to cut her head off.
To add insult to injury, Leatherface holds up Melody's severed head as Lila watches in horror. Texas Chainsaw Massacre then copies the original movie's weirdest sequence by showing Leatherface wildly waving his chainsaw around in what has become known as the "Leatherface dance." The antagonist first did this "dance" in the final scene of Hooper's original movie. After Sally jumped into a passerby's truckbed, Leatherface was left unsuccessful in catching down his last victim, so he angrily swung his chainsaw around. Despite Leatherface being much older in Texas Chainsaw Massacre, he's still very capable of operating the heavy tool and performing his signature dance as a way for Garcia to honor the original movie's ending.
The origins of the "Leatherface dance" have been shared in great detail since the movie debuted in the '70s. In one of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre's cut scenes, Leatherface was meant to chase Sally to the gas station. While filming, he maniacally swung the chainsaw around during the sequence. Though cut, Hooper enjoyed the "dance" so much it was incorporated into the final scene. Unfortunately, Hansen couldn't see very well in his mask while flailing his arms and spinning in circles, causing crew members to run for safety. By including a version of Leatherface's memorable dance, Texas Chainsaw Massacre is paying tribute to many of the figures that paved the way for the franchise to be so popular for nearly five decades.
With all of that said, there is one major difference with Leatherface's new dance in Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The first time he oddly swung his weapon around, he was doing so after feeling like he had failed. In the Netflix movie, Leatherface actually comes out on top. Not only does he slaughter a bus full of influencers, but he also kills Sally and Melody. Lila lives, but she will continue to be haunted alongside a life already full of trauma. Leatherface's latest dance is likely one that stems from a celebration, not a defeat, considering he also holds onto Melody's head while dancing. Shortly after his win, he returns to his old house that served as the primary setting of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Leatherface might be older, but he certainly hasn't changed much over the years.
