Texas Chainsaw Massacre's Slasher Leatherface Only Respects One Other Major Movie Killer

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The Friday the 13th film franchise is a chilling saga centered around the cursed Camp Crystal Lake and the supernatural serial killer Jason Voorhees. Known for his iconic hockey mask and relentless brutality, Jason is a nigh-indestructible force driven by vengeance. The series follows different groups of teenagers who encounter Jason, leading to gruesome fates. Spanning several decades and various settings, from Camp Crystal Lake to the bustling streets of Manhattan, the franchise combines supernatural elements with slasher horror.

Fans of horror movies know Leatherface, the iconic slasher from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise has love for very few people in the world, but would you believe that he has only shown respect for one other major movie franchise killer?

Since his debut in the 1974 film, Leatherface has proven himself to be loyal only to his family. Anyone that doesn't share his bloodline usually ends up in the family's basement, as he literally prepares them for dinner. However, a little-known comic from the 1990s finally put Leatherface up against another iconic slasher, whom he actually ended up respecting: Jason Voorhees.

In 1995's Jason vs. Leatherface by Nancy A. Collins and Jeff Butler, Jason Voorhees finds himself on the property of the Sawyers after being dug up once again from the bottom of Crystal Lake. There, he comes toe-to-toe with Leatherface and the Hitchhiker in a much-anticipated fight between slashers. At first, the two battle it out as Hitchhiker tells his brother to kill Jason. However, when Jason kills another victim with a chainsaw and hands Leatherface his weapon back, he's immediately welcomed into the family with a massive amount of respect.

Given Leatherface and the Sawyers' ideas about living people as nothing more than lambs for the slaughter, it says a lot that they would spare him after seeing what he can do. However, as the story goes on, the bond between Jason and Leatherface goes even deeper to make them one of the most unique friendships in slasher history.

What's fascinating about this unlikely friendship between two slashers is the amount of empathy they share over the course of the story. Jason is known for being mostly uncaring as he kills anyone in his way who dares to step inside Camp Crystal Lake. However, here, he sees the way the Sawyers are treating Leatherface and can't help but see himself in the Texan slasher.

While the Friday the 13th franchise has commonly been known as a classic revenge tale, one webcomic series actually proves Jason has a secret motive.

After all, just like Leatherface, he was bullied by his peers and even hinted to be abused by his father. However, his experience led to his untimely death by drowning as a child. Leatherface, on the other hand, continues to face this abuse daily.

This established relationship between the two slashers while Jason stays at their home leads to some pretty wholesome moments. There are times when Jason would offer to walk with Leatherface throughout the house to show his support. Plus, when he can't stand aside anymore after witnessing the family's abuse towards his friend, Jason actually stands up to Hitchhiker and knocks him away. It's a surprising bond between the two as Jason shows the slasher he's not alone when facing trauma, and it works incredibly well for a non-canon team-up timeline.

By far, the saddest thing about Jason vs. Leatherface is the comic's final issue when Jason can't stand the family's abusive tactics toward his friend anymore. Even with Jason fighting to stand up for Leatherface, the latter has been so mentally anguished by his massive family tree that he fights Jason again to continue his devotion to them. It's heartbreaking to see how these two iconic characters, who saw the best in one another, end their friendship this way, since Jason is fighting the Sawyer family out of respect for the other slasher. He ends up being overtaken by the family and dumped in the water, leaving him for dead.

Even with this upsetting ending though, Leatherface shows one final moment of respect by leaving a rose where Jason was dropped. It's a sweet moment that shows that he admires what the slasher did for him, and while the two can never be friends again, he's grateful that someone stood up for him. Jason Voorhees is the only slasher that Leatherface will ever respect, and given his long-lasting history in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, it's amazing how their friendship was born out of empathy.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a multimedia franchise that began with Tobe Hooper's 1974 horror film, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. After the film's initial release, there were a total of eight additional films added to the franchise, as well as comic books from various publishers, including Avatar Press and Wildstorm Comics. In 2023, the video game The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was released on PlayStation 4/5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox X/S.

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