Michael Myers Vs Leatherface

Michael Myers vs. Leatherface

Welcome to WatchMojo and in this installment of Versus, we’re pitting Michael Myers from “Halloween” against Leatherface from “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”

For this versus, we’re looking at these two slashers from the ‘70s and seeing which has the better horror movie résumé.

Which franchise is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

Round 1: Origins

Despite the multiple “Halloween” continuities out there, it’s what we don’t know about Michael that’s the scariest. In the original film, a prologue shows a six-year-old Michael murdering his sister Judith on Halloween night. Despite caring for him for fifteen years, psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis can only come to the conclusion that Michael is simply evil incarnate. This leads Michael to stalk and kill on an instinctual level, going after teenagers especially and his sometimes sister Laurie Strode. Films like “The Curse of Michael Myers” and Rob Zombie’s “Halloween” tried to chalk up his evil as a result of cult dealings and a poor upbringing, respectively, but you can’t beat what you can’t explain.

Similarly, the original “Texas Chain Saw Massacre” relied on simplicity in its storytelling, stoking fears of backwoods cannibals repurposing the body parts of drifters into their own sick designs. It wasn’t until the remakes in the mid-2000s that we finally got some backstory of how Leatherface came to be. Born with a facial deformity, Thomas Hewitt fashions a face mask for himself as his family begins getting back at the community that mistreated them in grisly fashion. Later films offer an alternative origin, as 2017’s “Leatherface” follows a young Jedidiah aka “Jackson” prior to his disfigurement. It’s this action that ultimately creates the chainsaw-wielding maniac we know today.

Despite both franchises retroactively creating origin stories, they both prove the banality of evil is the most terrifying. Having said that, it’s Michael’s sudden psychopathy that’s most chilling.

Winner: Michael Myers 1 / Leatherface 0

Round 2: Costumes

It’s common knowledge today that Michael Myers’s mask was originally fashioned out of one modeled after William Shatner’s face, specifically for the 1975 film “The Devil’s Rain.” But even knowing that, we can’t help but shudder every time we see that pale white complexion and hollow eyes. In the world of the film, he steals it from a Haddonfield hardware store - impeccable choice, though that’s probably the scariest hardware store of all time. Of course, Michael would also be nothing without his signature coveralls, which he similarly steals in the original film from a mechanic. It’s not a flashy getup, but the combination has lived rent-free in our nightmares for over forty years.

Leatherface meanwhile has a revolving door of garments, mostly because he has a revolving door of victims. Like the rest of his family, Leatherface can often be seen in a wide range of tattered rags, usually topped with a butcher's apron for - well, you know. But the pièce de résistance has to be what he puts over his face, namely the faces of other people. Indeed, Leatherface didn’t get that name for nothing, taking to slicing off the mugs of his kills and stitching together something he can throw over his own. While Leatherface isn’t a looker to begin with, he’s especially terrifying as he basically telegraphs to his prey what will become of them if they don’t escape.

Honestly, you could argue either way for which look is more effective on-screen. But we have to give it to Leatherface for the sheer craftsmanship on display, grisly though it may be.

Winner: Michael Myers 1 / Leatherface 1

Round 3: Enemies

What would a good horror movie villain be without a solid protagonist? And thankfully for Michael, the “Halloween” franchise has two of the best: Laurie Strode and Sam Loomis. There hasn’t been a single outing of Michael’s yet where he didn’t go up against one of these all-timers. Though Loomis acts as the greatest threat to Michael in the first run of films, Laurie too grows from victim to badass in her own right, especially in David Gordon Green’s trilogy. As if having arguably the greatest final girl of all time wasn’t enough, even the middling entries have a memorable protagonist in Jamie Lloyd, Laurie’s daughter in the original continuity.

Before 1978’s “Halloween,” you had 1974’s “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.” And before Laurie Strode, you had Sally Hardesty. Another ordinary young woman, Sally’s life is thrown for a loop when her brother and friends are butchered by Leatherface. Thanks to a keen survival instinct and some convenient windows, Sally lives to fight another day, finally returning in the 2022 film to exact her revenge on her tormentor. In the intervening years, the franchise has enjoyed numerous memorable protagonists, from radio DJ Stretch to characters played by pre-fame Renée Zellweger and Jessica Biel. Still, it could be argued that Leatherface’s greatest enemy is his family, as they’ve been known to manipulate and mistreat their underdeveloped offspring.

Though the dynamic between Leatherface and his adversaries can be nuanced, we can’t overlook the sheer classic status of Michael and his opposition.

Winner: Michael Myers 2 / Leatherface 1

Round 4: Weapons of Choice

Of the two slashers, Michael is definitely the stronger of the two, superhumanly able to lift whole cars if he needs to. As such, he’s very comfortable using his bare hands to kill his foes, as his sheer strength can make his grip impossible to escape from. That said, Michael would be nothing without his signature chef’s knife. Able to find one in just about any Haddonfield kitchen, Michael has proven to be expertly efficient with the tool. Sure, he’s happy to get creative with whatever’s lying around, but ultimately it all comes back to that knife. He’s carved up a great many people like they were jack o’ lanterns, leading us to always make sure there’s not a knife missing from our racks.

With Leatherface, meanwhile, the weapon of choice is right there in the title. Indeed, what would a “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” movie be without a little chainsaw action? While Michael’s execution is relatively clean, Leatherface’s is the exact opposite, with every outing of his sure to get real bloody real quick. Come to think of it, though, Leatherface’s approach is much more economical considering he also has to “prepare” his victims afterwards. On the downside, this weapon of choice does eliminate the silent treatment once he revs it up, but Leatherface’s increased maneuverability does help compensate for this. Also, we can’t help but think a chainsaw would be a much more painful way to go.

Though both killers have put their stamps on their weapons of choice, we have to go with Leatherface on this one, as he is synonymous with his titular tool.

Winner: Michael Myers 2 / Leatherface 2

Round 5: Scares

At the end of the day, no movie slasher works without being able to scare the pants off the audience, and neither of our competitors would be where they are today without that factor. Though Leatherface came first, it’s often been said that Michael Myers popularized the slasher genre, and that’s due in large part to just how effective his screen presence is. Aided by an iconic John Carpenter score, Michael is the embodiment of a slow-moving but inevitable death. Whether he’s hiding in the shadows or creeping towards you, he is guaranteed a good amount of screams. And if he gets within arm’s reach, you may not even have the chance to scream.

Whereas Michael builds tension prior to his kills, Leatherface is not about subtlety. Rather, he often capitalizes on the quiet of night before starting up his chainsaw and giving everyone an instant heart attack. The scares don’t stop there, though, as Leatherface is liable to chase after his victims as manically and intensely as his weapon. This only adds to the never-ending anxiety we feel when watching his movies, as his unpredictability always keeps us on our toes. Granted, he may not be the smartest killer, but his hulking frame and shocking appearance would make him an intimidating threat in any genre. Also, whereas Michael has his heavy breathing, Leatherface’s deranged cries always elevate our heart rate.

While we wouldn't want to meet either of these characters in a dark alley, there’s something about Michael and the way he goes about his business that’s the most chill-inducing.

Winner: Michael Myers 3 / Leatherface 2

So by a final score of 3-2, Michael Myers takes this matchup of slasher supremacy.