Dinner with Leatherface (2024)

[DR Herbert West]

‘Dinner with Leatherface’ – Horror Icons Remember Gunnar Hansen in Upcoming Documentary Feature

Bloody Disgusting has learned about a brand new documentary titled Dinner with Leatherface, which looks at the life, legacy, and career of the late horror icon Gunnar Hansen.

The release of Dinner with Leatherface is scheduled for this October to coincide with the 50th anniversary theatrical release of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Gunnar Hansen is of course best known for his portrayal of the terrifying, chainsaw-wielding Leatherface in the classic horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974).

Directed by Michael Kallio (Mutant Swinger From Mars, Heart of Dorkness: Behind the Scenes of ‘My Name is Bruce’), the documentary will feature interviews with several of Hansen’s friends and colleagues, including fellow actors Bruce Campbell, Barbara Crampton, Kane Hodder, and Brian O’Halloran. The film will also include many in-depth interviews with his co-stars from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, as well as the film’s cinematographer Daniel Pearl and screenwriter Kim Henkel.

“Hansen was a beloved figure in the horror community, but many fans didn’t know that he wasn’t just an actor. He was also a writer, poet, photographer, and documentary filmmaker. He continued to be involved with the horror film community through most of his life, attending horror conventions all over the world and speaking at film festivals up until his untimely death in 2015. He became close friends with Kallio after starring in the director’s debut feature Hatred of a Minute.”

“I want to show the person Gunnar really was,” says Kallio. “He was an incredibly intelligent, witty man of so many talents. And he was a complete gentleman who embraced all the love he received from his adoring fans. He meant so much to so many people. This film is really a tribute to him… a great friend that I miss every single day.”

The documentary will also include never-before-seen behind the scenes footage of Hansen on set during the filming of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and some personal photographs.

“This film will not only dig deep into his performance as Leatherface, but it will also shed light on how different he was in real life from that character. Gunnar was the quintessential ‘gentle giant’,” says the documentary’s producer Lowell Northrop.

Dinner with Leatherface is being produced by Kallio’s production company Darkart Entertainment. Lowell Northrop (Hap & Leonard, The Nightrunners) is producing.

Michael Felsher (Just Desserts: The Making of ‘Creepshow’) is co-producing.