House of Horror

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Grind #3
Written by Brian Pulido
Art by Daniel HDR
Released: 2006
Publisher: Avatar Press

Premise: In 2005, Avatar Press began releasing titles from New Line Cinema’s “House of Horror” license, which includes A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and Platinum Dune’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Picking up after the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Special, Avatar began publishing the three issue mini-series: The Grind.

Leatherface lives on! Writer Brian Pulido returns to unleash more psychological terror now teaming with sensational new artist Daniel HDR. Fuller Texas. Summer 1972. The Jefferson Girl’s Choir is traveling across the state for a revival meeting and makes the horrible mistake of a stop at the Hewitt family General store. They enter a horrifying world of madness and depravity that their bible-fearing beliefs couldn’t prepare them for as Leatherface, Sheriff Hoyt, Old Monty, Luda May and the entire Hewitt clan hunt them down and torture them. Can any of them survive or will they be the new masks of Leatherface?

Plot Breakdown (spoilers): Julie Ann, Marsha, and Sadie scatter, with Leatherface in close pursuit. They manage to outwit their attacker however, by hiding in another part of the barn. Marsha, panicked by Leatherface’s stalking, makes a run for it, leaving Julie Ann and Sadie behind. Leatherface chases after and mercilessly kills her outside the barn. Thinking it safe to escape in the opposite direction, Julie Ann and Sadie are soon discovered and knocked out by the other members of the Hewitt clan. Sheriff Hoyt happens upon Julie Ann’s letter, and along with Luda May, comes up with a plan for its use. When Julie Ann finally comes to, she is tied to a chair, along with Sadie across from her. Old Monty flirts inappropriately with Sadie, and after she refuses his advances, strangles and kills her in front of Julie Ann. Afterward, Leatherface enters the room and Monty calls Julie Ann for himself. Luda May says she will decide “who gets who” over dinner. Later, Luda May and the rest of the Hewitt family hear Monty’s arguments at the dinner table. Tea Lady has also brought Ellie, who sits at a kid’s table in the other room. After a brief exchange, Luda May decides that Julie Ann is Monty’s, and that they best celebrate their “wedding night.” When Monty tries to seduce Julie Ann later that night, she escapes her bonds and beats Monty over the head, knocking him to the floor. She then finds Ellie, and for defense, grabs one of Leatherface’s chainsaws. Julie Ann and Ellie flee the house and make it to the main road, where Julie Ann flags down a car with chainsaw in hand. Both she and Ellie ride away to safety. Some time later, Hoyt gloats while reading the morning newspaper. The headline article details Julie Ann’s murder spree, the bodies of her schoolmates and instructors found inside their bus, and an incriminating letter confessing that sometimes she just “wants to kill” her classmates. Julie Ann has since been committed to a psychiatric institution, where her claims of the murderous Hewitt family go unheard.
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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Grind #2
Written by Brian Pulido
Art by Daniel HDR
Released: 2006
Publisher: Avatar Press

Premise: In 2005, Avatar Press began releasing titles from New Line Cinema’s “House of Horror” license, which includes A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and Platinum Dune’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Picking up after the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Special, Avatar began publishing the three issue mini-series: The Grind.

Leatherface lives on! Writer Brian Pulido returns to unleash more psychological terror now teaming with sensational new artist Daniel HDR. Fuller Texas. Summer 1972. The Jefferson Girl’s Choir is traveling across the state for a revival meeting and makes the horrible mistake of a stop at the Hewitt family General store. They enter a horrifying world of madness and depravity that their bible-fearing beliefs couldn’t prepare them for as Leatherface, Sheriff Hoyt, Old Monty, Luda May and the entire Hewitt clan hunt them down and torture them. Can any of them survive or will they be the new masks of Leatherface?

Plot Breakdown (spoilers): Sheriff Hoyt questions the remaining choir girls on who is next to meet Leatherface. Julie Ann volunteers, and stabs Hoyt in the hand with the pen she was using earlier, knocking him down in the process. She and one of the other girls, Rosa, escape the Blair Meat facility and into the woods, with Leatherface close behind. The two other girls, Sadie and Marsha, are held at gun point by the staggering Hoyt. While running through the woods, Julie Ann and Rosa notice Ellie being taken into the Tea Lady’s trailer. With Leatherface soon upon them, the two escapees continue to run until Rosa is caught by a bear trap. Julie Ann tries to free her, but is forced to hide when Leatherface arrives. Leatherface murders Rosa with swift diligence and takes her body back to the Hewitt house, where he makes a mask out of her face. Meanwhile, Hoyt has arrived back at the Hewitt home with Sadie and Marsha. Chaining them up in the backyard, he motions to kill Sadie, but is interrupted by Leatherface showing off his new “face”. Disgusted, Hoyt berates Thomas on wanting to wear a girl’s face, which angers Luda May, who then orders them both inside the house. After Hoyt and Leatherface go inside, Julie Ann appears and rescues the two captives. The three girls manage to escape and take refuge in a nearby barn, where they discuss why these events are happening to them. During the discussion, Sadie reveals Julie Ann’s criminal record is true, a result of saving Sadie from the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of their father. Just as Sadie apologizes for her rude behavior earlier, Leatherface bursts in with his chainsaw at the ready.
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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Grind #1
Written by Brian Pulido
Art by Daniel HDR
Released: 2006
Publisher: Avatar Press

Premise: In 2005, Avatar Press began releasing titles from New Line Cinema’s “House of Horror” license, which includes A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and Platinum Dune’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Picking up after the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Special, Avatar began publishing the three issue mini-series: The Grind.

Leatherface lives on! Writer Brian Pulido returns to unleash more psychological terror now teaming with sensational new artist Daniel HDR. Fuller Texas. Summer 1972. The Jefferson Girl’s Choir is traveling across the state for a revival meeting and makes the horrible mistake of a stop at the Hewitt family General store. They enter a horrifying world of madness and depravity that their bible-fearing beliefs couldn’t prepare them for as Leatherface, Sheriff Hoyt, Old Monty, Luda May and the entire Hewitt clan hunt them down and torture them. Can any of them survive or will they be the new masks of Leatherface?

Plot Breakdown (spoilers): Summer 1972, a small school bus has entered the small town of Fuller, Texas. Aboard, are five students from the Jefferson Girl’s Choir, their instructors Mr. and Mrs. Mislap, and the Mislap’s young daughter Ellie. One of the students, Julie Ann, writes a letter to her father, while the other girls harass her about her “criminal” history. Julie Ann’s sister, Sadie, infers their father was less than perfect and berates Julie Ann for still caring. While the girls continue to pester Julie Ann, the bus suddenly gets a flat tire. Mr. Mislap, not having a spare tire on board, walks to find help. After a short journey, he comes across the Blair Meat packing facility, and while wandering around inside for help, is quickly murdered by Leatherface. Later, after nightfall, Mrs. Mislap leaves the bus in search of her husband, only to suffer the same fate. While the girls wait for the Mislaps to return, they are soon found by Sheriff Hoyt. Hoyt, in his usual crude and abusive manner, investigates their bus and plants a tiny bag of marijuana, which he then uses as an excuse to take the girls into custody. After rounding up the frightened troop, Hoyt drives the girls to the Blair Meat facility, where he locks the five girls in a meat freezer and hands over Ellie to the Tea Lady. One of the girls, Louise, continually calls for help, beating on the freezer door. Hoyt, annoyed, releases Louise and let’s Leatherface dispose of her in front of the other choir girls. Afterward, he mentions to the sobbing girls that Thomas didn’t like her, and questions who’s next.
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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Special) #1
Written by Brian Pulido
Art by Jacen Burrows
Released: 2005
Publisher: Avatar Press

Premise: In 2005, Avatar Press began releasing titles from New Line Cinema’s “House of Horror” license, which includes A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and Platinum Dune’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. To kick off their titles, Avatar released one-shot “special” issues serving as an introduction to the New Line characters and premises.

Fuller, Texas. Summer 1972. Three escaped convicts, along with a few girls along for the ride, are joy riding across rural Texas robbing banks, heading for Mexico. When they stop to rob the Hewitt family General store, they enter a horrifying world of madness and depravity that even a maximum security prison couldn’t prepare them for as Leatherface, Sheriff Hoyt, Old Monty and the entire Hewitt clan hunt them down. It gets messy. This is bleeding-edge horror as only Lady Death creator Brian Pulido can deliver it with art by the critically-acclaimed, fan-favorite Jacen Burrows.

Plot Breakdown (spoilers): A young girl is held captive in the basement of the Hewitt house in Fuller, Texas. When trying to escape through a basement window, she is violently killed by the chainsaw wielding Leatherface. Afterward, Sheriff Hoyt notes that the girl didn’t like Thomas. Meanwhile, it is 1972, and three escaped convicts, Hardy Miller, Rufus Kimoni, and Ellery Watts are trying to make it to the Mexican border with their two female companions, Darlene and Charity. After driving into Fuller, they stop their car at the infamous gas station run by Luda May Hewitt. To get some quick cash, Hardy and Rufus attempt to rob Luda May, only to find out she has no money in the register. When the group tries to escape, they find their unattended car has been destroyed. While Hardy and Darlene look for help, Ellery and Charity go wandering, and Rufus tries to get answers from Luda May. In response to Rufus’s rude behavior, Luda May murders Rufus by cutting his throat with a cleaver. Later, Hardy and Darlene find the Hewitt house and enter, only to be confronted by Old Monty. While Hardy and Darlene are “guests” in the Hewitt residence, Leatherface catches up with Ellery and Charity, killing Ellery and leaving Charity on the run. Charity, running through the woods, makes it to the familiar trailer owned by the Tea Lady. When asking the Tea Lady for help, the Tea Lady mentions she senses Charity is pregnant and restrains her until Leatherface arrives. Upon arriving at the Hewitt house, Charity witnesses Leatherface taking Darlene into his back room, while Sheriff Hoyt has Hardy kill himself. Charity miscarries, due to the panic, and in the calamity, manages to escape into the woods with Leatherface close behind. After an exhausting run, Charity jumps into a nearby stream and floats toward a shallow waterfall, where Leatherface stands waiting. While listening to Charity’s screams fade, Sheriff Hoyt and Luda May discuss their hopes that Thomas will find a girl that likes him one day.
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