As many of you know, one of my favorite tropes in horror is the concept of a family in which every member is a deranged murderer. Something about this is just pure fun. There should definitely be more movies utilizing this trope and if you know some good ones, please let me know.
This post is mostly going to be about the Sawyers of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies but I also want to talk about a few other families dear to my heart. Like in previous posts, the bottom of this post will include some song recommendations so feel free to skip down to that if you’d like.
First up, we have the family that inspired this post, the Sawyers. You of course know them from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre film series. The first iteration of this family that we meet is on a quaint farm in South Texas. We are introduced to the Sawyers by meeting Nubbins, a hitchhiker who is picked up by our main characters only to be thrown out of the van when he demands money for a Polaroid he took, sets it on fire, and proceeds to slice one of them with a straight razor. Other members include the talented Cook, Grandpa, Grandma, and of course, Bubba.
In the second film, we meet Chop Top, not much is mention about his past but it is implied that during the timeframe of the first film, he is stationed in Vietnam. Chop Top might be the most outwardly deranged member of the family in my opinion.
Although Grandpa can barely grip a hammer, he is the thing that keeps the Sawyer brothers together. It’s endearing to see how much love they have for their dear Grandfather.
The Sawyers are a well-bonded family. Not only do they cook and dine together but they talk about hemorrhoids together.
Unfortunately towards the end of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie, we lose dear Nubbins Sawyer but he will be forever immortalized in our hearts and these beautiful family portraits below. These photos also include a rare glimpse at Grandma!
Coming a little bit after Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 1977’s The Hills Have Eyes, we have The Jupiter Clan. I don’t think that they have a formal last name but this makes sense in a family where everyone is named after planets.
I’m not going to speak a ton on The Hills Have Eyes, because although I love Wes Craven’s movies, he was still definitely finding his way with this one so it’s not my favorite of his. It is still over the top and incredibly fun and the Jupiter Clan is really what makes the fun. Everyone in this family really knows how to dress. Here’s a great picture of Pluto and Papa Jupiter.
The amalgamation and hyper-realization of every deranged family that paved the way, the Firefly family are first introduced to us in House of 1000 Corpses, which I have to admit is the only film with them I’ve seen so I won’t speak on them too much. I think this film is incredibly under-appreciated. It’s really just a fun satirical ride through horror captained by Rob Zombie.
This family is also known for killing a very young Rainn Wilson.
I know, I desperately need to watch The Devil’s Rejects.
I’m going to recommend a song per family just for fun!
To encapsulate the Sawyers of Texas Chainsaw Massacre I suggest you listen to “Jerry Was a Racecar Driver” by Primus, which might seem like an obvious choice but I’m choosing it anyway.
For the Jupiter Clan, I suggest The Cramp’s cover of Charlie Feather’s “I Can’t Hardly Stand It”.
And finally, for the Fireflys, I think you should listen to “Gravedancer” by Pig Destroyer. Or there’s always the option of listening to “Dragula” by Rob Zombie.