- "You did it now, boy! You let that bitch-meat get away!"
- ― Drayton, to Jed
Drayton Sawyer, or just simply The Cook, is the tertiary antagonist of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and a minor character in Texas Chainsaw 3D and Leatherface.
He was portrayed in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre by the late Jim Siedow, Texas Chainsaw 3D by Bill Moseley, and Leatherface by Dimo Alexiev.
Biography[]
Backstory[]
Virtually nothing is known about Drayton's early life. It's assumed that like the rest of the Sawyer clan, he used to work in the now-closed slaughterhouse in Newt, Muerto County, before opening the gas station he is found working at by the events of the first movie. It is of immediate note, that despite being said to be a brother to Leatherface and The Hitchhiker, he is much older than them. In fact, the original film neglects to name any villain other than Leatherface, and also never mentions Drayton, then "The Cook," as being one of their brothers, implying through behavior that he was meant to be their father.
1973[]
18th August[]
Drayton Sawyer makes his debut appearance in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, in which he first appears as the proprietor of a gas station and barbecue (with an unnamed car door window washer as an employee), where a group of teenagers stop while passing through the area. Drayton's malevolent nature is revealed later in the film, when he beats Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns) unconscious and captures her after she approaches him seeking help when her friends disappear and her brother Franklin (Paul A. Partain) gets killed by Leatherface. Having been chased by Leatherface previously, she is highly hysterical after her shocking experience. Taking Sally to his home, Drayton torments her alongside his siblings, Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) and Nubbins the Hitchhiker (Edwin Neal), before deciding to let the family patriarch, Grandpa (John Dugan), kill her. When Grandpa proves too decrepit to kill Sally with a hammer, Drayton, the Hitchhiker and Leatherface attempt to aid him, but only succeed in losing grasp on Sally, who flees out a window, he is the only one of the three brothers who does not pursue her choosing instead to stay behind with Grandpa.
19th August[]
Shortly after the incident, Sally informed the town authorities of the Sawyer Family's horrific crimes.[1] Following police investigations into the grisly murders, public reactions were largely that of repulsion, with the Texas Chain Saw Massacre being branded as "one of the most bizarre crimes in the annals of American history" by at least one reporter of the incident.[2]
Drayton's corpse
On the morning of August 19th, Sheriff Hooper showed up to the Sawyer Residence, where the armed Sawyer cousins had gathered to the house with Drayton, Leatherface, and Grandpa. Hooper demanded that they surrender Leatherface for arrest. Drayton argued with the Sheriff that Leatherface had been defending their property from trespassers, but the Sheriff wasn't accepting it. After debate within the family, during which Drayton argued in vain that they can't sell out family, the Sawyers agreed to give Leatherface to the law. Drayton went in to collect him and berated him for letting "that bitch-meat" escape.
However, before any arrest could take place, vigilantes led by Burt Hartman showed up unannounced at the Sawyer Residence. Drayton was called back out as the situation escalated and he closed the metal door. Hartman's vigilantes threw Molotov cocktails and opened fire on the residence. Drayton and the other Sawyers returned fire but were outgunned. Drayton hit in the shoulder and collapsed, presumably attempting to crawl away before dying from a combination of smoke inhalation and blood loss. The house was burnt to the ground and the vigilantes left only two known survivors: Leatherface - who was unknowingly saved by Drayton's action - and an infant Edith Sawyer, who was taken by one of the vigilantes to grow up in a different family. Throughout the decades, Leatherface lived with his wealthy mother Verna Sawyer-Carson in her mansion, where Drayton and the rest of the family were buried.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
For his part in Texas Chainsaw 3D, actor Bill Moseley recreated some of Jim Siedow's scenes from the original film as part of a montage recapping the events of the first film. In an interview, Moseley said on his part: "I got the call from the producer of that movie saying we want you to play Drayton Sawyer. And I'm just thinking, well that's like asking Moe to come back and play Curly. Or Curly to come back and play Moe, I guess is more accurate." Despite his reservations, he said he enjoyed the part and that "I was glad I was actually asked to play Drayton because I love Jim Siedow so much."[3]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Texas Chainsaw 3D
- ↑ The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - Opening Monologue
- ↑ Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 Star Still Wants to Reprise Chop Top for a New Film - Comicbook.com