10 Worst Reveals In Movie Prequels

9. Leatherface's Origin - Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning

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New Line Cinema

Within the realms of horror, so often less is more when it comes to the backstories of the genre's most notorious of figures.

While knowing that Michael Myers killed his sister when he was six years of age is a perfectly fine glimpse into the Shape's past, Rob Zombie found out that detailing the troubles and torment of the young Michael and his ensuing time locked up in a sanitarium was one step too far for audiences.

In terms of baffling prequel reveals that went ever further than that, the opening moments of 2006's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning - a prequel to the 2003 Chainsaw remake - was a major disappointment to long-time franchise fans. Those opening moments, of course, gave us the origins of Leatherface.

After his mother died in childbirth, young Leatherface - or Thomas Hewitt, as he was known then - is dumped in the trash of the slaughterhouse where this premature birth took place. Skipping ahead 30 years later, we see how Thomas is now working at the one and same place, for the one and the same manager.

The reveal of how Leatherface came to be was all a bit 'meh' in and of itself, but the biggest let down for audiences was that this film told a story that simply didn't need to be told.

Sure, The Beginning was a prequel movie, but you still didn't need to go as far as pulling the curtain back on the basic fundamentals of the mask-wearing mystique previously associated with Leatherface. Thankfully, the film didn't try to spotlight too much more of little Tommy embarking on his life story - with those moments instead showcased in 2017's awful Leatherface.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.