Thomas Hewitt Appreciation, He's So Precious(*´꒳`*)💗💗💗

🤭🤭🤭🤭

self indulgent sketches ft. Tommy going to texas disneyland

(I am a certified texan hehee)

comfort character who hasn’t had a day of comfort in his life

The over-simplification of Thomas Hewitt

TW: Self-harm, Self-mutilation, Rape {only mentioned twice, and very brief}, Hoyt warning, TCM-Canon-Typical Violence

Thomas {Hewitt} is such a complex character that I feel is taken to such extremes - he's either oversimplified or outrageously radical. For example: The two most-common tropes I see for him {which I'm not demeaning, just critiquing} are A.) He's an extremely sadistic, unforgiving maniac who has no form of empathy or depth to him {this trope usually makes him a rapist, sex-fiend, or someone who uses sex as a way to resolve disagreements.} B.) An extremely-traumatized individual who can do no wrong, doesn't understand the weight of his actions, a consistently-scared man who's socially unaware of EVERYTHING, and just generally a character with no depth. {This trope ALSO usually portrays Thomas as a sex-fiend as well as someone who uses sex as a form of apology.} The truth is - Thomas is such a complex man; Not only in his character but truly in his nature {which I guess is another word for character but whtever.} YES; He is sadistic. YES; He's traumatized. Yes; He's socially unaware at times - But he's NEITHER of those extremes - at least not by default. I understand the first trope , considering he does appear that way to victims - especially Kemper and Bailey. That being said, he {in the mentality of Thomas} had "valid" reasons to target those two: Bailey referred to him as a "what" {"What is that?"} and Kemper barged into the house uninvited. Thomas knows Erin was invited, he was watching through the basement peephole. He knew Andy wasn't invited based off the way Monty treated him. Also - let's address an obvious-but-often-overlooked aspect of Thomas' "killing patterns": The men he kills - the masks he makes - the way he treats the "masks-to-be" all seem to hint at his potential jealously and envy. He tortured Eric by skinning his fuckin arms - he knocked Kemper out with a sledge hammer and presumably {implied by him picking up a chain of meat hooks} attaches him to a meat hook. Kemper's WAKING UP on a meat hook just to get killed and skinned. Thomas' forms of catharsis are destructive in nature - which seem to extend beyond his victims. In the unrated version of the film, during the "first supper" scene, as Thomas rests his arms against the head crest of the dining chair {this is the most popular GIF of him}, there's multiple scars around his arms - all which vary in size, depth, and location. Sure, these could be work-related accidents, which I'm sure some are, but some seem to be a form of self-harm as well. I wouldn't be surprised if the majority are self-inflicted; Considering Thomas has no other outlet of emotional regulation or consistent support system. To get into further detail, let's break down his prominent character traits individually:

Protective + Family Oriented {and Selfless}

It's very obvious that Thomas is protective, both of his things and his people. He's not possessive, at least not in my interpretation. His devotion to his family comes in selfless ways; Including sacrificing his own safety just to keep the family alive and well - Together. He refused to stop chasing Erin; Even after injuring his leg and losing his arm. He killed the slaughterhouse manager because he insulted his family; Insulting him and his family's hard work to survive. He lost not only his job and his purpose that day, but his family's main income. His selflessness often leads to him getting taken advantage of and overworked. For example; The family fully relies on him and Hoyt for their survival; Though mostly Thomas. Hoyt can do enough, sure, but if Thomas was gone, the whole family would go with him one way or another. I find he genuinely doesn't view himself "on their level." As in he's subservient to them. This post is essentially the essence Im hinting at. He focuses on his purpose - If that purpose isn't fulfilled, "I haven't done enough - I'm not trying hard enough - The family's not proud of me - They shouldn't be proud of me - ect."

Reserved / Distant

Thomas is very reserved which is very obviously a defense mechanism developed in early childhood. He's distant not only because of his trauma, but his personality as well. I've always interpreted him as a natural introvert - which would've been amplified if he so happens to be autistic. Of course, not all autistic individuals are introverted, I just figured because of his predisposed characteristics. Thomas prefers to observe rather to interact; Almost acting as a shadow amongst concrete - Or a fly upon the wall: Watching every movement and discerning every sound. I talk more about this in a previous post.

Cautious {and Selective}

Adding on to the previous segment, Thomas is very cautious {and selective} with the people he surrounds himself with. Strangers? Absolutely not - unless it's obligatory. His family? Yes. I think this traces back to his trauma and social anxiety; His speech impediment makes it excruciatingly difficult to socialize, further isolating himself and his family from 'evil outside' civilizations. Hoyt's consistent hatred for 'hippy' city-slingers and the family's already-biased ignorant and overly-traditional values make Thomas' social pool a drying puddle.

Judgmental, Envious, {and Violent}

To add onto Hoyt's hatred for city-slinging, draft-dodging, hippy protesters; This hate definitely rubs off on Thomas. He's judgmental - both for survival and out of envy. His momma's "Christian teachings" about how full of sin the world is surely don't help the judgment issues. It's a calamitous cycle which gets worse with each year they spend in solitude. Their fear of society - fear of judgment - keeps them hidden from the rest of the world: Abandoned by the government as they're forced to fend for themselves. Forced to lay low within the shadows so they can remain together, as opposed to rotting in separate jail cells. In a way, it's their own "solitary confinement." Solitary confinement can cause an increase in violence / violent tendencies - Which is no surprise in the case of the Hewitt family. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness,

"Those with mental illness are overrepresented in solitary confinement, despite the vulnerability and threats to the mental health of those incarcerated. Research shows that the effects of solitary confinement on mental health are often fatal, both during and after incarceration. Half of all suicides in prisons and jails occur in solitary confinement. A recent study shows the long-lasting effects; that any amount of time spent in solitary increases the risk of death in the first year after release. Individuals were overall 24% more likely to die in the first year after release, including from suicide (78% more likely) and homicide (54% more likely). They were also 127% more likely to die of an opioid overdose in the first two weeks after release."

How does this relate to judgment and envy? I'll tell you:

Thomas is so conspicuously envious - We can see it in every scene with Eric. When we beats the shit out of Eric whilst caressing his face in admiration - Only to calculatingly caress his own in desperation. The way he gasps once he sees Kemper's wedding ring {for Erin} - Only to follow it up with wearing his face to visit her?? His envy comes out as judgment; His anxiety comes out as judgment. His judgment comes out as violence. It's a continuous cycle which he's learned over time from multiple sources.

Creative, Appreciative, Resourceful

Do I even have to explain this one? Nah I'm kidding.

Thomas is a creative and skilled individual who knows taxidermy, sewing, patchwork, leather-working/smith, all that jazz. It's not only a form of catharsis, but a form of hiding himself from the world. He takes pieces of what he finds beautiful, stitches them together, and presents himself as that "collection" of beauty. It's his way to turning himself "beautiful." This leads me to believe he finds beauty in the smallest things. A decaying carcass? A new mask. Withered and rusting jewelry? A new accessory. Left-behind tools? His tools now. He takes care of the things he loves, and loves to take care of what's been forgotten. He's appreciative of small things; Especially considering the Hewitt family didn't {and still doesn't} have much but themselves and their old farm. He notices the small things. The usually insignificant, under-appreciated, forgotten things. Maybe it's out of necessity; Maybe it's because he feels he's one of those things - Just not one deserving of the same grace.

Reliant {and Independant}

Notice how the family always calls for Thomas? They call multiple times, sure, but that seems to be more out of annoyance than worry. They know Thomas will get the job done - He always does - and he does it damn well. He works hard; He was quite literally one of the slaughterhouse's hardest workers. He worked 'till he was forced out of there. Thomas is stubborn, sure, but it helps get his work done. And - it keeps him safe.

Besides meal-prep, housing, cleaning, and transport, Thomas is very independent. He can hunt forage his own food; Protect himself and others; Make his own clothes; Hell, he'd learn how to cook and clean if he needed to. He doesn't really need transport - at least not in his mind. He's content - He'll make do with what he has. It's like the quote from 'Pearl' "One day you will understand that getting what you have isn't what's important - Making the most of what you have is."

___

Apologies for this being relatively short compared to my other previous analyses; My brain's been kinda fogy recently but we're recovering!

Tommy my beloved socially awkward {autistic} Texan🫀

horror movie enjoyers will be having a terrible day and be like fuuuuuck i need to unwind….maybe nows the time to finally check out shit piss deathfest 2 . For a bit of lighthearted entertainment

why do i feel my brahms heelshire hyperfixation creeping back after 2 years…

TY FOR THE TAG THIS IS SO CUTE

Picrew

TOON ME! ⟪ A ⟫

➡️ 𝐀𝐋𝐓 𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐘 𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐖: https://picrew.me/image_maker/1944831 ➡️ 𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐖 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎: https://toon-me-picrew.carrd.co Please read the info page be

Maybe starting a tag chain thingy?? Idk make one of you want!

@ladybluebellz @demphen @haunted-house-md

In case no one reads the tags, the red hat is for Alabama not MAGA. Roll tide!

×VSC×

Ahhhhh hello!!

I was wondering if I could request something for Thomas Hewitt? (Gender neutral reader ofc)

Perhaps after years of being with his s/o they just kinda- run away together? They pack some stuff in the middle of the night and take a working car with gas before driving to a house far away that his s/o had prepared to call home with him?

Just getting him away from the bad life he was put into and allowing him to start a new one in a much nicer environment. (Not a city ofc because I myself despise cities and I bet he would too)

Ahhh sorry it's so long!! If it makes you uncomfortable or you don't feel motivated to write it just let me know!! I don't mind!!

×Vexelier×

Me & You

Thomas Hewitt x GN!Reader

— Summary: After the passing of Luda Mae, you finish what she had started and give you and Thomas both a new start.

— CW/TW: explicit language, fluff, maybe angst if you squint, major character death (Mama Luda), loss mentioned, confessions of love, giving this boy all the love I can, I think that's it

— Word Count: 3.2k ish

— A/N: So sorry this took so long! I was really struggling with how I wanted this to go and I hope this did your idea justice! It was so much fun oml. Also the first time I've really written for this big man so I hope I did him justice as well. Sorta proofread, all mistakes are mine. Enjoy and thank you sm for the request!

You find yourself wondering late nights just how you’d got to this point in life. The simple answer could be that death trap you called a car four years ago, considering it’s the reason you landed in the grasp of the Hewitt family. Maybe it was all the things that caused you to go looking for a new life. A part of you liked to entertain the idea of some twisted butterfly effect where one small interaction years and years ago landed you here. The other half of you that grew tired of making sense of life simply wanted to call it fate.

Regardless of whatever it was, an invisible force or happenstance, it had come to learn you are a determined little shit. Not for your sake, but for his.

Thomas Hewitt had been the reason you avoided that table in the basement, but not the cause. Luda Mae had always wanted a happy ending for her boy, something far from where they found themselves when you fell into their laps. Call it old intuition or simple desperation, but Luda saw you as her last hope for her boy. She announced you as off-limits, struck a deal that bargained your life, and called it a day. The others were never given any insight as to what she had said to you in the room that shortly became yours nor would you ever share.

Even four years later, as you stood over her freshly decorated grave. You clutched onto her note, the equivalent to her will, and pressed your knuckle to your quivering lip. She had held up her end of the deal in her final days, leaving all details in the crinkling letter addressed to you. That night you would bury the hatchet and hold up your own.

True to your word, as the majority of the house settled in for the night you went to check on your getaway car. You packed light, taking only what you and Thomas needed including a few keepsakes from Luda that Thomas would appreciate having. It was all shoved into an old SUV you and Luda had kept under the illusion of you learning how to fix up cars for Hoyt’s sake. You took the wad of cash you earned selling prescription pills you found on victims and tucked it in the center console. Luda hadn’t been entirely impressed with your methods but wasn’t ignorant to Hoyt scavenging your paycheck from work like a vulture. You dig the note out of your pocket and fold it to show the small letter she addressed to Tommy.

Closing the driver’s door silently, you leaned against it with a deep inhale. It was now or never. Quickly, you rush to the house before making your way leisurely to your shared bedroom, noting Hoyt’s unconscious form on the couch.

Thomas sat on the bed, his head in his hands and his hair still somewhat kempt from the ‘funeral’ earlier in the day. Immediately his head snapped up at the sound of you entering and a whine escaped his throat, reaching for you instinctively. His eyes were bloodshot and his face caked with dried and fresh tears. A pang of guilt shook your chest before settling in your stomach. He needed you now more than ever but you’d been busy finishing what Luda started.

“Oh, Tommy…” You quickly walked into his arms, curling your own around his head to cradle it against you as you stood between his legs. He continued to let out broken sobs and groans, muffled by your clothed torso. His hands found the small of your back and he gripped onto the fabric tight enough that you worried it’d tear.

You remained like that for a few minutes, shushing him and kissing the top of his head when a particularly harsh sound would rip from his throat.

As he began to calm down he started to lay back onto the bed, pulling you with him. Planting your feet on the floor and resisting his pull you’d so often fall right into made him pause, scared and sad eyes looking up at you through wet lashes. Slowly you kneeled and took one of his hands, kissing his knuckles, up his arm, his shoulder, leaving a few nibbles on his neck and jaw, before giving a chaste kiss to his lips. You had his full attention now, his cheeks flushed from what you could see around the mask.

Your voice was hardly a whisper, almost competing with the AC down the hall Hoyt had purchased with your paycheck. “Sweetheart, do you trust me? I mean wholeheartedly trust me.”

He blinked then nodded quickly, his hair bobbing along.

You leaned closer and looked him straight in the eye. “Do you know that I love you? More than anyone and anything in this world? That Luda Mae did too?”

His lips quiver and he nods again, more subtle this time.

Slowly you reached in your pocket and offered him the note. He looked down at it and gave you a confused look before recognizing the writing. He took it with shaking hands and read quietly.

Out of respect, you hadn’t read what was meant for Thomas. You just hoped whatever she put would be enough to convenience him to leave with you.

Thomas’ face went unchanging as his eyes scanned the page. Then without warning he stood and walked over to the nightstand, pulling it open and searching frantically. You rushed over to his side and placed a hand on his arm, soothing him. “Shh, you have to be quiet Tommy. Everything we need is already packed. All I need now is you, Thomas.”

He looked at you with surprise and shook the letter in his hand, his voice rumbling in his chest. “Mama said help ya leave.”

It took a moment for you to collect yourself after hearing him speak. Even after years, you had come to learn while being fully capable of speech, Thomas was much more comfortable communicating, frankly, in any other way. Which was sometimes not at all.

You nodded and turned him to look at you, taking his face in your hands and brushing stray hairs out of his eyes. “With you Tommy. You can read what she wrote me while I drive okay?” You kissed his masked chin and took his hands. “We worked really hard for this. To give me and you a fresh start. We can leave, go to a place I’ve already rented, make it a home, make a whole new family if you want. Me and you, Tommy.” You looked into his eyes, attempting to pour every ounce of love into him. “I could never leave you here and I won’t stand for you to be used and mistreated anymore. Luda didn’t want this for you and neither do I. You deserve to be happy, sweetheart.”

The look in his eye could only be described by poets; someone with a lexicon larger than your own and even then would they struggle to capture the utter adoration and love that shone in his eyes. All of it was overshadowed by the overwhelming hope and desire to have a life like that with you.

Thomas leaned down and kissed you fervently, his arms slipping around you to lift you off the floor a little.

You hummed into the kiss and curled your arms around his neck, scratching gently at his scalp. If time would have waited for you, you would have happily stayed like that for the rest of your life. However, with your newfound confidence and reassurance to take your lover somewhere safe, you were ready to spring into action.

Both of you snuck hurriedly out of the house, allowing Tommy to take a detour to Luda’s grave for one last goodbye before making your way to your escape.

You situated Thomas as comfortably as you could in the passenger seat, covering him in one of Luda’s quilts to prepare for a long ride then running over to the driver’s side to climb in. You leaned over and gave him one last kiss before turning on the engine and pulling out like a bat out of hell.

For the first hour of the drive, Thomas kept looking behind the car in fear of seeing that damned cruiser. Not that you blamed him, you would be too if you hadn’t known that every tire on the property had been slashed but half an hour before your departure. You wanted to reassure him but a part of you felt it was better left unsaid, instead, you settled on comforting him every so often.

“It’s okay. He’s not coming. I’m not going to let another soul ever lay a finger on you. No one else gets to treat you like that again, not gonna be used anymore.” You attempted to keep a gentleness to your voice but you both could hear the anger that threatened to boil over at the thought of the years you witnessed Hoyt twist Thomas’ loyalty for his own benefit.

It distracted him momentarily, looking at you in awe and amusement. You were capable, that much had been proven during your stay in the Hewitt residence. Regardless, it gave Thomas an unfamiliar warm feeling when you’d stick up for him; someone left to fend for himself and used as a weapon by others. It was a feeling he’d decided that he wouldn’t mind experiencing more often.

Around the second hour, he began to doze. He took his mask off after a little encouragement to settle in for a nap. You reached over with your left hand to trace lazy shapes onto his scarred arm as he fought sleep to continue gazing at you lovingly.

You avoided taking your eyes off the road but stole quick glances at Thomas every once in a while.

“Tommy?”

He grabbed your hand and gave it a small squeeze, his way of responding.

“Get some sleep, sweetheart. Your eyes look like they’re a second away from rolling into the back of your head. I promise, no one’s gonna get us. No more killing or yelling or hurt, Tommy. I just said so, didn’t I? I’m gonna take care of you. Give you the life me and Luda worked so hard for.”

You slowly moved your hand to cup his face, almost getting whiplash from jerking your head toward his direction when you felt tears in your palm. “Tommy? Tommy, baby what’s wrong?”

You slowed the car, taking a quick glance to ensure the road was still empty for miles to come. He shook his head and made a noise of distress. You frowned and pulled off to the side of the road before throwing the car in park and leaning over the center console, wrapping as much of your upper half around Thomas as possible.

You kept your ear close to his face to listen, coaxing him to speak if even a little.

“Talk to me, Thomas, yeah? You don’t gotta say much, just tell me what’s got you upset.” You scrambled for a notepad and pen in the glovebox before he grabbed your hand to stop you, nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck.

You heard him let out a quiet rumble, his words slurred. “‘M happy.”

Smiling big and pressing gentle kisses against his temple you whisper. “I am too. I’m happy with you.” You pulled away enough to look into his eyes, not missing the way he ducks his head in an attempt to hide his marred face. Chuckling softly you kissed his forehead and spoke softly. “I’ll let you get away with hiding that handsome face from me this time, okay? Get some sleep, we’ll be there in a little over an hour.”

Reluctantly, he let go of you and settled back into the seat that didn’t quite fit all of him. You pulled the quilt over him a little and smiled at the faint blush over his cheeks and the tips of his ears.

At the four-hour mark, you pulled into the driveway of a small two-bedroom house some lawyer had been dying to rent out. The place had character, certainly in need of a little love, but miles better than where you’d come from. It wasn’t entirely secluded either, unfortunately, but it had enough space to give you breathing room between your neighbors down the road. The big selling point was that it was partially furnished. Sure, you had managed to pay a couple of months in advance with rent and had enough to cover bills and groceries for one, but that didn’t mean you were well of enough to furnish the place.

With a content sigh, you exited the car, leaving the door open as to not startle Thomas, and began unloading as much as you could into the house without waking him.

He was a heavy sleeper, something you contributed to him never quite getting the rest he needed. You stifled your giggles at the roaring snores as you walked between the house and the car. It didn’t matter if you struggled with any of the boxes, you’d rather kick the bucket than disturb him out of any semblance of peace for the first time since you left.

So with the last of your few belongings piled in the living room, you made your way over to the passenger seat, opening it slowly as to not have him tumbling out.

You shook him gently, bringing one of your hands to brush his hair out of his face as he began to stir. “Tommy? Wake up, sweetheart. We’re here.”

His eyes fluttered open before he sat up a little quickly, reality crashing back down on him. He made a small grunt in panic before quickly easing again into your touch, although you could still tell how tense he was.

You had well over two years to prepare for this, poor Tommy would need time to adjust.

“Hey, I gotcha.” You smiled and gave him a tug which caused him to huff and give you a small mischievous smile. Rolling your eyes and dramatically groaning as you pretended to pull him out of the seat, you whined a little, “Argh— C’mon you gotta help me out a little!” Thomas let out a rumble, the closest thing to a chuckle he seemed to manage at the moment, and ducked as he exited the car. You grabbed his mask off the dash and offered it to him which he gratefully accepted.

It was endearing to see the way he clutched onto his mother’s quilt as he shuffled up to the house. You walked next to him after shutting the doors and trunk, keeping a hand on his back afterward as he surveyed the surroundings. It wasn’t hard to see the nervousness on his face when he caught sight of the houses that peeked through the trees. He looked to you for some sort of reassurance which you happily gave in the form of a gentle kiss to his shoulder and a small pat on his back.

“It’s okay. They’re all far away enough and I don’t think anyone is gonna bother us much.”

He turned to look at the car, then to the house, then back at you.

You shook your head. “I already moved everything. Didn’t wanna wake you.”

Thomas frowned a little and hummed in displeasure.

“Yeah yeah, you can scold me later, okay? ‘M tired and I’m willing to bet you are too. Let’s go look inside.”

He couldn’t disagree there, yawning a little as if to confirm your suspicions.

The hour or so spent getting settled was, well, odd. You were already well acclimated to your new home but Tommy seemed to be still accepting everything. While anyone could say you had become legendary at reading the man, you couldn’t begin to follow his train of thought right then. He’d gone from losing his mother to moving four hours across the state, more than he’d ever thought possible in this lifetime.

So you started small. Convincing him to leave the majority of unpacking for the morning and deciding to start job hunting in a couple of days as to not leave him alone first thing tomorrow morning.

You pulled out some lunch meat of the non-human variety you had stored in a cooler Hoyt had pulled out of some victim’s van, among other small condiments to make you both some sandwiches while Thomas went to enjoy a bath.

After making a small grocery list to attend to tomorrow, you left ‘dinner’, truthfully closer to breakfast at this hour, on small plates and went to join him. You both sorta fit in the small tub but neither of you minded the squeeze. Washing him off best you could while making a mental note to add extra-large towels to the list in hope of finding a cloth big enough to wrap around your lover comfortably.

Long after the water had run cold and you felt content with the number of kisses you showered him in, you both dried off and got dressed for bed. You ate in silence, for the most part, not wanting to unload all your plans for the upcoming days on him as his eyes drooped with every other bite. He was reclined a little too happily on the old couch with you situated in his lap. His free hand rubbed circles on your hip as you attempted to finish your own food before you passed out on him.

“Ready for bed there, sleepyhead?”

He nodded and smiled lazily with his cheeks full and a few breadcrumbs on his mouth.

You stood and waited for him to get to his feet before taking his hand and leading him to the bedroom, shutting the door before climbing onto the bed with him.

Immediately, he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you flush against him.

You allowed your body to move however he wished, curling yourself around his large frame as much as possible. It wasn’t uncommon for you to cradle him to the best of your ability at night. Normally, however, he felt the need to shield you from whatever nightmares he worried could steal you from him in his sleep.

Tonight was different though. Tonight Thomas needed to feel safe, to feel comforted and cared for and loved. He needed to know he wasn’t alone in these new surroundings.

So that’s what you did. You snaked your arms loosely around his neck as he pulled you higher to be slightly situated above him. He looked up to you, the moonlight from outside just barely catching the tears in his eyes, but before you could say anything he spoke quietly.

“I love you.”

Your lip trembled as you took in his confession. One you had only heard a handful of times. You kissed him softly, your lips moving together slowly and tiredly for a while. Despite wanting nothing more than to never have your lips leave his, you pulled back to whisper, needing him to hear you before sleep took you both.

“I love you too, Thomas.”

breaking down the texas chainsaw massacre: the beginning (2006) opening credits

as i promised, here's a post going through tcm 2006's beginning credits frame-by-frame. buckle up, this is pretty damn long.

[3:59] first shot is one of thomas’ baby photos, it’s in black-and-white and very blurry and there’s no date provided, but it looks like he has a unilateral cleft lip on the left side of his mouth (his left, our right).

remember to take this with a grain of salt due to the fact that the fucked-up cgi baby that luda mae picks up out of the dumpster doesn’t seem to have a cleft lip, and his face reveal in the 2003 movie seems to be lacking one too. so this is something that you can choose to include or exclude from your writing imo.

there seems to be a dark line going down from the left corner of his mouth and down his face??? but it could be something superficial on the photo itself.

[4:01] the same photo of thomas shown previously. here the cleft lip is shown in much better detail, and as you can see, it doesn’t extend up to his nostril. this implies that his particular birth defect isn’t all that extreme, which is why i headcanon him to have a unilateral incomplete cleft lip.

looks like he has his “skin disease” by this point, judging by the markings around his mouth. he looks to be merely an infant in this photo, maybe less than one year old.

that mysterious dark scar (?) remains.

[4:05] thomas’ first medical files are shown, unknown date. the text is partially cut off, but i can make out “deteriorating flesh” and “disfigurement” written with circles drawn around the lower left half of his face.

“disfigurement” can be referring to both his cleft lip and whatever birth defect his affecting his lower left jaw.

[4:09] a picture of an older thomas, i’d say between the ages of 3–5. his face is being covered completely by someone else. i’d argue that those are “man hands”, but honestly, it could go either way. i doubt it’s luda mae, due to her fondness towards thomas, but i do believe it’s a hewitt. this would imply that at least one hewitt was ashamed of thomas in his younger years, and didn’t want him to be visible in pictures.

[4:13] more medical files. roughly reads “patient: thomas hewitt, age: 3, [date of] examination: 7/20/??”

if thomas is three years old, it can be assumed that the year is 1942.

[4:15] another picture of thomas, but this time he’s hiding his face on his own. age is harder to discern here, but he’s definitely under 8–10 years old. he’s already learned to be ashamed of his face.

“age: 6” flashes on screen at [4:19], which can imply that thomas was six years old at the time that the previous photo was taken.

[4:20] first live action shot. thomas is touching his face, which looks to have an open, bleeding wound. initially, this shot looked like some sort of scrape or even bite to me (with the torn skin and all), but it may be psoriasis that’s been scratched at, causing the wounds to reopen over and over and become more severe. this would be the beginning of thomas’ self-harming behavior.

[4:24] yet another photo of thomas, older and with his face uncovered. cleft lip doesn’t look present but as i stated, the filmmakers seem to forget about that fact every now and again. he does, however, seem to have scarring on his left cheek from his skin condition. he’s looking away from the camera.

[4:26] more medical files. from what i can make out, they say “… boy suffers from a degenerative facial disease. … birth defect”

[4:29] shot of thomas picking up some sort of blade with the words “tedency towards self-mutilation” popping up on screen. this seems pretty self-explanatory.

[4:37] longer shot of thomas raising the blade to his face and slicing into the flesh of his cheek.

from [4:41] to [4:51], you can see thomas’ face being wrapped up in some sort of guaze/bandage. due to the bandages covering nearly his entire head, i believe that his wounds were far more extreme than the footage actually shows.

during this time, you can here a voice (presumably charlie’s, though r lee ermy also played what we can assume to be luda mae’s husband in the very beginning of the film) telling thomas “don’t worry about it, tommy. you don’t have to look pretty to work down at the slaughterhouse.” this tells me a couple of things: 1.) if this is charlie, this is the first instance of him comforting thomas, which he continues to do throughout the film (while still manipulating him). this shows that charlie, from at least this point on, is a kind older brother figure to thomas. 2.) it’s already being ingrained in thomas that he isn’t pretty, even if that fact is being delivered through reassurance. 3.) he’s already being set up to work at the slaughterhouse, somewhat implying that he drops out of school to start working. with the hewitts’ poverty, i wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case.

[4:58] shot of an empty road. “age 9” is overlayed on top of this image, implying that thomas was no older than nine years old when he injured himself and presumably got drawn out of school.

[5:00] very very quick snapshot of a dog (?) carcass, looks like roadkill. thomas is then shown to take interest in the corpse, dragging it away by its tail.

from [5:07] to [5:26], you can see thomas going through the process of creating his first leather mask out of that roadkill. he moves with intention, he doesn’t seem to be skittish or queasy when it comes to corpses and death. there’s a shot of his reflection at [5:20], with only his nose and eyes being visible. they look pretty normal, and you can see that he’s out of his bandages by this point.

[5:28] “12 yrs. old” flashes on screen, again implying that thomas was no older than twelve when he began wearing masks to cover his face.

the frames between [5:31] and [5:37] are hard for me to fully make out, but there looks to be a blade, some sort of flesh, and machinery.

i believe he’s already started working at the slaughterhouse by this point, as at [5:38], you can see thomas trace his fingers over the still blade of a chainsaw—something he later steals from his job in 1969.

his fingers look like they belong to his older self, but i can’t tell exactly when this takes place.

[5:43] thomas takes his apron off of a rack in what i can assume is the slaughterhouse. he’s in his older teens or beyond at this point, i think—his forearms are thick and hairy here, so it’s clear he’s aged significantly.

[5:47] newspaper dated friday, june 9, 1967 flashes on screen, followed by an outside shot of the lee bros meat plant. thomas would be 28 by this point in time.

the meat plant processes not only cows but poultry as well, and was established in 1929.

[5:50] friday, june 9, 1969. exactly two years after the last shot (though in reality, june 9th was a monday that year, but it’s a simple error). here’s what i can read:

MEAT PLANT CONDEMNED, HUNDREDS LEFT JOBLESS

lee bros. meats, fixture (?) of fuller for forty years

unemployment rate near 76% according to mayor clayton

devastating three-year drought has far reaching consequences. some proclaim “second dust bowl”

CLOSED FOR GOOD lee brothers processing plant was … by … on wednesday and forced to suspend all activity on thursday. drought related illness in cattle is sited as the cause of stomach ailments throughout west texas

note: travis county is closer to central-east texas than west texas, so that’s another inconsistency… at this point i don’t know where exactly fuller is.

from what i can understand, a drought had been affecting fuller since 1966. this drought brought sickness to the cattle and other livestock, likely due to undernourishment. this meant less business for the slaughterhouse, which meant less work for the people who worked there, which meant mass unemployment. by the time we reach 1969, there’s over 75% unemployment in fuller and the meat plant finally shuts down.

the article also mentions the meat plant being condemned, which implies that there were underlying safety issues within the building that contributed to its closure.

a dead cow flashes on screen shortly after the shot of the newspaper.

[5:54] okay, this is where the timeline starts jumping around and i don’t like it. according to the friday, march 9, 1968 article of “the fuller bee”, the meat plant is condemned and the town has offically DIED in big, capital letters. this doesn’t make sense, given the article shown literally seconds before and the fact that the audience knows thomas is dismissed from his job in 1969, so i’m choosing to believe this is merely a mistake.

[5:57] newspaper with no date provided, with the headline “DRAFT MORE TROOPS”, likely in reference to the war in vietnam.

shortly after, another headline flashes on screen: “REINSTATED FOR VIETNAM CONFLICT”. this article is dated saturday, december 1, 1969. this is a historical error, as i can’t find anything about the draft being reinstated in 1969. according to wikipedia, the deferment of married men ended suddenly on august 26th, 1965, but that’s the only big change to the draft that i know of around that time. also, if the article was accurate, then it would be reciting events after the film, which takes place in july 1969. you can see why this doesn’t make sense.

from [5:58] to [6:33], thomas can be seen slamming his fist against his baby photos before going on to burn them, with his diagnosis of mental deterioration flashing on screen. i believe this implies that he volunteered for the army, which i already wrote a whole post about here.

these shots are also spliced with scenes of thomas making what i assume to be a new mask. it’s very obviously raw flesh, which by now i know that’s not how leather is Made, but he’s a little freak so what can you expect. maybe this is meant to show thomas leaning in to his shame after being rejected from the army.

this is the longest “scene” by far, showing how the writers really wanted us to know just how much thomas hates himself.

and that’s the end of the opening credits, cutting to july, 1969.

OKAY SO, what have we learned??? here’s a rudimentary tl;dr—

thomas is born 1939 with a cleft lip and possibly an additional birthmark/defect. his “skin disease” looks to be present at birth/in his infancy.

he is diagnosed with “deteriorating flesh” and “disfigurement” by the time he is three years old.

by the age of six, thomas begins showing signs of self-consciousness and low self-esteem.

by the age of nine, thomas has begun engaging in self harm and cuts into his face with a blade, leading to him presumably dropping out of school to work at lee bros. meat processing plant.

by the age of twelve, thomas has begun to use the flesh of roadkill to craft leather masks for himself. i believe he’s also confirmed to be working at the slaughterhouse by this point in time.

a drought hits fuller in 1966 and lasts for at least three years. this drought causes the livestock to become ill, which leads to the closure of the slaughterhouse in 1969. other safety concerns also factor into this closure.

sometime between 1965–1969, thomas volunteers to fight in vietnam but is denied due to his “mental deterioration”. he burns his baby pictures in response.

as we all know, thomas is formally fired in july of 1969. he looks to be the last one left at the slaughterhouse, clinging to the job he’s had for almost twenty years.

i literally went through this fucking film frame-by-frame for this info. i hope this helps at least one of you in your writing!