Hartman connects the town’s present power structure to the violence directed at the Sawyer family. The character is central to the film’s complications of victimhood, revenge, and civic authority.
Continuity matters
A direct continuation of the 1974 premise that sets aside the earlier sequel chain. Leatherface (2017) supplies a prequel within this Sawyer-oriented branch. The film’s age and date implications are not fully tidy.