Legendary horror director Tobe Hooper passed away on Saturday. Hooper helmed classics such as ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ and ‘Poltergeist,’ becoming an icon of the horror genre.
Hooper died of natural causes and is survived by his two sons. Fellow horror directors and fans took to social media to honor the late director.
Another gone legend
Tobe Hooper, the horror director that helmed ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ died Saturday, in Sherman Oaks, California. He was 74. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office said it was reported as a natural death.
Willard Tobe Hooper was born in Austin, Texas and taught college before starting out in documentaries, and eventually jumping into horror movies to change the genre for good.
The 1974 “Texas Chain Saw Massacre” became one of the most influential horror films of all time for its realistic approach and deranged vision.
Shot for less than $300,000, it tells the story of a group of unfortunate friends who encounter a group of cannibals on their way to visit an old homestead.
Though it was banned in several countries for violence, it was one of the most profitable independent films of the 1970s in the U.S. The character of Leatherface was loosely based on serial killer Ed Gein.
“I don’t think I set out to change the genre consciously, I simply made a film that I wanted to see,” he said in a 1988 interview.
Hooper’s cinematic carreer
Hooper also directed the 1986 sequel ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2,’ which took a more comedic approach, as part of his Cannon Films deal.
The 1982 ‘Poltergeist,’ written and produced by Steven Spielberg, also became a classic of the genre. The story of a family coping with a house haunted by unruly ghosts starred JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson. The film was a box office success for MGM and became the eighth-highest grossing film of the year.
After ‘Poltergeist,’ Hooper directed two movies for Cannon Films, ‘Lifeforce’ and ‘Invaders from Mars,’ a remake of the 1953 alien movie. He then worked on TV, in a CBS adaptation of Stephen King‘s novel ‘Salem’s Lot,’ which is considered by many a high-water mark in televisual horror.
He continued working in television and film throughout the 1990s and 2000s, but none of the films had the impact of his early works. His last film, the 2013 ‘Djinn,’ was set in the United Arab Emirates and produced by Image Nation.
Among his other works was the music video for Billy Idol’s ‘Dancing With Myself.’ In 2011 he co-authored a post-modern horror novel titled “Midnight Movie” in which he himself appeared as the main character.
Filmmakers and other celebrities were quick to pay tribute to the late director on social media. Including Hooper’s fellow horror helmers including William Friedkin, James Wan, Scott Derrickson, John Carpenter and Edgar Wright.
Source: NPR