Director Tobe Hooper has passed away at 74.
Mostly known for his 1974 horror-film classic THE TEXAS
CHAINSAW MASSACRE, William Tobe Hooper was born in Austin, Texas and gained an
interest in filmmaking while using his father’s 8mm camera, and would take
classes in radio, film, and television at the University of Texas Austin.
After spending time as a college professor and documentary
cameraman in the 1960’s, he would enter the film world in 1969 with his first
feature, EGGSHELLS, followed closely by THE SONG IS LOVE the same year. But it
was in 1974 when he would make his biggest hit while changing the horror genre
forever with THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. Loosely based on the actions of
real-life serial killer Ed Gein, who killed and sewed clothing out of his
victim’s skin, the film and its main villain, the horrific Leatherface, would
set the template for modern horror that is still followed today. Hooper would
revisit the material with a sequel in 1986.
In 1982 he would make another memorable entry into the
horror genre when he collaborated with Steven Spielberg to create the haunted
house thriller POLTERGEIST. By tapping into a basic family dynamic, the film
brought the terror into people’s living rooms, and just as Spielberg’s JAWS had
scared people of the water, POLTERGEIST generated a primal fear of leaving
televisions on at night.
His other notable films would include LIFEFORCE (1985),
INVADERS FROM MARS (1986), NIGHT TERRORS (1993), and THE MANGIER (1995). For
television he would adapt the well-regarded Stephen King novel SALEMS LOT in
1979, and would direct episodes in AMAZING STORIES, THE EQUALIZER, FREDDY’S
NIGHTMARES, TALES FROM THE CRYPT, DARK SKIES, and TAKEN.
*
As a wee-lad in the 1980’s, this Blogger’s introduction to
Tobe Hooper would come via a new cable outlet called HBO, which would run
POLTERGEIST several times a week. Despite being a scary movie, it somehow
became a family favorite; striking that perfect balance of staying real-world
while supernatural stuff was going on. Years later, when this Blogger would
eventually come around to THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, it was clear just how
influential the film was in modern horror. It was real-world stuff with
everyday people, and from Ridley Scott to Rob Zombie, the basic plotting
clearly inspired the genre well into the 2000’s. Tobe Hooper
may never have won an Oscar, and his name may not be recalled among the
directing heavyweights in history, but his contribution to the genre that he
loved can never be measured.
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