Some sad news this morning, as it has been announced that American filmmaker Tobe Hooper has passed away aged 74. A cause of death is yet to be revealed.
Beginning his career as a documentary cameraman in the 1960s, Hooper’s breakthrough came in 1974 with the release of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, a horror classic which has been described as “one of the most influential films ever made.”
In the following years, Hooper would go on to direct the likes of Eaten Alive and The Funhouse (both deemed to be “video nasties” in the UK), along with the acclaimed Stephen King TV adaptation Salem’s Lot and another horror classic in 1982’s Poltergeist.
In addition to the Cannon releases Lifeforce, Invaders from Mars and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, his later work included the likes of Night Terrors, The Mangler and the Toolbox Murders, along with episodes of TV shows such as Amazing Stories, Freddy’s Nightmares, Tales from the Crypt, Night Visions and Masters of Horror.