Best known for directing absolute belters like Poltergeist and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Tobe Hooper has been scaring the bejesus out of film goers for almost half a century. Joining George A. Romero in the ranks of iconic horror directors that have died this year, it has been reported that Hooper passed away this Saturday in Sherman Oaks, California at the age of 74 years old. The circumstances surrounding his death have yet to be confirmed.
A man with an undeniable legacy whose influence can still be felt throughout the industry today, Hooper’s final film, 2013’s Djinn, was actually set in the United Arab Emirates and was the region’s very first horror film.
The creator of leatherface and numerous children’s nightmares was also one of the original innovators of the low-budget horror – The Texas Chainsaw Massacre making over a Dhs100 million profit from a modest Dhs1 million budget. Although many argue that Hooper’s career peaked with this unrivalled debut, even the 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is redeemable for the fact it gave us Jessica Biel in a crop top.
It might be difficult to usually make a horror fan elicit any sort of emotion, but we’re certain that anyone with even a basic affinity to the horror film industry will be mourning Hooper’s death.
