Tobe Hooper, `Texas Chain Saw Massacre' and `Poltergeist' Director, Dies at 74   
       
   Deputy Editor   
   Pat Saperstein   
   Deputy Editor @Variety_PatS   
       
   August 26, 2017 | 11:35PM PT   
       
   Tobe Hooper, the horror director best known for helming "The Texas Chain Saw   
   Massacre" and "Poltergeist," died Saturday in Sherman Oaks, Calif., according   
   to the Los Angeles County Coroner. He was 74. The circumstances of his death   
   were not known.   
       
   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.   
       
   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.   
       
   His 1979 CBS miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's bestselling novel   
   "Salem's Lot" is considered by many fans to be a high-water mark in televisual   
   horror. Combining the intrigue of a nighttime soap opera with the gothic   
   atmosphere of a classic horror film, the two-part program was eventually   
   reedited and released theatrically throughout Europe.   
       
   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. His other more recent works included "Toolbox Murders," "Mortuary" and   
   two episodes of "Masters of Horror."   
       
   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.   
       
   Willard Tobe Hooper was born in Austin, Texas and taught college before   
   starting out in documentaries.   
       
   He is survived by two sons.   
       
       
   Regards,   
       
   Roger   
      
   --- PQUSA   
    * Origin: NCS BBS -Houma, LoUiSiAna (1:3828/7)