Tobe Hooper: The Man Who Directed 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' Dies At 74
Tobe Hooper, the director who was successful in creating scariest nightmares to the moviegoers through “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)” and its sequel “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986),” dies at the age of seventy-four in Sherman Oaks, Calif.
According to Los Angeles County coroner's office, Hooper died in the Sherman Oaks area of Los Angeles on Saturday. His death was reported to be natural.
The American horror film "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," which tells the story of a group of unfortunate friends who fall victim to a family of cannibals on their way to visit an old homestead, was made in a low-budget of less than $300,000.
The film was very controversial because of its humor-sprinkled horror and brutally frightful vision. Though this independent film was banned in several countries, it became one the most influential and successful films in horror genre.
Caption: Tobe Hopper’s 1974 horror film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s original trailer.
Hopper was also known for directing 1982's supernatural horror film Poltergeist, which was written and produced by Steven Spielberg.
Tobe Hopper, who was best known for his work in the horror film genre, has directed two movies for Cannon Films, Invaders from Mars (1986)and Lifeforce (1985). Likewise, he was known for working on Masters of Horror (2005–2006), Mortuary (2006), and Djinn (2013).
Hopper was born on January 25, 1943, as Willard Tobe Hooper. Born in Austin, Texas, as the son of Norman William Ray Hooper and Lois Belle, Hopper discovered his interest in filmmaking at the age of nine, after he used his father, who owned a theater in San Angelo's 8 mm camera.
To fulfill the dream to become a filmmaker, Hooper joined the University of Texas at Austin, where he took Radio-Television-Film classes. Likewise, he studied drama in Dallas under Baruch Lumet.
Hooper spent the 1960s as a college professor before starting out in documentaries. He also used to be a documentary cameraman.
Hooper was married twice. First, he was married to Carin Berger in the year 1983. He ended his seven years of marriage with Berger in 1990.
Hopper was then bound in a marital relationship with his second wife, Rita Bartlett for two years (from 2008-2010). He is now survived by two sons, William Hooper and Tony Hooper.
We convey our sincere condolences to the grieving family!
