Tobe Hooper -- RIP

[great_chandel]

I loved the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Poltergeist." However, his direction on the original "Salem's Lot" was absolutely phenomenal! His body of work speaks for itself........'nuff said!

[emeraldknight47]

2017 claims yet another victim in the entertainment world. Man, this is sucky news. RIP, sir, swift journeys to the hereafter and condolences to your family, friends and fans...

[Hedji]

This is particularly saddening to me. I'm a huge fan.

Last night, my daughter returned from seeing Annabelle. She asked me what the movies that terrified me as a kid were. Without hesitation, I named Salem's Lot and Poltergeist. Then I woke up this morning to hear of Tobe's passing.

After Wes Craven last year, and George A. Romero a month ago, this just blows to loose another 80s Master of Horror. Thank goodness I bought my tickets to see John Carpenter live in concert, because he's really the last of that top tier of horror directors of the 1980s.

Tobe Hooper notoriously had a really nasty cocaine habit in the 80s, which is partially why I think Spielberg had to step in so much on Poltergeist. After that he was known to consume something like 20 cans of Dr. Pepper a day on the set of Lifeforce. I'm sure it didn't do any favors for his longevity.

As for the Spielberg/Hooper Poltergeist controversy, I can't ignore the facts and testimonials of people who were on set that said that Spielberg was much more of a producer. And yet, watching Hooper's works like Invaders From Mars and Funhouse, you can definitely feel textures and character interactions that are very reminiscent of Poltergeist. Despite what others may say, Poltergeist still bears a lot of Hooper's fingerprints and style, even if he wasn't squarely 100% in the Director's chair.

If you'd like to explore Tobe Hooper's work further than Texas Chainsaw or Lifeforce, I'll recommend a very fun, but lesser seen work of his... The Funhouse. Check out the Scream Factory blu ray. It's a real hoot.

Another sad loss. Rest in Peace.

[hedrap]

IIRC, he hasn't been in good health for sometime. Man...I think it was Gunnar who told me that, so that's probably five years now.

Carpenter and Cronenberg are it. Crazy to think John made it this long.

[Bruce Banner]

Sad news. I was watching Lifeforce on Blu-ray only the other day.
R.I.P.