TOBE HOOPER
Born January 25, 1943 in Austin, TX
At nine years old, Tobe Hooper discovered his father Norman's 8mm camera and began making his own movies. His father Norman owned a theatre in San Angelo. Hooper studied drama in Dallas and took radio, television and film classes at the University of Texas in Austin before becoming a college professor and documentary cameraman in the 1960s. His short film The Heisters (1965) and Eggshells (1969) both received critical recognition. He gained more exposure as a documentary filmmaker for directing a documentary for PBS on the folk trio Peter, Paul & Mary in 1968. After shooting over sixty documentaries, short films and commercials, his controversial feature length horror film Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) grossed $30 M domestically. The hulking killer devoid of emotion and his use of power tools were some of the elements from the film that went on to become common tropes in the slasher genre. Although the film was advertised as being based on a true story it is entirely fictional and is loosely inspired by the real-life killings of Ed Gein, a cannibalistic serial killer from the 1950s who also inspired Psycho (1960) and Silence of the Lambs (1991). Despite The Texas Chain Saw Massacre's success, Hooper soon after entered a period of professional frustration. His luck began to change when he took on the TV miniseries Salem's Lot (CBS, 1979) based on Stephen King's modern day vampire story. In 1982 Hooper was approached by Stephen Spielberg to direct Poltergeist, the definitive ghost story blockbuster of the 80s. Unfortunately, instead of catapulting Hooper to fame, questions arose as to whether or not Hooper was Poltergeist's true director as many cast and crew members were claiming that Spielberg was the true creative force behind the movie, making Hooper a mere figurehead so that Spielberg could fulfill his contractual obligations to his other blockbuster, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). After several failures and frustrations with film, Hooper returned to television where he found creative solace in the 1990s before producing the remake, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Beginning in 2006.
At nine years old, Tobe Hooper discovered his father Norman's 8mm camera and began making his own movies. His father Norman owned a theatre in San Angelo. Hooper studied drama in Dallas and took radio, television and film classes at the University of Texas in Austin before becoming a college professor and documentary cameraman in the 1960s. His short film The Heisters (1965) and Eggshells (1969) both received critical recognition. He gained more exposure as a documentary filmmaker for directing a documentary for PBS on the folk trio Peter, Paul & Mary in 1968. After shooting over sixty documentaries, short films and commercials, his controversial feature length horror film Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) grossed $30 M domestically. The hulking killer devoid of emotion and his use of power tools were some of the elements from the film that went on to become common tropes in the slasher genre. Although the film was advertised as being based on a true story it is entirely fictional and is loosely inspired by the real-life killings of Ed Gein, a cannibalistic serial killer from the 1950s who also inspired Psycho (1960) and Silence of the Lambs (1991). Despite The Texas Chain Saw Massacre's success, Hooper soon after entered a period of professional frustration. His luck began to change when he took on the TV miniseries Salem's Lot (CBS, 1979) based on Stephen King's modern day vampire story. In 1982 Hooper was approached by Stephen Spielberg to direct Poltergeist, the definitive ghost story blockbuster of the 80s. Unfortunately, instead of catapulting Hooper to fame, questions arose as to whether or not Hooper was Poltergeist's true director as many cast and crew members were claiming that Spielberg was the true creative force behind the movie, making Hooper a mere figurehead so that Spielberg could fulfill his contractual obligations to his other blockbuster, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). After several failures and frustrations with film, Hooper returned to television where he found creative solace in the 1990s before producing the remake, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Beginning in 2006.
INTERVIEWS, ARTICLES & BOOKS
- Nuclear Salad: Interview with the Director of Texas Chain Saw Massacre - Tobe Hooper January 4, 2013
- The A.V. Club: Interview: Tobe Hooper October 11, 2000
- Bowen, John W. "The Return of the Power Tool Killer". Rue Morgue. 42, November 2004: 16-22.