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Tobe Hooper
Honored with many awards for his films and achievement in the horror genre, Tobe Hooper is truly a "Master of Horror." Before becoming a filmmaker, Tobe Hooper, a native of Austin, Texas spent the 60s as a college teacher and documentary cameraman. He organized a small cast of college teachers and students and made "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974.) This film changed the horror film industry and became an instant classic. Even today remains on every list of top horror films of all time. Hooper based it upon the real life killings of Ed Gein, a cannibalistic killer responsible for the grisly murders of several people in the 1950s. Hooper's success with "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" landed him in Hollywood. Rex Reed said, "It's the scariest film I have ever seen." Leonard Maltin writes, "While not nearly as gory as its title suggests Massacre is a genuinely terrifying film made even more unsettling by its twisted, but undeniably hilarious black comedy." It is in the Permanent Collection of the Museum of Modern Art, and was officially selected at the Cannes Film Festival of 1975 for Directors Fortnight.
Hooper rejoined the cast of "Chainsaw" for "Eaten Alive" (1976) starring Mel Ferrer, William Finley and Marilyn Burns. The film received the first Saturn Award. Also in the film was Robert Englund in his first film role. Hooper's success continued with Stephen King's 1979 mini series "Salem's Lot." In 1981, Hooper directed "The Fun House" for Universal Pictures. Then in 1982 Steven Spielberg enlisted him to direct the successful haunted-house shocker, "Poltergeist" for MGM. During the mid '80s Hooper directed several films and television projects, including "Lifeforce" (1985) with Patrick Stewart for Tri-Star, "Amazing Stories," "The Equalizer," "Invaders from Mars," "Freddy's Nightmares," "Tales from the Crypt," with Whoopie Goldberg and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2" with Dennis Hopper. In the '90s he continued doing both film and television; "I'm Dangerous Tonight," "Nowhere Man," "Dark Skies," "Perversions of Science" with Jamie Kennedy and Jason Lee, "The Apartment Complex" with Amanda Plummer for Showtime, Night Terrors" (1993) and "The Mangler" for New Line (1995.) In the new century, Tobe's career continued to grow stronger with "Night Visions," "The Shadow Realm," and the pilot episode for Steven Spielberg's award winning miniseries "Taken." Last year, 2004, Tobe had the successful remake of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" for New Line in theaters.
This year, 2005, Hooper has started own low budget horror franchise, TH Nightmare; has "Toolbox Murders" with Angela Bettis in release through Lion's Gate; is in post production on "Mortuary;" pre-production on "Zombies;" and will produce and direct "Ghosts," a miniseries for A&E.
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