Citizendia

Tobe Hooper

Tobe Hooper
Birth nameWillard Tobe Hooper
BornJanuary 25, 1943 (1943-01-25) (age 65)
Austin, Texas
NationalityAmerican
Notable worksThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Salem's Lot
Poltergeist

Tobe Hooper (born January 25, 1943) is an American director and screenwriter, best known for his work in the horror film genre, including Salem's Lot, Poltergeist and the cult classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). Events 41 - After a night of negotiation Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American independent Salem's Lot is a 1979 horror Television mini-series directed by Tobe Hooper, from the Paul Monash Teleplay, and starred former Poltergeist is the first and most successful Poltergeist Film, released on June 4, 1982 and nominated for three Events 41 - After a night of negotiation Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Screenwriters or scenarists are Scriptwriters who write the Screenplays from which Films and Television programs are made Horror films are Movies that strive to elicit Fear, Horror and terror responses from viewers Salem's Lot is a 1979 horror Television mini-series directed by Tobe Hooper, from the Paul Monash Teleplay, and starred former Poltergeist is the first and most successful Poltergeist Film, released on June 4, 1982 and nominated for three The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American independent

Contents

Biography

Early life and work

Hooper was born Willard Tobe Hooper in Austin, Texas, the son of Lois Belle (née Crosby) and Norman William Ray Hooper. [1] He first used his father's 8 mm camera at age 9. Hooper spent the 1960s as a college professor and documentary cameraman. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 College ( Latin collegium) is a term most often used today to denote an Educational Institution. The meaning of the word professor ( Latin: professor, person who professes to be an expert in some art or science teacher of highest rank) varies Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt in one fashion or another to " Document " reality Hooper had shot over 60 documentaries, commercials and short films before making The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. In 1969 Hooper co-wrote and directed Eggshells, about a group of hippies in a commune house having to deal with the presence of a possible supernatural force. Eggshells did not receive theatrical release of any kind, but did win Hooper several awards when the film played around several colleges, including the Atlanta Film Festival Award. His intention was to go to Hollywood to become a working feature film director.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Hollywood

In 1974, he organized a small cast comprised of college teachers and students, and with Kim Henkel, on a budget of $60,000 (which eventually rose to $90,000 or some reports say up to even $120,000) made The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Kim Henkel (born Kim David Henkel on January 19, 1946) is an American Screenwriter, director and Producer. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American independent Hooper claims to have got the idea for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre while standing in the hardware section of a crowded store. While thinking of a way to get through the crowd, he spotted chainsaws for sale. The highly successful film changed the horror film industry, and landed Hooper in Hollywood. Media reportings of people throwing up at the theaters and storming out of the theaters because of the film, swept the nation. Hooper wanted an MPAA PG rating for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (as there was no PG-13 at the time). The Motion Picture Association of America's film-rating system is used in the U

Hooper then received a call from Marty Rustam to direct his first Hollywood film, Eaten Alive (1977). Eaten Alive (known under various pseudonyms in alternate regions adopting such titles as Death Trap (UK Horror Hotel, Hooper and Henkel rewrote most of Rustam and Alvin Fasts' script to fit their own desires. Eaten Alive stars Mel Ferrer, Carolyn Jones, William Finley and Marilyn Burns (who played the lead role in TCM). Critics noted that Hooper tried to recreate TCM but didn't succeed in terms of intensity. Part of the reason was Hooper felt the producers were compromising his vision by wanting control over the film. For that reason Hooper left the set with three weeks left to complete principal photography. Reportedly Carolyn Jones and the editor, Michael Brown finished directing the final weeks of the film. Eaten Alive was re-released on DVD, September 25, 2007.

Richard Korbitz, producer of the suspenseful and acclaimed John Carpenter telefilm, Someone's Watching Me!, hand picked Hooper to direct an adaptation of Salem's Lot, based on the novel by Stephen King. John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American Film director, Screenwriter, producer, film score Someone's Watching Me! (also known as High Rise) is an early Made-for-tv movie, written and directed by John Carpenter and starring Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American Author, Screenwriter, Musician, Columnist, Salem's Lot had been hot property for a while and Hooper was attached briefly under producer William Friedkin supervision in 1977. 'Salem's Lot is a 1975 horror Novel written by Stephen King, and was the author's second published novel William Friedkin (born August 29 1935 in Chicago, Illinois) is an Academy Award-winning American movie and television director Salem's Lot (1979) was Hooper's most well polished and mainstream film to date. The telefilm was well received by critics and fans alike and is generally thought of as a genre classic. Salem's Lot would influence other vampire films, most notably, Fright Night (1985) and The Lost Boys (1987). Fright Night is a Vampire horror-comedy film that was released in 1985. The Lost Boys is a 1987 American comedy - Horror film about two young Arizonans who move to California

Hooper was offered a script in 1981 for a project called The Funhouse. The Funhouse is a 1981 Slasher film directed by Tobe Hooper and written by Larry Block. The story revolved around four teenage friends who decide to spend the night in the funhouse of a traveling sleazy carnival. The film opened to modest box office and received mainly positive reviews. Hooper had basically the same shooting schedule as Salem's Lot but nowhere near the budget. The cinematography of The Funhouse was well praised and visually stylish. In 1981, Steven Spielberg suggested Tobe Hooper direct an alien invasion film titled Night Skies. For the 2007 film about the Phoenix Lights, see Night Skies (film Night Skies was a sci-fi Horror film Skies would feature hostile aliens attacking a farmhouse with a family inside. However, Hooper had no interest in directing an alien invasion film since being fired from the production of another sci-fi film The Dark (1979). (Night Skies would later be softened and turned into E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial). This article is about the 1982 film For the term "ET" which redirects here see ET. While overseeing the final stages of The Funhouse at Universal, Hooper moved into Robert Wise's old office. Robert Wise ( September 10, 1914 &ndash September 14, 2005) was an American sound effects editor film editor and Academy Wise had left behind a book on the supernatural and ghosts. Hooper, already interested in ghost stories and a huge fan of Wise's classic film The Haunting asked Spielberg about his interest in the supernatural. Spielberg, also a fan of the topic, decided to write a script for Hooper to direct. In 1982, Hooper directed Poltergeist for MGM, with Spielberg serving as co-writer (with Michael Grais and Mark Victor) and co-producer (with Frank Marshall) It quickly became a top-grossing motion picture. (from German poltern, meaning to rumble or make noise and Geist, meaning " Ghost ", " Spirit " Hooper was nominated for a Saturn Award for best director. For Hooper, it looked like he would be propelled to Hollywood's A list of directors.

Cannon Films

Cannon Films offered Hooper a contract to direct three films. The first was a sci-fi thriller called Lifeforce about humanoid creatures from outer space who eventually cause the destruction of London. Based on the lengthy and complex novel Space Vampires by Colin Wilson, Lifeforce was produced on a then whopping budget of $25 million. Hooper was unhappy about the producers decision to change the title of the film from the "fun sounding" Space Vampires to the more serious Lifeforce. Hooper was even more troubled over the producer decision to cut about 15 minutes of the film out of the US release. Lifeforce failed to generate more than $12 million in the US, but did well in oversea territories. In 1986 Hooper both remade the 1950s classic Invaders From Mars and directed the much anticipated sequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (also known as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 & TCM 2) is a 1986 big-budget long-awaited Due to the failure of Lifeforce, Invaders From Mars budget was repeatedly slashed, eventually failing at the box office, and opening to mixed reviews. Chainsaw 2 starred Dennis Hopper and had a budget of $4 million and "Hollywood" production values (compared to the originals physically grueling shoot and microbudget). However the film failed to impress fans as it focused more on black comedy and over the top gore, rather than attempting to be actually scary. Most fans of the first Chainsaw film were disappointed at the time of the release of this film. Today, however the film has garnered a wide cult following. An uncut DVD version called The Gruesome Edition was released October 2006. It contains deleted scenes, a "making of" documentary and commentary by director Hooper and others. Hooper's career however took a deep nosedive due to the troubled productions at Cannon. In the latter 80's and much of the 90's Hooper's reputation as a boundary breaking director was questioned due to the failure of his three films made at Cannon. In all, Hooper budgets came to a little more than $40 million, with a total box office income of a mere $25 million. In 1989, Hooper had written a script treatment for a third Texas Chainsaw film, but never developed it further to focus on Spontaneous Combustion (1990), a paranoid thriller starring notable actor Brad Dourif of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Child's Play. Spontaneous combustion is a type of Combustion which occurs without an external ignition source Bradford Claude Dourif (born March 18 1950 is a BAFTA -winning and Academy Award - and Emmy -nominated American film and television One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a 1975 Comedy-drama film directed by Miloš Forman. Child's Play is a 1988 Horror film written by Don Mancini and directed by Tom Holland. Zachary Selig, a renowned artist and spiritist, was a paranormal consultant for the film. Zachary Selig (b 1949 in Seguin Texas) is an American Artist, Author and Spiritist. Spiritism is a Christian philosophical Doctrine, established in France in the mid-nineteenth century Paranormal is an Umbrella term used to describe unusual Phenomena or experiences that lack an obvious Scientific explanation A consultant (from the Latin consultare means "to discuss" from which we also derive words such as consul and counsel) is a Professional Shot on a budget of around $5 million, Hooper admits constant rewrites and producer restraints kept this from becoming the hit it could have been. Dourif said "Hooper could have had three different films from what we shot". Having barely played in theaters, Hooper's next film Night Terrors wouldn't be so lucky. A night terror, also known as pavor nocturnus, is a Parasomnia disorder characterized by extreme terror and a temporary inability to regain full consciousness Night Terrors went straight to video and is considered to be Hooper's worst film. Hooper would ride the decade out with two other poorly received films, The Mangler (1995) and Crocodile in 2000. The Mangler is a short story by Stephen King, published in 1978 in the compilation Night Shift. A crocodile is any Species belonging to the family Crocodylidae (sometimes classified instead as the Subfamily Crocodylinae) Notable TV pojects include acclaimed pilots for 1995's Nowhere Man and 1996's Dark Skies. Dark Skies is an American Sci-fi / Drama Television series which aired during the 1996-1997 season for 18 Episodes plus Hooper also directed the pilot episode for Freddy's Nightmares, as well an episode of Tales From the Crypt, John Carpenter's Body Bags (1993), and the telefilms I'm Dangerous Tonight (1990) and The Apartment Complex (1999). Freddy's Nightmares is a late-night television anthology series which premiered in October 1988 and ran until March 1990. Tales from the Crypt is a horror anthology American TV series that ran from 1989 to 1996 on the Premium Cable channel

Recent work

In 2002, Hooper directed the pilot for the acclaimed miniseries Taken. Taken, also known as Steven Spielberg Presents Taken is a Science fiction Miniseries which first aired on the Sci-Fi Channel It was announced that New Line Cinema and Michael Bay would be remaking Hooper's cult classic Texas Chainsaw Massacre. In early 2003, Hooper himself remade a 70's film Toolbox Murders. Toolbox Murders is a Remake of the 1978 film of the same name. Hooper also served as producer on Michael Bay's 2003 remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which became a box office success, grossing $120 million worldwide. Hooper also directed 2 episodes (2005, 2006) for Showtime's series, Masters of Horror. Masters of Horror is an American Television series created by director Mick Garris for the Showtime cable network This show allowed Hooper and other directors "final cut" and no producer or outside interference. He served as producer on the remake prequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre The Beginning is a 2006 horror film and a Prequel to the remake of the 1974 film The Texas Chain In late 2006, Hooper talked about possibly producing a TV series, Texas Chainsaw Chronicles. However, no other details have emerged.

Tobe Hooper started his own film production company, called T. H. Nightmares in 2004. No films have emerged under this banner.

Tobe Hooper is currently in post-production on the thriller Training Ground. Hooper is in pre-production on an adaptation of From A Buick 8 based on the Stephen King novel. From a Buick 8 is a Novel by horror writer Stephen King. Published on September 24, 2002, this is the second novel Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American Author, Screenwriter, Musician, Columnist, Mick Garris (executive producer of Masters of Horror) will serve as a producer on the film. Hooper regularly cites Brian DePalma, Stanley Kubrick, and Ridley Scott as his favorite directors. Brian De Palma (born Brian Russell DePalma on September 11 1940 in Newark New Jersey) is an American Film director. Sir Ridley Scott (born November 30 1937 in South Shields, Tyne and Wear) is a British Academy Award Nominated and Golden Globe Emmy Award and BAFTA Award winning

Many horror and indie filmmakers have expressed admiration for Hooper's work, including Robert Rodriguez, Kevin Smith, Guillermo Del Toro, Sam Raimi and Quentin Tarantino. Robert Anthony Rodriguez (born June 20 1968 is an American director, writer, producer, Cinematographer, editor and Musician Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2 1970 is an American Screenwriter, Writer, Film director, Actor and Comic book writer Guillermo del Toro Gómez (born October 9, 1964) is an Academy Award -nominated Mexican filmmaker Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi (born October 23, 1959) is an American Film director, producer, Actor and Quentin Jerome Tarantino (born March 27, 1963) is an Academy Award - BAFTA Award - and Palme d'Or -winning Emmy - and

Filmography

References

  1. ^ Tobe Hooper Biography (1943-)

External links

Eggshells is an independent low-budget film released in 1969. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American independent Eaten Alive (known under various pseudonyms in alternate regions adopting such titles as Death Trap (UK Horror Hotel, Salem's Lot is a 1979 horror Television mini-series directed by Tobe Hooper, from the Paul Monash Teleplay, and starred former The Funhouse is a 1981 Slasher film directed by Tobe Hooper and written by Larry Block. Poltergeist is the first and most successful Poltergeist Film, released on June 4, 1982 and nominated for three Lifeforce is a 1985 Science fiction film directed by Tobe Hooper from a screenplay by Dan O'Bannon and Don Jakoby, from the novel Invaders from Mars is a 1986 Science fiction film directed by Tobe Hooper from a screenplay by Dan O'Bannon and Don Jakoby The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (also known as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 & TCM 2) is a 1986 big-budget long-awaited Freddy's Nightmares is a late-night television anthology series which premiered in October 1988 and ran until March 1990. The following is an episode list for the Television series Freddy's Nightmares. Spontaneous Combustion is a 1990 film directed by Tobe Hooper. I'm Dangerous Tonight is a 1990 horror themed Television movie directed by Tobe Hooper. The Nightmare Begins Again was a 1991 British video release by Braveworld LTD A night terror, also known as pavor nocturnus, is a Parasomnia disorder characterized by extreme terror and a temporary inability to regain full consciousness The Mangler is a short story by Stephen King, published in 1978 in the compilation Night Shift. Nowhere Man is an American Television series that aired from 1995 to 1996 starring Bruce Greenwood. Crocodile is a 2000 Horror film that was directed by Tobe Hooper and was released on December 26, 2000. Toolbox Murders is a Remake of the 1978 film of the same name. Dance of the Dead is the third episode of the first season of Masters of Horror. Mortuary is a 2005 horror - Thriller film directed by Tobe Hooper. The Damned Thing is the first episode of the second season of Masters of Horror. From a Buick 8 is a Novel by horror writer Stephen King. Published on September 24, 2002, this is the second novel
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