Portal:Horror/Selected biography archive/November 2007

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Tobe Hooper (born January 25, 1943) is an American television and film director best known for his work in the horror film genre, including Lifeforce, Poltergeist, Toolbox Murders and the cult classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974).

Hooper was born William Tobe Hooper in Austin, Texas, the son of Lois Belle (née Crosby) and Norman William Ray Hooper. He first used his father's 8 mm camera at age 9. Hooper spent the 1960s as a college professor and documentary cameraman. 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.

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. 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). (continued)