25 Facts About Tobe Hooper

Willard Tobe Hooper was an American director, screenwriter, and producer best known for his work in the horror genre.

The 1990s saw Tobe Hooper directing various horror and sci-fi projects, including Spontaneous Combustion, which he co-wrote; the television anthology film Body Bags ; and The Mangler, another adaptation of a Stephen King story.

Tobe Hooper directed several projects throughout the 2000s, including the monster film Crocodile, an episode of the sci-fi miniseries Taken, and two episodes of Masters of Horror.

Tobe Hooper died in 2017 at the age of 74 of natural causes.

Tobe Hooper was born January 25,1943, in Austin, Texas, to Lois Belle and Norman William Ray Tobe Hooper, who owned a theater in San Angelo.

Tobe Hooper went to college at the University of Texas, Austin.

Tobe Hooper was present at the college on August 1,1966, when Charles Whitman opened fire on random people from the University's clock tower, nonfatally shooting a police officer that was close by Hooper.

Tobe Hooper spent the 1960s as a college professor and documentary cameraman.

Tobe Hooper combined elements from a story he wrote about isolation and darkness with the inspiration of graphic news coverage of violence, with his belief that people were the true monsters being a key element for the film.

Tobe Hooper had to deal with the Motion Picture Association of America with the rating; he had hoped the limited amount of gore seen in the film would give it a PG, but the original print was given an X rating.

Tobe Hooper provided the music alongside Wayne Bell - but walked off the production before shooting completed.

Tobe Hooper had his biggest budget yet with the television mini-series of Salem's Lot, filmed on a budget of $4 million for CBS while being released theatrically in some countries.

Tobe Hooper shot the film from July to August 1979, although the film differed from the source material in order to meet broadcast standards.

Tobe Hooper described it as 'very spooky - it suggests things and always has the overtone of the grave.

In 1982, Tobe Hooper made Poltergeist, based on a story by Steven Spielberg.

Tobe Hooper was selected to direct based on his prior work by Spielberg, who co-wrote the screenplay and co-produced the film.

Tobe Hooper made Lifeforce, Invaders from Mars and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.

Tobe Hooper directed an installment of the made-for-television feature Body Bags.

Tobe Hooper's works include The Mangler, The Apartment Complex, Crocodile, Toolbox Murders, and Mortuary.

Tobe Hooper was asked to contribute to the series Masters of Horror; he responded by directing "Dance of the Dead" with Robert Englund in the first season, and "The Damned Thing" in the second season.

Tobe Hooper married his first wife, Maev Margaret Noonan, in 1961.

Tobe Hooper married again in 1983 to Carin Berger, but they divorced in 1990.

Tobe Hooper later married Rita Marie Bartlett in 2008, but they divorced in 2010.

Tobe Hooper died of natural causes in Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on August 26,2017, at the age of 74.

Filmmakers who have been influenced by Tobe Hooper include Hideo Nakata, Wes Craven, Rob Zombie, Alexandre Aja, Jack Thomas Smith, and Nicolas Winding Refn.