NPR

Tobe Hooper, Director Of 'Chain Saw Massacre,' Dies At 74

Hooper's disturbing horror film, which was made on a shoestring budget, had a lasting influence on the genre.
Tobe Hooper arrives at the premiere of New Line's <em>Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Beginning</em> at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in 2006 in Los Angeles, Calif.

Tobe Hooper, who directed the influential horror movie The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, died on Saturday in Los Angeles.

The LA County coroner's office confirmed the death to NPR, but did not provide a cause.

Hooper was a little-known, barely-funded filmmaker when he made the movie that echoed through the horror genre for years to come.

In 2004, magazine the movie's improbable production (and lasting financial woes.) The production crew was astonishingly green — it

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR4 min readCrime & Violence
Heated Arguments At The Supreme Court In Newest Abortion Case
At issue is a clash between federal and state law about how pregnant women must be treated in the emergency room.
NPR5 min readAmerican Government
First Day Of Trump's Hush Money Trial Kicks Off With Opening Statements And A Witness
The prosecution is arguing that Donald Trump wanted to keep information out of the public fearing that it would turn off voters in 2016. The defense argues Trump did nothing illegal.
NPR5 min read
A Woman With Failing Kidneys Receives Genetically Modified Pig Organs
Surgeons transplanted a kidney and thymus gland from a gene-edited pig into a 54-year-old woman in an attempt to extend her life. It's the latest experimental use of animal organs in humans.

Related Books & Audiobooks