Poltergeist, Texas Chain Saw Massacre director Tobe Hooper dies at 74

Tobe Hooper.
(Image credit: Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

Horror icon Tobe Hooper, best known for directing The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Poltergeist, died Saturday from natural causes in Sherman Oaks, California. He was 74.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was released in 1974, and instantly became one of the most influential horror films of all time. Hooper also worked in television, directing the 1979 CBS miniseries adaptation of the Stephen King thriller Salem's Lot, which was later edited and released as a movie in Europe, and music videos, including Billy Idol's "Dancing With Myself." He is survived by one son. Catherine Garcia

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.