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

Catherine Garcia, The Week US's avatar
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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

Editor's note: This article originally misstated how many sons Hooper had. It has since been corrected. We regret the error.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.