Man, another legend gone. Was just thinking about the first two Texas Chain Saw Massacre films, the other day. The first is a masterpiece, and the second while not universally loved is a movie I've always had a soft spot for. It's a movie where the humor and the horror elements make for a bit of a strange juxtaposition, but some of the imagery is so just so insane in that movie, it's always had an appeal to me. The whole final act is just nuts!
Was also always a fan of "Funhouse". "Salem's Lot," and Life Force." While "Salem's Lot" differed significantly at times from the also great book, Hooper's version of Kurt Barlow was effectively terrifying. In fact, as much as I love that book, I think Hooper's choice to portray Barlow more as a beast that never speaks is much scarier than the much more verbose version who appears in King's novel.
As a kid, I really enjoyed the pilot episode of the short lived "Freddy's Nightmare" tv series. It was the first attempt to show the origin of Freddy Krueger. It wasn't until years later that I realized that Tobe Hooper directed the episode!
