Critical Perspectives on Tobe Hooper

This book will branch off from the frequently-explored peaks of Tobe Hooper’s filmmaking career to an examination of his entire catalogue of film and television works through a key theoretical dimension of his filmography – how his works engage with America’s spaces and people.Spanning the entirety of Hooper’s five-decade career, Alice Tremea and Reece Goodall’s analysis will cover both his biggest successes, such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and Poltergeist (1982) as well as those that have been historically overlooked and overshadowed by those successes. Tremea and Goodall discuss the seminal origin of now-established themes and tropes that remain relevant to the horror and science fiction genres today, including the final girl and the cinematic slasher villain, which can be traced back to Hooper’s works in the forms of characters such as Sally Hardesty and Leatherface. The authors posit that Hooper’s career is inextricably linked with film history even beyond these lasting impacts, citing his history as a proponent of the hippie film scene in the 1960s, as a collaborator with the infamous Cannon Film production company, and as a master of both mainstream and independent success.Ultimately, this book positions Tobe Hooper as a key figure in the history of filmmaking whose works are worthy of deeper scholarly inquiry, both individually and within the context of his entire oeuvre.