There are some of you reading this who are old enough to drink but not old enough to remember a time when the name Tobe Hooper would bring excitement to fans. In reality his 85/86 trio of Lifeforce, Invaders From Mars and Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 are not a beacon of quality, but at the time they were all movies I fucking adored. Meeting Hooper at one of the Fango Cons back in the late 80s was a religious moment for me.
But now he’s mostly a TV director, and his two highest profile works in that medium – episodes of Masters of Horror – were almost unwatchable. Dance of the Dead may be among the worst things I have ever seen, and I was in New York on 9/11. Plus there’s always been that shadow hanging over him from the production of Poltergeist – a shadow I usually dismissed until the new DVD came out and just avoided all the issues. Makes me suspicious.
In the meantime, I will gather as much enthusiasm as possible for news of a new high profile Hooper film. Variety has confirmed a story Shock Til You Drop ran in April, that Hooper is directing an adaptation of Stephen King’s From a Buick 8. Whether it’s another Christine riff is beyond me; the book was released after the point when I quit reading King. The script, written by one of the stars of the Prom Night remake (really), is not "your stock horror film by any means," Hooper told Variety. "There’s a really cool, layered quality to the story. The producers, writers and I shared the same sensibility about the project and responded to it in a similar way."
Best of luck Tobe Hooper. And don’t let Mick Garris near the set. You don’t need a repeat of the Poltergeist rumors.