There are certain names in the horror genre that are known as icons, or one of the Masters of Horrors. And yesterday, the genre and the fans lost another one of them, Tobe Hooper. Regardless of the ups and downs of his filmography, he will always be remembered for directing the infamous 1974 film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which still is as gritty, scary, and damn entertaining as it was when it first assaulted movie audiences over forty years ago. His adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot (1979) still remains as one of the best made-for-TV movies of that decade, not to mention other entertaining titles in his filmography, such as The Funhouse (1981), Lifeforce (1985), and of course, the bat-shit-crazy sequel Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986).

Hooper passed away yesterday at the age of 74. For as long as there are horror movie fans, there will be screenings of TCM. And with each of those viewings, there will be some watching it for the first time that will be amazed and entranced at what they see on screen, possibly even inspiring them to try and do what Hooper and company did all those years ago in the dead heat of a Texas summer all those years ago.

You definitely will never be forgotten, Mr. Hooper. Thank you for the scares. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.