Horror Legend Tobe Hooper’s 5 Best Movies, Ranked

George A. Romero and John Carpenter had better track records in the first half of their directorial careers. Romero’s first half had Night of the Living Dead, The Crazies, Martin, Dawn of the Dead, Creepshow, and Day of the Dead while the latter half’s highlights were basically just Monkey Shines and Land of the Dead. The first half of Carpenter’s filmography included the classics Halloween and The Thing while the latter half was the home of stuff like Escape from L.A. and Ghosts of Mars. Wes Craven was a bit more consistent quality wise due to the later career success provided by his four Scream movies. Then there is Tobe Hooper, who certainly falls more in the “peaked early” category than the “Craven-esque consistency” group.

Even still, he had an impressive run of seven films (and one miniseries) that, to varying degrees, are worth watching for every horror fan. Just missing the cut were Eaten Alive, Lifeforce, and Invaders from Mars. Missing the cut by a country mile was dreck like Crocodile and The Mangler.

5) The Funhouse

One of those ’80s horror movies ripe for a remake, The Funhouse was also quite important for Hooper’s career trajectory. It was because of his work here (his first studio film) that Steven Spielberg selected him to helm Poltergeist.

The Funhouse is a display of two of Hooper’s greatest talents. He could craft a memorable villain (in this case, Gunther) and he knew how to build an atmosphere that grabbed you by the shirt collar and refused to let go. Some of The Funhouse‘s pacing can be a bit wonky in the first half, but once it gets going it’s a horrifying rollercoaster ride.

4) Salem’s Lot

Yes, Salem’s Lot is technically a miniseries, but it absolutely plays as an extra-long feature film. And it works. It’s not perfect, but it is easily better than the 2004 or 2024 versions.

Most of the compliments due the three-hour frightmare are really due the source material, but Hooper deserves a lot of credit for getting the tone of the book right for the screen. He also manages to make its scariest moments (e.g. the child vampire hovering outside his friend’s window) work on a TV movie budget. Then there is the casting of James Mason and Reggie Nalder as, respectively, Richard Straker and Kurt Barlow.

3) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 wasn’t at all what people wanted from a sequel to Hooper’s masterpiece. After a 12-year gap, this sequel opened to some very confused and often even angrily disappointed fans.

But The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2‘s entirely unique nature is what makes it the franchise’s best sequel by a country mile. And, while it does have a sense of humor, it’s not as if it shorts the audience on scares. The highway scene that basically opens the film alone is tense as can be and soaked in gore. Then there is the fact that it introduced two of horror’s most important icons to the audience: Caroline Williams and Bill Moseley. Their ‘Stretch’ and ‘Chop-Top’ are undoubtedly horror royalty, as are the performers who brought them to life. Not to mention, the whole underground layer is a nice differentiation to the farmhouse setting of the first film. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is a living nightmare just like the first film, though tonally a very different one.

Stream The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 on Prime Video.

2) Poltergeist

One of the scariest PG movies out there, Poltergeist is every bit the top-tier starter horror movie as another Steven Spielberg production: Gremlins. Speaking of Spielberg, there has long been debate over whether the Jaws helmer was truly behind Poltegeist or if it was the late Hooper who primarily oversaw its construction. Both of the artists said that Hooper was the main director but, let’s face it, this thing sure does feel like a Spielberg joint.

Either way, Poltergeist is a well-cast and equally well paced early ’80s fright-fest. It is the definitive haunted house film, and the decision to place it right in the middle of idyllic California suburbia was a stroke of genius. You’d think the family is safe because they are surrounded by such standard homes and everyday folk, but in this house, there is no safety. Poltergeist is a classic but avoid both the sequels and the remake like a ghostly hand emerging from a television.

Stream Poltergeist on HBO Max.

1) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

One of the horror genre’s definitive entries, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a must-watch each and every Halloween spooky movie season. It is a masterclass in tension building and making the audience imagine what is happening on the business end of a chainsaw as opposed to actually showing the business end of the chainsaw as it tears through flesh.

It’s amazing how frightening Hooper and crew make the relatively simple sight of dangling chicken bones and feathers strewn across the floor. This is a movie that coasts on the vivid nature of its atmosphere and characters who feel profoundly real, which makes their living nightmare all the more palpably effective.

Stream The Texas Chain Saw Massacre on Prime Video.

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