Within the last year, original
Texas Chainsaw Massacre director Tobe Hooper switched representation and found a home at Evolution Management, a robust firm that reps many folks working in the genre today. Great news, I thought, for Hooper who hasn't done a feature since
Mortuary and, since then, directed two episodes of
Masters of Horror. He's still attached to
From a Buick 8, the Stephen King adaptation, but that seems to be running low on gas.
Being housed at Evolution is the best thing for him right now. He'll have some guidance. And maybe the fellas there will set him on the right track. Distance himself from the stigma of his '90s output and make "A Tobe Hooper film" mean something.
Now, it's no secret Evolution shares the same offices as Twisted Pictures, the place where the
Saw franchise began. And recently, the company ruffled some feathers in the genre when it announced it had acquired the rights to
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Evolution-repped Stephen Susco - known for
The Grudge,
The Grudge 2 and the quiet thriller
Red - was going to get his hands greasy and rev up a new
Chainsaw by penning a contemporary tale, ignoring the previous two films produced by Platinum Dunes. (I spoke with Twisted Pictures' Mark Burg a bit more about this approach
here.) Since the company made its move on the property, I've been told there are a number of recognizable directors courting a chance to dance with Leatherface. I say now's the time, more than ever, to keep it in the family.
Put Tobe Hooper on the film.
When Platinum Dunes let the rights slip from its grasp, I'm told Hooper perked up to the idea of doing another
Texas Chainsaw Massacre. But is there interest from the Twisted Pictures camp?
My ramblings stem from something I spied last night while at the after party for the
Saw VI premiere. There was Tobe, sitting in a leather chair holding court with
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2's Bill Moseley and the Twisted Pictures crew, notably Carl Mazzacone, a key player in bringing the
TCM rights to the company. And, instantly, my head began to swirl with the possibilities of a new
Chainsaw under the direction of Hooper, regardless of the take Twisted has in mind.
Bring Hooper in to tackle a franchise he knows so well; a return equivalent to Romero reuniting with his walking corpses in
Land of the Dead in 2005. Market the shit out of his big return and let people know Leatherface is in the right hands again.
What do you think? Should a contemporary
Chainsaw pull in the man who started it all, or should Twisted be seeking a fresh director?
Comments
Posted by: daniel clavette on October 23, 2009 at 14:32:39
That is great news about tope hooper will be doing another the texas chainsaw massacre movies he was great 2 chainsaw massacre movies .
Posted by: robg on October 23, 2009 at 14:34:22
It's not "great news". It's an opinion! Read the actual article before commenting.
But HELLZ YES, I'd LOVE to see Tobe return!!!
Posted by: brandon_fear on October 23, 2009 at 14:43:14
I agree. Hooper returning could be epic.
Posted by: Mark on October 23, 2009 at 14:49:14
I thought Platinum Dunes Chainsaw was better than the original. Plus can u trust Twisted Pictures who puts the ****ty Saw movies out every year, and they get worse every time.
Posted by: whitener 75 on October 23, 2009 at 14:55:43
Yes Tobe should indeed be put in the directors chair for a new Chainsaw film-whether it's a sequel or a remake!
Posted by: Nico on October 23, 2009 at 15:16:39
The only reason to return would be for the money, cause nobody cares who the director is unless you're QT or Scorcese. Be a producer. Less chance you get blamed in the end.
Posted by: servinIT2you on October 23, 2009 at 16:02:38
itd be awesome to see Tobe return, but since the 80's-90's i think hes lost a lot of his edge. id be excited, but worried.
i dont know how i feel about ignoring the 2 platinum dunes releases. make it an unofficial sequel. like the incredible hulk and ang lee's hulk.
Posted by: joe asylo on October 23, 2009 at 16:11:42
i think they better use him as consultan.
the thing is hoope have made great scare film, but knowing he hasnt made anything lately, then they should pick someone else.
Posted by: tmeadows34 on October 23, 2009 at 17:21:52
I say let take a try at it personally I think the franchise will tank with Twisted pictures. Why not just go for gold and make a best ditch effort with Hooper at the helm, I say let him write it too maybe that will make it more personal for him. The PD remake was good very good but the prequel lacked originality.
Posted by: Barry on October 23, 2009 at 17:52:04
Tobe + Chainsaw?. Um, Yes!.
Posted by: Toyland Chairman on October 23, 2009 at 18:21:19
Yes, they need to bring back Tobe Hooper. Parts 1 and 2 were the best TCM films. They also need Kim Henkel to help out, and the two can put Platinum Dunes to shame.
Oh, and bring back Bill Moseley to reprise the role of Chop-Top. I know it's a reboot, no one said a reboot could'nt follow the first two films. LOL
Posted by: BoomingEchoes on October 23, 2009 at 18:50:09
I think it'd be great to have Hooper back if he'd do it and they'd really want him for it. Who better then who created the character?
But they'd need to be careful with him. The movies after the original (not the remake stuff) were mostly campy, even if they're legendary now. I mean a chili made from human meat? Chop-top? really? So they should give him a lot of control but keep a leash on at least certain aspects of the story (that "guidance" the article said), or they'll have a mess.
And for those who just want to point out this could fail because they over do Saw every year: you don't know that so just stop talking now while you can save yourself the trouble of looking stupid.
Saw makes them money every year even if it is repetitive and bloated now. They make them cheap and they have a market this time of year when no ones putting out nearly any horror when they should be (seriously,since when is February the official horror month? Valentine's day be damned!). Its all money and numbers. Saw will keep going probably till we stop going to see it (Then I see it going right to dvd).
Posted by: HORROR G on October 23, 2009 at 19:47:30
Hooper return would be great.
and by the way guys would you like to see more halloween theme movie my Halloween, Night of the Demon?
Posted by: Steven Millan on October 23, 2009 at 21:22:16
A return by Tobe Hooper to the series would be cool,for maybe Tobe has a great TCM idea that he can unleash for the next film(whether it be a direct sequel to TCM2 or an entirely new tale),and a possible return for Bill Moseley to the series would be cool,too(even though Chop-Top was left for dead,but he could always return entirely stitched-up,and twice as more dangerous as ever).
Posted by: Doug on October 23, 2009 at 21:50:53
I think this is a good idea. Given the reaction to the news on this movie so far, I doubt they'll be going wiht their original urban chainsaw idea. The movie needs the help, and Hooper needs a movie that can get him back on track. Seems like a marriage made in heaven.
Posted by: Miles Finch on October 24, 2009 at 01:01:48
If he wants to do it, COOL!
Posted by: ShadowMan on October 24, 2009 at 03:03:29
Let's face it, Tobe Hooper would show up to the opening of a can of coke, if the money was there. So if they wanted him on a new Chainsaw, then I have little doubt they'd be able to get him. Thing is, should they?
Honestly, I don't know. I mean I guess it couldn't hurt, after all, worst case scenario we get another mediocre Chainsaw film, and its not like we haven't seen a few of those before. And you never know, maybe Hooper will actually spark and bring something special if given the chance.
Problem is, I'm just not that convinced that he has ever been that good of a director. Certainly not a good enough one to make something better just by being a part of it. In fact I kinda wonder if the few films that he did that did legitimately turn out to be cool, the original Texas Chain Saw, Funhouse, and Poltergeist, and to a slightly lesser extent interesting, if not entirely successful, projects like the miniseries Salem's Lot, and the films Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Eaten Alive and Lifeforce, weren't just a combination of blind luck, the right mix of other talent being involved, and the kind of youthful passion for the work that he doesn't seem to have shown for at least a good 20 years now.
I mean I don't want to but the boot into the guy too hard here, but in the past 20 odd years he has made nothing of any real worth at all, and in fact has made some of the worst horror films imaginable in the likes of The Mangler, Night Terrors, Crocodile, Spontaneous Combustion, and Mortuary. I mean this stuff is Albert Pyun or Uwe Boll level bad. Maybe worse. His anthology horror work, with his Masters of Horror, Amazing Stories and Tales from the Crypt episodes, were amongst the weakest in those anthology shows history as well, while he also made a distinctly mediocre hash of the pilot for Freddy's Nightmares, and easily the weakest story in the Body Bags anthology. When your greatest accomplishment in film or tv horror in two decades is a very mediocre, at best, remake of The Toolbox Murders, that's not exactly a calling card for quality.
Honestly, given his track record for the past two decades, if it was my money, I don't know if I'd trust him now. I hate saying that, because while I have hated much...okay, most everything that he has made in the past two decades, he still contributed way back in the day to a handful of films that I still enjoy, flaws and all, to this very day. But I just think it's nothing but a paycheck to him now, and any passion, any drive that he may have had back in the day is long gone now.
I'd love to be proven wrong, I'd love to see Hooper come out and make a brand new kickass (or even mildly enjoyble) horror film, Chainsaw related or not. But my faith in the man is long gone, and I just can't see it. As I said, I'd welcome being wrong though...
Posted by: Peter on October 24, 2009 at 11:09:48
Great article. Give it back to Tobe. The fans care.
Posted by: Jinx on October 24, 2009 at 16:30:56
Bring back Hooper to direct.
Bring back Caroline Williams and Bill Moseley to star (or, at the very least, cameo).
And, as far as canon goes, pretend that the Platinum Dunes films were movies made within the world of the initial series. I mean, hey! I'd totally show up for that.
Posted by: krypto on October 24, 2009 at 23:12:38
Yes, bring back Hooper. Also let him direct the Poltergeist remake too. This would be just as exciting as the new Joe Dante film coming out, The Hole. Can not wait for that one!!!
Posted by: danny danger on October 25, 2009 at 01:09:37
Contemporary just means internet and cell phones.
Posted by: ShannmanLives on October 26, 2009 at 19:26:04
No.
Tobe Hooper is not a good film director. He fluked out with chainsaw, managing to come up with the right thing at the right time. Other than that, everything else he has ever made has been dreadful. His only other real successful film was poltergeist, and that film was completely ghost directed by Spielberg. Tobe was more of a first ad on that shoot.
Hooper's made a carrer out of mediocrity. Bring him back if all you want is more of the same.
Posted by: Josh on October 31, 2009 at 22:12:49
Yes, Tobe needs to direct this. That would be classic. Tobe Hooper is a stylish film director.
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