Every year at the Academy Awards, we see those who’ve made contributions to the film industry honored after their unfortunate passing, whether they’ve served in front of or behind the camera. So, considering that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was included in a montage shown earlier in the broadcast, one would assume that respects would’ve been paid to its director, right?
But to the chagrin of horror fans everywhere, Tobe Hooper, who died at the age of 74 in 2017, was completely left out of the “In Memoriam” segment shown during the ceremony. As it turned out, another genre legend in George Romero was included, so that only doubles the confusion.
Historically, the Academy hasn’t taken to horror films, but with flicks like Get Out and The Shape of Water being nominated in the Best Picture category, you’d think someone would’ve been thorough along the way. I mean, Texas Chainsaw Massacre may not be fun for the whole family, but it’s one of the most infamous franchises to be spawned by the horror genre, with even Kane Hodder having performed stunts in the third movie, something that earned him an unexpected cameo in Freddy vs. Jason.
What’s more is that Hooper also directed Poltergeist, which one could argue was seen by more people over the years and a bit more accessible to the mainstream than something like, say, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but it’s not us making the decisions. Then again, if an icon like Adam West could also be forgotten by this ilk, that doesn’t inspire much confidence.
