Poltergeist (1982)

"Mosquito ever suck on you, son?"

I really do feel sorry for Tobe Hooper. His breakthrough film, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, set a benchmark in horror so high that it should have opened every door possible to him over the years that followed it. Eaten Alive just didn't connect with the audience in the same way Chain Saw did, despite going for a completely different tone and feel to it. His TV film, Salems Lot, put him back in public favour, but it wasn't until Steven Spielberg set the pieces in motion for him to direct Poltergeist that things really took off. With a string of big budget flops following quickly, it was back out into the wilderness for Hooper by the end of the 80's, and sadly he has never managed to 're-invent' himself for newer audiences in the same way that the likes of George Romero or Wes Craven have. 

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