Where do you rank Tobe Hooper among his peers?

[SeanJoyce]

Probably fair to say that if you were making a "Mt Rushmore of 70s/80s American horror filmmakers", you'd automatically assign the faces of George Romero, Wes Craven and John Carpenter. But who gets that coveted 4th spot?

The contenders would have to be Tobe Hooper, Sam Raimi, and Stuart Gordon, no? Who has the strongest case?

I think you have to go with Hooper here. While his career went on a downslide the likes of which his contemporaries never experienced, he still has enough high points that you can't overlook. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is every bit as iconic and landmark an independent horror effort that those others produces, perhaps more, and it's the movie which Hooper's reputation is largely staked on.

From there, Salem's Lot is one of the best Stephen King adaptations and features some classic, chilling vampire imagery. The Funhouse might have gotten a bit lost in the deluge of early-80s slasher offerings, but it stands on its own as a fun, atmospheric genre piece. And no matter where you come down in the "who directed Poltergeist" debate, it enhances Hooper's resume.

Lifeforce and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 have been reassessed and valued as cult favorites these days, and I personally thought Hooper's contribution to Body Bags was its strongest segment. Toolbox Murders is flawed but it was a decent little comeback of sorts for Hooper, with some real grisly throwback murders. Still need to see his Masters of Horror: Dance of the Dead.

When adding it all up, I think you can really only say that Carpenter had an objectively stronger career. He's right there with Craven and Romero, if not just slightly behind.