Bloody Disgusting has learned the sad news tonight that prolific horror filmmaker Jeff Burr, who notably directed Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, has passed away.
Jeff Burr was just 60 years old.
Prior to making his mark on the Chainsaw franchise with the fan favorite third installment, Jeff Burr directed 1987’s Vincent Price-starring From a Whisper to a Scream and 1989’s Stepfather II: Make Room for Daddy. He later directed 1993 sequel Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings.
Jeff Burr’s directorial credits also include 1990s horror movies Puppet Master 4, Puppet Master 5, and Night of the Scarecrow, as well as The Werewolf Reborn!, Phantom Town, The Boy With the X-Ray Eyes, Straight into Darkness, Devil’s Den, Resurrection, Gun of the Black Sun, Tornado Warning, and in more recent years, Puppet Master: Blitzkrieg Massacre.
Friend/writer Shane Bitterling writes on Twitter tonight, “Just got an awful phone call. One I’ve had far too many of recently. Our pal, Jeff Burr, suddenly passed away last night. One of my first friends in L.A., and one of the best. Sad sad sad days.”
Bitterling adds in a follow-up tweet, “We all know Jeff Burr for his horror movies (TCM III, etc.) but please seek out his Straight into Darkness, maybe his finest and one he was the most proud of. Called by somebody at a test screening, Mario Bava’s Thin Red Line. A visually stunning poem of war brutality.. and freaks.”
All of us here at Bloody Disgusting send our deepest condolences to Jeff Burr’s family, friends, and colleagues. He was one of us, and his mark on the genre will be felt for decades to come.
Rest in Peace, Jeff.