WES CRAVEN
August 2, 1939-August 30, 2015
Earlier today, it was revealed that Wes Craven, the legendary writer and director of A Nightmare on Elm Street, passed away after a long battle with brain cancer. This man has been an extraordinary force in horror movies for over 30 years. His first real effort was the controversial Last House on the Left in 1972. The film followed two girls who were kidnapped, brutalized and murdered by a small gang of criminals. He followed that up with the terrific The Hills Have Eyes, released in 1977. But the film that truly made Wes Craven a master of horror, was A Nightmare on Elm Street. Released by New Line Cinema in 1984, Nightmare unleashed a new and terrifying villain on the world: Freddy Krueger, played to perfection by legendary thespian Robert Englund. While Friday The 13th kept the slasher movie alive, Nightmare on Elm Street took it to whole new level. Featuring an unstoppable villain who gets very creative with his kills, Wes Craven created one of the most memorable villains in cinema.
Often crediting his nightmares as his inspiration for his films, Craven created a number of movies that thrilled and terrified audiences around the world. He was right up there with John Carpenter as one of the most influential film-makers in the industry. Regularly burdened with small budgets for his films, Craven would resort to both old-fashioned and new film-making techniques that would become his signature. This is going to be a short post, but I’m going to list a number of films that he directed and/or produced that I really enjoyed.
Writer/Director:
Last House on the Left(1972)
A Nightmare On Elm Street(1984)
The Hills Have Eyes(1977)
Swamp Thing(1982)
Shocker(1989)
Vampire In Brooklyn(1995)
Scream(1996)
Producer:
Wishmaster(1997)
Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors(1987)
Dracula 2000(2000)
The Hills Have Eyes(2006)
Feast(2007)
The Last House on the Left(2009)
I didn’t list everything he did, because he did so much. He’s left quite the legacy of horror. Wes Craven was a master of his art, and inspired many film-makers to try their hand in the genre of horror. I will always be grateful for his ability to keep me entranced and on the edge of my seat during his movies, even some of his not-so-great movies. Wes Craven leaves behind a wife, three children, and three grandchildren. My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family. Thank you, Mr. Craven for giving us the nightmares that we’ll never forget.