Wes Craven
Wes Craven never saw a scary movie until he made one (1972’s “Last House on the Left”). But he took to the genre like a crazed killer to a Ghostface mask.
He would write and direct the first “Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984), unleashing Freddy Krueger on unsuspecting audiences, and steer the “Scream” franchise through four films (from 1996 to 2011).
Craven died Sunday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 76.
In 2005, “Palm Beach Post” film critic Hap Erstein asked Craven what movies put the fright in him. The director mentioned two titles:
“The Exorcist” (1973): “It so quickly took me out of anything that I had any sort of preparation or defenses against. A little girl steps forward, curses and pees on the rug. You just felt that the guy making the movie was so out of control that he’s not going to stop when things get so intense, that he’s into a different standard of storytelling, that he will take you to a place that you shouldn’t be.”
“28 Days Later” (2002): “I think it’s the best one of late. Really fun and scary as hell. I’d made a ton of movies, but as I was watching it, and those guys caught on fire, I sat and thought they were just burning up. When you saw London brought to a stop, you’re just in awe.”
Drew Barrymore opened Wes Craven’s “Scream” with an epic death scene.
Erstein also asked Craven to reflect on some of his projects:
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984): “It was based on a newspaper article I found. There were a series of deaths in Los Angeles by a young Asian, 20-21 years old. He was afraid of his dreams, so he made a very concerted effort to stay awake. Finally, he did fall asleep and his family heard screaming, they went to his room and found him dead. It was like a 10-inch news story.”
“Vampire in Brooklyn” (1995): “That was kind of a screwed-up thing, because I wanted to work with a big star. I suppose it could have been better if it were a horror movie, but it wasn’t. Eddie (Murphy) didn’t want to be funny. He wanted to be serious and he was very difficult.”
“Scream” (1996): “It’s almost on a comic-book level as far as the danger. And also kind of soap opera-ish.”
“Music of the Heart” (1999): “That’s my mom’s favorite movie of mine, because it was the only one she saw. It was something that I was really drawn to. Horror films are not me, or they’re not all of me. They’re a very thin slice of me.”
Craven made numerous contributions to the horror genre and filmmaking in general, said Michael Favata, founder of Morbid Movies Palm Beach County Grindhouse Series, which regularly showcases cult classics at Movies of Lake Worth.
Favata’s favorite Craven flick? “I have to pick the classic ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street.’ He managed to make the most peaceful thing you can do scary… dream.”
Sweet dreams, Wes Craven, and may you rest in peace.
