Horror maestro, fear connoisseur and panic virtuoso, Wes Craven, 76, died on Aug. 30 after battling brain cancer, leaving the world in a screaming nightmare of its own. Craven’s slasher films set the tone for horror movies today, leading the film industry in a morbid direction. Here’s his bone-chilling legacy.
Early career
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Craven graduated with a master’s in philosophy and writing from John Hopkins University. After briefly teaching at several universities, Craven soon developed interest in film production, which eventually led him to his first creative job as a sound editor. The turning point of his career began when he took on the role as a producer of the pornographic film “Deep Throat.” This began decades of timeless movies.
Craven finds his niche
Craven’s dark history of horror films began with his 1972 suspense film “Last House on the Left.” This movie follows two teenage girls who are tortured by a group of escaped rapists, child molesters and serial killers. The two girls suffer severe beatings, mutilations and rapes a few houses down from their home. Another one of his famous suspense films is “People Under the Stairs,” which depicts a story of a young boy who becomes trapped inside his landlord’s house and discovers the house has a deep, dark, malicious secret: it’s filled with hundreds of captured people who live underneath the stairs of the home.
The Freddy Krueger era
While Craven continued to transform picturesque locations into horrific crime scenes, the movie that inspired insomnia throughout the world was 1984’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” The burned skin, striped sweater, brown fedora of razor-clawed, glove-wearing Freddy Krueger was a name that infiltrated our thoughts before we went to sleep. This movie told the story of a child molester who was burned alive by irate families but was still able to wreak limitless havoc beyond the grave. In the most vulnerable state, Freddy haunted the dreams of the teenagers of Elm Street, causing them to avoid the impossible―sleep. Not only did this movie create one of the most well-known villains in horror, it also introduced a well-known actor today, Johnny Depp. Craven went on to produce a series of these films, instilling generations of terror.
The “Scream” franchise
With Freddy Krueger being one of his most notable film series, Craven was able to match its success with the 1996 film “Scream.” The whodunit mystery follows the life of several high school students who are antagonized by a mysterious ghost-faced serial killer. This movie sparked several sequels and an ongoing TV series, “Scream,” on MTV. The series, which Craven was executive producer of until his death, dedicated its 10th episode to him.
Craven’s horror films had the uncanny ability of blurring the thin line between fantasy and reality. “The Last House on The Left” created that soul-wrenching fear is right next door. “The People Under the Stairs” made us question what really goes on in our neighbors houses. “Nightmare on Elm Street” gave us zero hope in feeling safe during anytime of the day, and “Scream” made us pay attention to how close our enemies really are. Craven transformed normal day-to-day activities into a macabre mayhem full of panic and suspense. Houses weren’t safe, dreams were reality, and friends were complete and utter foes. Craven instilled fear in the most innocent of ways. While the world continues to crave Craven’s eerily gruesome films, he leaves behind a legacy of horror that will never be matched.
WES CRAVEN DIRECTOR’S TIMELINE:
1972—The Last House on the Left
1975—The Fireworks Woman
1977—The Hills Have Eyes
1978—Stranger in Our House
1981—Deadly Blessing
1982—Swamp Thing
1984—A Nightmare on Elm Street
–Invitation to Hell
–The Hills Have Eyes Part II
1985—Chiller
1986—Deadly Friend
1988—The Serpent and the Radio
1989—Shocker
1990—Night Visions
1991—The People Under the Stairs
1994—New Nightmare
1995—Vampire in Brooklyn
1996—Scream
1997—Scream 2
1999—Music of the Heart
2000—Scream 3
2005—Cursed
2006—Paris, je t’aime
2010—My Soul to Take
2011—Scream 4
