Thanks for the screamories. Remembering Wes Craven.

Wes Craven’s “Nightmare on Elm Street” films and its scarred face killer would become synopsis with horror films

If you were asked to name a horror director, your first thought may be Wes Craven. Over the course of four decades, he has given us some amazing horror films including “The Hills Have Eyes”, “Wishmaster”, “The Last House on the Left” and the popular “Nightmare on Elm Street” franchise. In his early life, Wes earned an undergraduate degree in English and Psychology, for which he later received a master’s degree and briefly taught English at Westminster College in Pennsylvania. He left academics to begin a career in directing. Craven’s first feature film was “The Last House on the Left” in 1972. He often collaborated with Sean S. Cunningham, known for creating the “Friday the 13th” franchise. Cunningham served as producer for “The Last House on the Left” and later, directed one of the chase scenes in “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” Their characters would later face each other in “Freddy vs. Jason”. With “Nightmare Elm Street”, Wes Craven launched the career of Johnny Depp and made Robert Englund and the character Freddy Krueger into horror icons. Robert would work with Craven four more times for the films Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors, A New Nightmare, Wish master and the crossover film Freddy vs. Jason. Wes Craven has also created the Scream franchise which has gone on to become one of the most successful horror franchises in film and birth another icon, Ghost face.

Freddy Krueger, portrayed by Robert Englund, has become to most recognized face in horror.

Craven’s works tend to share a common exploration of the nature of reality. “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, for example, dealt with the consequences of dreams in real life. “New Nightmare” plays around with the “fourth wall” element by having actress Heather Langenkamp play herself as she is haunted by the villain of the film in which she once starred. At one point in the film, the audience sees on Wes Craven’s word processor a script he has written, which includes the exact conversation he just had with Heather — as if the script was being written in tune with the film’s progression. “The Serpent and the Rainbow” portrays a man who cannot distinguish between nightmarish visions and reality.

In “Scream”, the characters frequently reference horror films similar to their situations, and at one point Billy Loomis tells his girlfriend that life is just a big movie. This concept was emphasized in the sequels, as copycat stalkers reenact the events of a new film about the Woodsboro killings occurring in the first film. “Scream” included a scene mentioning the well-known Richard Gere urban legend. Craven stated in interviews that he received calls from agents telling him that if he left that scene in, he would never work again.

Wes Craven directed Scream 4.

Freddy’s popularity would lead to him being featured in the bloody fighting game franchise “Mortal Kombat”

Both Craven’s characters Freddy Krueger and Ghostface, along with Sean S. Cunningham’s Jason Voorhees, would become staples in pop culture, appearing in costume shops, TV shows, parodies and video games. The “Scream” franchise was parodied by Keenan Ivory Wayans for his “Scary Movie” films. Scream has currently been adapted into a TV series running on MTV in which the 10th episode will be dedicated to Wes Caven. Both Freddy and Jason have been parodied in Seth MacFarland’s “Family Guy” and Seth Green stop motion satire “Robot Chicken”, and have appeared in the current installments of the popular fighting game franchise “Mortal Kombat.” “Nightmare on Elm Street” was also adapted into a TV series. “Freddy’s Nightmares” featured Robert Englund reprising his role in which he served as a background character rather than the main antagonist. Craven would return to direct the remakes of his classic films “The Hills have Eyes” and its sequel, and “The Last House on the Left”.

It was announced earlier in August that Robert Englund would reprise his role as Freddy Krueger since the franchise is being rebooted by New Line Cinema as well as please fans still disgruntled over the 2012 remake of “Nightmare”. What direction the reboot will go without Wes behind the wheel is anyone’s guess.

Wes Craven died of brain cancer on August 30 at age 76. He will be best remembered as a visionary, a creative genius and most of all, for scaring the crap out of us and making it hard to sleep at night. Thanks for the scares, Mr. Craven.

Robert posted on Twitter a few kinds words about Wes Craven.

Robert B. Englund ‏@RobertBEnglund 19h19 hours ago
RIP Wes Craven, my director, my friend. A brilliant, kind, gentle and very funny man. A sad day on Elm St and everywhere. I’ll miss him.

Robert B. Englund ‏@RobertBEnglund 18h18 hours ago
Hollywood’s lost a rare species in Wes Craven. The true Gentleman.