Wes Craven Movies
One of the horror genre's best-known and most celebrated directors, Wes Craven has been widely credited with reinventing the teen horror movie. Initially gaining fame and notoriety for his Nightmare on Elm Street series in the 1980s, Craven enjoyed a second wave of popularity in the 1990s with his phenomenally successful Scream series, which spoofed the teen horror genre even as they revived it. The films kicked off a trend in teen horror films, inspiring any number of imitators that, for the most part, failed to live up to Craven's own work.A product of a strict Baptist upbringing in Cleveland, OH, Craven received a B.A. in Psychology and Education from Wheaton College and earned an M.A. in Philosophy from Johns Hopkins University. After teaching humanities for awhile, Craven plunged into filmmaking as a production assistant and editor for several "B" companies. He made his directorial debut with Last House on the Left (1972), a gruesome little effort that, to put it mildly, affected different people in different ways. Some viewers found this repellently staged "revenge for rape" story profound, citing the fact that Craven based the movie on Ingmar Bergman's Virgin Spring; others, including such mainstream commentators as Leonard Maltin, have condemned Last House on the Left as utter excrement. No matter how one felt about Craven, however, one could not deny his power to manipulate his audience. This power was further evidenced with The Hills Have Eyes (1977), which again met with radically divided opinions -- and made a fortune.
With Swamp Thing (1982), Craven graduated to big budgets, and also revealed a gift for comedy. Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) was an equally effective blend of gore and grim humor which spawned several sequels and served to introduce the world to Freddy Krueger, vengeful specter par excellence. The popularity of the film and its sequels established Craven as a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood, although he was only directly involved with two of the six sequels. In 1994, he directed Wes Craven's New Nightmare, a Pirandellian affair in which he and Nightmare cast regulars Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, and John Saxon played "themselves" -- as did Freddy Kruger!
Two years later, Craven experienced another milestone in his career with Scream. The success of the film and its numerous imitators effectively established Craven as a hot mainstream commodity, and he followed the film with the equally successful (though not as critically praised) Scream 2 the following year. In 1999, he effected a radical departure from the genre with The Music of the Heart, a sentimental drama that starred Meryl Streep as a violin teacher who brings music to the lives of children in Spanish Harlem. The film was quickly dismissed by audiences and critics alike, and, in 2000, Craven returned to more familiar territory with Scream 3, the latest in his in saga of hip, ironic terror. When production difficulties and poor audience reaction resulted in Cursed failing to do for werewolf films what the Scream franchise did for slashers, Craven quickly switched gears to Hitchcockian suspense for the airborne thriller Red Eye. Lean, mean, and ultimately fairly forgettable, Red Eye did manage to keep viewers on the edge of their seats for (a scant) 85 minutes even if it didn't exactly have the legs to leave a lasting impression. Nevertheless, Red Eye did hold a special place in Craven's heart as during filming the director was wed to film producer Iya Labunka.
Back on the writing block, Craven would adapt Kiyoshi Kurosawa's apocalyptic 2001 shocker Pulse for American consumption before allowing his 1977 screenplay for The Hills Have Eyes to be updated by High Tension screenwriting duo Alexandre Aja and Gregory Levasseur. The updated version was such a success that it gave birth to a sequel, The Hills Have Eyes 2, which was released in 2007.
Craven has occasionally curbed his stomach-churning tendencies (though not his willingness to run viewers through an emotional wringer) with his television work, including selected episodes of the Twilight Zone revival of the mid-'80s. In 1989, Craven produced a sitcom, The People Next Door, about a cartoonist who had the ability to imagine his drawings into existence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2006
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For decades fright fans have cowered in horror as vicious killers stalked their helpless prey in the cold flicker of the projector bulb and in darkened living rooms with the curtains firmly drawn. Now, for anyone who has ever wondered just what motivated the filmmakers behind these brutal classics, this look at the history of the modern slasher film offers demented insight into some of the most terrifying motion pictures ever released. From Psycho to the giallo genre to Freddy Vs. Jason, Going to Pieces offers a comprehensive overview of the entire slasher genre as discussed by such horror luminaries as Wes Craven, John Carpenter, Sean S. Cunningham, and Rob Zombie. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2006
Master of horror Wes Craven offers a lighter and more whimsical take on the supernatural in this short film, which transpires in the Pere-Lachaise cemetery. It concerns a young man who receives romantic advice from a most unexpected source. Part of the anthology film Paris, Je T'Aime, Père-Lachaise stars Emily Mortimer and Rufus Sewell. Other contributors to the project include Gus Van Sant and the Coen Brothers. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emily Mortimer, Rufus Sewell, (more)
- 2006
Vincenzo Natali, the filmmaker behind the mind-bending cult classic Cube, contributed this film to the collection Paris, Je T'Aime. Starring Elijah Wood and Olga Kurylenko, Quartier de la Madeleine observes a creepy and very bloody romance that transpires between a young backpacker and a female vampire whom he encounters late one night. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elijah Wood, Olga Kurylenko, (more)
- 2004
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The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Editing teaches the viewer how editors compile strips of film in order to create memorable moviegoing experiences. In addition to interviews with a variety of respected and award-winning editors, the movie offers clips form some of the most memorable films in the history of the artform. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathy Bates
In the late '60s, the tone of American horror films began to shift in the wake of the startling success of George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead -- horror films became gorier, bleaker, and began to subtly reflect the political and social upheaval gripping the country. Through the '70s and '80s, films like Last House on the Left, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Halloween held a distorted mirror up to American culture, reflecting its fear and chaos in the wake of Vietnam and Watergate. The American Nightmare is a documentary that looks at the transgressive horror films of the '60s and '70s and the people who made them. Directors Wes Craven, Tobe Hooper, and David Cronenberg, special effects man Tom Savini, and film critics Tom Gunning and Adam Lowenstein are among those interviewed by director Adam Simon. The American Nightmare was produced for the premium cable outlet The Independent Film Channel. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George A. Romero, John Carpenter, (more)
- 1999
This documentary is a loving look at the cinematic genius of Alfred Hitchcock. Speeding through much of his early British works, the film focuses on his American classics, such as Marnie, Vertigo, and particularly Psycho. The movie also neatly examines Hitchcock's signature touches, from his inevitable brief cameo to his famous MacGuffin. Kevin Spacey narrates, and there are interviews with such film figures as Jonathan Demme, Peter Bogdanovich, and Janet Leigh. Dial H for Hitchcock was screened at the 1999 Denver Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Spacey, Jonathan Demme, (more)
Traumatized by the death of her sister, who smashed through a loose railing and plummetted down a steep cliff, Carla Engel (Megan Ward) has developed a debilitating fear of heights. On the advice of a therapist, Carla joins a support group consisting of others suffering from acrophobia. Then, one by one, the members of the group are killed--each of them falling to his or her death. A bizarre coincidence? Or is someone deliberately, and literally, trying to literally push Carla completely over the edge? With the name Wes Craven in the film's title, that question virtually answers itself. Don't Look Down first aired October 29, 1998, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Horror virtuoso John Carpenter hosts this goofy horror anthology, originally produced for Showtime as a gory stepchild of HBO's Tales from the Crypt series. Playing an emaciated, eye-rolling "coroner," John introduces the audience to a triptych of creepy vignettes in the EC horror-comics mode while paddling about in the guts of assorted cadavers and cracking jokes more gag-inducing than anything oozing on the slab. Two of the stories are directed by Carpenter himself: "The Gas Station" is a retread (pun intended) of Halloween-style scare tactics as a pretty gas-station attendant watches various oddballs pass by her window after hearing that an escaped killer is on the loose; "Hair" is a morbid, hilarious look at man's obsession with his own virility in which Stacy Keach turns to a bizarre hair-growth clinic (run by David Warner & Debbie Harry) which promises instant results, but at a horrific price. The third segment, directed by Tobe Hooper, involves a baseball player (Mark Hamill) who receives an eye transplant after a car accident and soon begins having optical flashbacks revealing (you guessed it) the identity and tendencies of the eye's former owner -- a serial killer. The second segment is by far the most entertaining, featuring a wonderfully neurotic performance by Keach, but the first and last chapters are too derivative to offer much for the discriminating horror buff, although the same fans will enjoy several cute cameos from other genre directors, including Wes Craven, Sam Raimi and Roger Corman. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Night Visions is a serial-killer-at-large TV movie starring James Remar and Loryn Locklin. Remar portrays the tough LA cop on the case. Ms. Locklin is a psychic, engaged by the police in a desperate effort to ferret out the killer. Unfortunately the psychic borders on the psychotic; her visions seem tinged by her own miserable past experience--and by the fact that she has multiple personalities. This reasonably original premise rapidly dwindles down to predictability; its happy ending was dictated by the fact that the film was the pilot for an unsold series. Night Visions was directed by Wes Craven, who was required by network edicts to tone down the gleeful gore which permeated his Nightmare on Elm Street films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
No one should have been surprised that the Nightmare on Elm Street horror-flick series would spawn a weekly TV anthology. Nor was anyone amazed that the TV version wasn't quite up to the gory level of the original. Still, the 44-episode Freddy's Nightmares had plenty of shocks and scares for the unwary. On this evening's program, the repulsive Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) explains how he became the bon vivant and fashion plate whom we know and hate so well. Freddy's ramblings lead into the evening's drama, all about a fellow who decides that the best way to get ahead is to stomp on everyone in his path. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Freddy's Nightmares was a two-season TV anthology, loosely inspired by the Nightmare on Elm Street movie series. Robert Englund hosted as the unspeakable Freddy Krueger, spiked glove and all. The TV program was never quite as gruesome as its movie counterpart, but it was still not to be watched alone on a gloomy night. In "Lucky Stiff", Freddy prattles on about a young woman who wins a lottery. As the subsequent drama unfolds, we learn that our heroine's windfall was anything but lucky. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
To allay potential criticism of the Freddy's Nightmares TV anthology, executive producer Wes Craven attached a disclaimer. Unlike the Nightmare on Elm Street films that spawned the series, Freddy's Nightmares would never depict the murder of anyone under the age of 18. Thank goodness for small favors. In this 60-minute episode, the unspeakable Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) decides to celebrate Halloween with a few "friends". He throws an impromptu party in a medical school morgue, whereupon the script segues into the evening's drama, all about a trick-or-treat scheme which goes horribly awry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
"Dreams That Kill" is an episode of the syndicated TV anthology Freddy's Nightmares. You've guessed it; the series was spun off from the popular (and gruesome) Nightmare on Elm Street films. Robert Englund repeats his screen role as the hideous Freddy Krueger, though he's not quite as homicidal on the small screen. In this 60-minute installment, Freddy announces that he wants to become a talk show host. This devices segue into the evening's drama, a story of...well, of dreams that kill. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
"It's My Party and You'll Die If I Want You To" was one of the earlier entries of the 44-episode TV anthology Freddie's Nightmares. If you've guessed that this syndicated series was a spin-off of the Nightmare on Elm Street films, you're right. You're also right if you've deduced that the hideous Freddy Krueger -- aka Robert Englund -- is the host. This time out, Freddy materializes at his 20-year high school reunion. After a few wretched puns about death and murder, Freddy introduces us to the evening's drama: the story of a high school nerd's revenge, two decades after the fact. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Sponsored by the publishers of Fangoria magazine, this documentary explores the world of horror-film conventions. Interviewed are such celebrities as make-up expert Tom Savini and directors Tobe Hooper and Wes Craven. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
This made-for-TV effort from horror director Wes Craven and Salem's Lot producer Richard Kobritz involves a case of cryogenic suspension gone horribly wrong. A wealthy industrialist (Michael Beck) arranges for his body to be kept on ice in a high-tech cryonic chamber with specialized instructions regarding his revival at a future date when medical science can restore him to life. Thanks to a computer malfunction, these instructions are not followed properly, and Beck emerges from the frozen crypt as an empty, soulless creature and a vessel of pure evil with an appetite for destruction. So evil, in fact, that his own mother (Beatrice Straight) decides he must be destroyed and sets out to do the deed herself. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
This minor made-for-TV effort from horror auteur Wes Craven is one of the oddest attempts at seriously blending supernatural horror and science fiction elements, which amounts to a muddled but amusing failure. The convoluted plot involves scientist Robert Urich's experiments with a new spacesuit designed to detect non-human lifeforms for a proposed expedition to Venus. When a sultry succubus (Susan Lucci, who was born for such a role) begins exerting her demonic influence on the members of a country club -- including Urich's wife and children -- he dons the completed suit for a literal journey into hell itself to rescue them. Craven's skill manages to elevate this loopy premise slightly above the level of pure nonsense, but low production values and the constraints of TV censorship prevent it from being adequately explored. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Lucci, Robert Urich, (more)
Notable as an early effort from renowned horror filmmaker Wes Craven, this made-for-TV occult thriller was loosely adapted from a novel by Lois Duncan. Star Linda Blair -- whose film career had taken a detour into TV-movie territory after her legendary bow in The Exorcist -- returns to the demon-possession genre as a teenager who can't seem to convince her parents that her visiting southern-belle cousin (Lee Purcell) is an evil witch. Purcell's diabolical meddling seems focused entirely on the innocent Blair, who loses both her prize horse and her boyfriend to the scheming sorceress before the rest of the family catches on. Though Craven's well-known extremism is curbed by the limitations of television, his talent at generating high-intensity suspense is still evident, making this a modestly entertaining horror item. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1971
This satire follows the exploits of a young hippy who goes looking for Life's meaning in Central Park. There he is accosted by a corpulent black woman while he watches a young man moon an old woman while she curses at him. He then goes on to have more adventures that lead him to marry a kindred spirit, get a job, and begin raising a daughter. Things are fine until he loses his job, gets abandoned by his wife, and must raise his girl alone. He ends up back in the park pondering the meaning of it all. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 2009
- R
A notorious serial killer uses his dying breath to place a deadly curse on a small town in this shocker from legendary horror director Wes Craven (Scream, A Nightmare on Elm Street). It's been 16 years since the maniac who terrorized Riverton met his grim demise. Seven children were born on the night he died, and he vowed that he would return one day to claim them all. Like clockwork, exactly 16 years later, the children born that fateful night begin vanishing without a trace. Could the killer have somehow cheated death the night that everyone thought he was killed, or has he perhaps been reincarnated as one of seven teens he swore to kill? Only one person knows the answer to that burning question. Adam "Bug" Heller (Max Thieriot) never knew how close he came to death the night his father went on that bloody rampage, and despite remaining completely unaware of the atrocities that mar his family bloodline, he's suffered terrifying nightmares from as far back as he can remember. Now, in order to save his friends, Bug will be forced to confront the evil that won't stop until it accomplishes the awful task it set out to complete on the night he was born. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Max Thieriot
A pair of teenage girls are brutally raped and terrorized by a vicious gang of psychopaths, who subsequently find their cruelty returned tenfold when they seek sanctuary in the home of one of the victim's parents in this contemporary reworking of Wes Craven's controversial 1972 shocker. Shortly after arriving at her family's secluded lake house, Mari Collingwood (Sara Paxton) and her best friend are abducted by a sadistic prison escapee and his violent crew. Left for dead and nearly in shock after suffering unspeakable abuse at the hands of her captors, Mari realizes that her only hope for survival is to find her way back home. Unfortunately for Mari, her attackers have unwittingly arrived at her parents' home seeking shelter from the authorities. There, Mari's concerned parents, John (Tony Goldwyn) and Emma (Monica Potter), realize to their horror just what grim fate has befallen their beloved daughter. Suppressing their rage in order to lure the killers into a deadly trap, John and Emma quietly hatch a plan to make the three strangers suffer for their grisly transgressions. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Goldwyn, Monica Potter, (more)
A naïve group of National Guard trainees embark on a routine training mission in the New Mexico desert, only to find themselves face to face with a murderous band of cannibalistic mutants in prolific music video director Martin Weisz's sequel to the successful 2006 remake. An isolated desert research camp has been mysteriously abandoned, and now it's up to an elite unit of soldiers to uncover the truth about the scientists who vanished without a trace. Their attention soon diverted by a distress signal emitting from a distant mountain range, the squadron quickly regroups and sets out to investigate. Unbeknownst to the soldiers, however, is the fact that these are the very same hills where the Carter family recently fell prey to a flesh-eating pack of hideously deformed mutants. As the ranks of the cavalry unit steadily begin to dwindle, it soon becomes obvious that their guns provide little defense from an evil driven by hunger to commit the ultimate crime against humanity. Original Hills Have Eyes and Hills Have Eyes, Part 2 writer/director Wes Craven teams with son Jonathan to script this grim and unforgiving tale of man versus mutant. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael McMillian, Jessica Stroup, (more)
