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According to Wes Craven, scary movies do not cause fear, but rather allow for its release. He believed that these types of films served as a training ground for the mind, teaching individuals how to cope with fear in a safe, controlled environment.
Throughout his professional life, Craven, who passed away at 76 in 2015, created a number of highly influential horror films that have left a lasting impact on the 20th century. Starting from the intense and infamous cult classic The Last House on the Left (1972; Plex) to the sequel-generating, genre-defining blockbuster Scream (1996), Craven’s contributions to the genre cannot be overlooked. But despite his reputation as a master of horror, in real life, he appeared to be more like a gentle and wise educator rather than a frightening Hollywood filmmaker.
In 1989, I had the opportunity to meet Craven while conducting an interview in Los Angeles regarding his latest electro-themed movie, Shocker. As a freelance writer with little chance of having my work published, I was grateful for his willingness to give me an hour of his time. When I inquired about his reasoning for agreeing to the interview, he simply smiled and replied, “You seem enthusiastic, and I am always happy to lend a hand.” Over the next 25 years, I had the privilege of interviewing him multiple times for various publications, radio shows, and television documentaries. Each time, his message remained consistent – horror films can be a positive force in a world overcome by anxiety and fear.
Craven’s most well-known creation turns 40 this year. In 1984, A Nightmare on Elm Street introduced audiences to Freddy Krueger, a demon with a pizza-like face and razor-sharp claws, terrorizing the children of Springwood, Ohio in their dreams. The movie was promoted with the phrase “If Nancy doesn’t scream when she wakes up, she won’t wake up at all” and director Brian Yuzna called it the “peak of plastic reality” – a popular movement of surreal horror inspired by the works of David Cronenberg and Luis Buñuel. It also set the stage for Yuzna’s own 1989 horror masterpiece, Society.
These films depicted intangible fears manifesting as tangible entities, with Freddy’s character drawing inspiration from the unsettling Struwwelpeter and the ominous scissor man. Like his predecessors Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees, Freddy became a prominent figure in contemporary horror. However, he also had a specific purpose – to represent the wrongdoing of guilty parents and torment their innocent offspring.
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Despite their horrific elements, all of Craven’s notable works can be interpreted as relatable allegories, often centering around dysfunctional families and societal injustice. In the 1977 film The Hills Have Eyes, inspired by the Scottish myth of cannibal Sawney Bean, the roles of “savagery” and “civilization” are reversed when a suburban family encounters a mirror image of themselves while traveling through the Nevada desert. Similarly, in The People Under the Stairs (1991), which I witnessed firsthand the care Craven showed for his young cast on set, the gothic horror serves as a satirical commentary on gentrification, greed, and class division. It’s no surprise that alongside his horror films, Craven also directed Music of the Heart (1999), a poignant biopic about Roberta Guaspari, a pioneering music teacher in Harlem, which received Oscar nominations for Best Original Song (Diane Warren) and Best Actress (Meryl Streep).
Craven was known for being ahead of his time. In 1996, he cleverly broke down familiar horror conventions in Scream, inspiring numerous imitation films that aimed to replicate his combination of self-awareness and genuine fear. However, the origins of Scream can be traced back to Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994), where the creators of the Freddy Krueger franchise are tormented by the very character they brought to life after deciding to end the series. This may seem far-fetched, but the use of postmodern genre elements effectively convey a deeper commentary on society’s fascination with horrifying stories and the consequences when we lose that obsession.
The iconic character Freddy Krueger, portrayed by actor Robert Englund on screen, was originally inspired by Krug Stillo, played by David Hess, in Wes Craven’s film The Last House on the Left. Director Adam Simon’s documentary The American Nightmare (2000) argues that the success of brutal horror films like Night of the Living Dead (1968) and The Last House on the Left, which drew inspiration from Ingmar Bergman’s The Virgin Spring, was due to their ability to tap into the pent-up anger and social issues of late 60s and early 70s America, often with disturbing consequences.
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According to Craven, during the initial screening of Last House in the US, there were attempts by the audience to invade the projection booths and destroy the film. However, he expressed that he was not in favor of censorship and was actually pleased by the unscripted reaction. He believed that by portraying violence realistically and not glamorizing it like most Hollywood films do, they were delivering an honest message. Years later, when Craven left a showing of Reservoir Dogs due to excessive violence, Tarantino took delight in informing the press that the director of Last House on the Left had walked out of his movie.
In the UK, I played a minor part in the fame of Last House. When a UK distributor challenged the 16-second cuts made by the BBFC in 2002 for the formerly banned film, I was requested to provide a report on the film’s historical significance. As a result, the BBFC increased the cuts by two-fold. When I apologized to Craven for accidentally hindering his film’s chance of being released uncut due to my actions in 1989, he responded with the same kind smile he had given me in the previous century and said, “Well, at least you were enthusiastic and wanted to assist.”
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