When I first came up with the idea of setting out on this terrifyingly massive undertaking, I obviously asked myself the question: "Where do I start?" The answer was, at first, "A Nightmare on Elm Street." That series is my favorite horror series, after all, and it would make sense. Eventually, when the planning stages were actually underway, I changed my mind. I figured I'd save "Nightmare" for my birthday in November (and November would subsequently change considerably) and had made the decision to start with "The Exorcist" and the Possession sub-genre. Movies were bought. Lots of movies were bought.
Then, after arriving for my shift at work on August 30th, 2015, I discovered online that Wes Craven had tragically passed away from a disease that, since it was kept out of the public eye, nobody seemed to know he had.
So, two days before I would begin all of this, things changed dramatically.
It goes without saying that I didn't know Wes Craven. I never met him and now never will, and even if I had I probably wouldn't have gotten too personal with the guy. I'm just a horror geek who knew his work and little else about him. I don't think I've even read much about his personal life at all. I don't know what his political or social views are, I know he had children, that's pretty much it. So what position does that leave me in, as just a fan who didn't know the guy at all besides watching a lot of his movies?
Well, for one, I wish I had treated him better.
I've never been a particularly harsh critic. A friend once described as "notoriously reasonable" about film. That isn't to say I take it easy on film-I certainly don't-but I never hate movies on principle, and I never hate movies I haven't seen. I don't moan about remakes and reboots, I don't take actors or directors for granted (even when I should). But for some reason, something about Craven stuck in my craw.
For quite some time now I would more or less decry Craven's genius in conversation. "Craven is over-rated," I would say, "Sure he made some works of genius, but most of his films are actually pretty terrible." Now, knowing that it's over and Wes will never make another film, I find myself in a different mindset. I still believe the latter to be true-most of his films are terrible-but I realize now the former is actually not so true at all. Wes Craven isn't over-rated. He's rated exactly as highly as he should be.
You see, now that I'm thinking about it, I now realize the real truth is that those works of absolute genius are the more important variable in the equation. Sure, the guy made "Deadly Blessing" and "My Soul To Take." But that doesn't matter.
The guy created Freddy Kreuger. The character who has, bar none, surpassed any other boogeyman in horror fiction. A character who has transcended the genre and into pop culture consciousness. Sure, Robert Englund's performance was essential in bringing that to life but all of it came out of Craven's head and onto the page. That's incredibly important and influential. Not just to horror fiction, but to me personally.
"A Nightmare on Elm Street 3:Dream Warriors" was my first horror film. I was probably about ten or eleven years old and my Mother's boyfriend at the time showed me it one lazy summer afternoon. I fell in love with the genre, and with Kreuger (and Lisa Wilcox, after I watched "Dream Master"-my first crush). Craven didn't direct that film, but he did write an earlier draft of the film (along with Frank Darabont) that, allegedly, exists somewhat within the final product. But Freddy came from the imagination of Wes Craven, and I would never be the same.
"A Nightmare on Elm Street" changed horror fiction in a lot of ways, primarily in making horror films become a huge part of the public consciousness again. A new horror boom kicked off with the release of that little indy film that nobody believed in besides Craven and New Line Cinemas' Bob Shay. I once wrote a piece, again I was probably twelve or something, comparing the modern horror boogeymen with the old Universal Monsters. Freddy, of course, was Dracula. The one with the most personality. If you put them into some weird murderous Justice League, Freddy would be the leader, just as Dracula invariably always was. That's huge.
The film is a masterpiece, and that brings to mind one of the most mind-blowing things about Wes Craven: He had more than one masterpiece.
Wes would, years later, once again bring the horror genre out of a lull with "Scream." I have a weird relationship with "Scream" and it's sequels. I've never been a huge fan, I think it did more harm than good with his jabs, focusing more on the "What" and "How" of Horror but not the "Why" and the "Why" has always been the most important to me. But it's still a very good film, it's definitely enjoyable, it just isn't entirely for me. Really, I think I take more issue with the fans of the franchise than I do the film itself (mostly in that it made everybody "experts" for some reason).
The franchise became iconic incredibly quickly. While it may not have "revitalized" the genre creatively, as most fans suggest, it did remind studios that the genre is worth something financially and into the minds of the public. It's also very inclusive, in a way that many horror films aren't: it's smart and funny, and charming, and even people who don't really like horror films can find themselves enjoying it and that's a very powerful thing. It's, really, kind of everything.
So that might be why Craven is arguably THE name in horror film. A very good argument can be made for John Carpenter, but Michael Myers is no Freddy Krueger, so I think Craven takes the taco. Craven created not only one but two genre entries that transcended the genre to the mainstream, made people took notice of the genre, and united everyone for a few brief moments in a love of horror. I don't think any other film maker in the genre has ever accomplished anything like that, and may never will.
I regret not really understanding how important that was. Of course, he had no idea and likely wouldn't have cared if he did. But for me, I now feel like I have more appreciation of his work.
So, "Exorcist" and possessions will have to wait. I would be remiss if I didn't see the cosmic sign that is Craven's untimely death, and I would certainly be some sort of asshole if I didn't change direction and make the beginning of this year of horror project with a celebration of the work-good and bad- of the most important director of the genre so soon after his death. If nothing else, I deserve to watch "My Soul To Take" as part of my penance for decrying his influence. So, we'll begin tomorrow with the works of Wes Craven (alas, not a complete list of works: I simply couldn't find a couple things short notice). I'm actually kind of looking forward to it.
Craven's death won't change my reviews of those films. If it's bad, I'm going to make jokes about it and tell you why it's bad. I never believed that an absence of truth ever honored the memory of the dead. When it's good, I'll tell you why. I hope I can do his memory proud, even if nobody is paying attention (and nobody is).
Rest in peace, Wes Craven. Your work changed the world and inspired millions. You will be missed.
Wes Craven 1939-2015
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