Wes Craven

[plissken99]

This is a discussion about the films of Wes Craven, same style as the John Carpenter thread. Since these are my two favorite horror directors, I felt Wes should have one. Since Notoriousaurus really phrased the disclaimer best, I'll just copy him.

The purpose being to foster intelligent discussion of films without resorting to "It's a piece of crap." or "It's the greatest film ever." (And so that we all can gain a bit of a film education from everyone.)

****SPOILER WARNING**** of course this entire thread is going to be full of spoilers.

Last House on the Left. I know this movie has a following, but it's just so horrible. I can handle violence, as long as it's done at least fairly well, this movie contains lousy acting, no rythem(mixing unfunny commedy with unneffive mayhem) and more amatuer than most amatuer works.

Hills Have Eyes. He shows promise here. While not a classic on par with other simular movies, it shows some style and balls.

Swamp Thing. A decent effort, but nothing special, you'd hardly know it was a Wes Craven movie.

Nightmare on Elm Street. My absolute favorite slasher film. Jason, Michael, Chucky and Leatherface can't touch Freddy. The first one is probably Wes' best work ever. The atmosphere is great, the acting isn't bad for all new actors, and Freddy is well, Freddy. Shame Craven didn't stick with these movies, as he could have made the sequals much better as shown in New Nightmare. I do love all the seqauls however(barring part 2), I've even got a real Freddy glove signed by Robert Englund!

Serpent and the Rainbow. This is a very underrated movie IMO. It's all very well done, and scary as hell.

Shocker. This one I find enyoyable enough, but it is as other have said an effort to create another Freddy in Horace Pinker, but lighting didn't strike twice(pun intended) on this one.

People under the Stairs. This one is a fond memory for me. I saw it in theaters when I was 8 I think, and it was the first movie to gross me out, so much I had to leave the theater for a minute(the part where the crazed Dad is eating the guy hanging upside down). Not a great movie by any means, but a very enjoyable one.

Wes Craven's New Nightmare. The greatest Freddy movie since the first, equaling it IMO. Sadly, Craven hasn't done anything as good since, but he re-enviosoned the story remarkably well, and it was nice to see him direct Freddy again.

Vampire in Brooklyn. I liked it. I know many hate it, but I enjoyed it for what it was.

Scream Trilogy. I loved the first one. Seeing it in theaters was the first time I was 'on the edge of my seat' in a movie, wondering who dun it, and even a few jump moments that actually made me jump(something I pretty much never do). It's funny because when this came out, I heard nary a negative review or talked to someone who disliked it. Then later for some reason, it became a target for bashing. I don't know how that happened, or why. The sequals just didn't have as much steam. Part 2 had some good moments, but part 3 felt like everyone was phoning it in(acting and directing wise).

If John Carpenter is a consistent filmamaker, Wes Craven is just the opposite. Carpenter makes lots of good films. Craven makes lots of duds and ok films, between great ones.

Please forgive any grammer issues, my eyes hurt, and I don't feel like correcting anything.

[Emos-Edud]

While Craven does have a few great and good movies, the man is no Carpenter. But he should be happy being a Craven as most of us would be happy being half a Craven. My favorite 80s franchise is Nightmare on Elm Street, so I have a trmemndous amount of respect for the man's contribution to American horror. Oh and that violin movie was genius. :flush:

I've heard that his new werewolf movie was almost entirely reshot due to extreme lameness. Other reports have it that there was never a final script and that it was pretty much made up as they went along. I gather it is more in the vein of New Nightmare and the Scream Trilogy. Not necessarily a bad thing, I'm down with po-mo self-reference. However, I wish he would surprise us and himself and do something really nasty and mean again. Scream had moments of extreme cruelty, but I think he is capable of much more. I think he knows this himself, given his demeanor on the Last House documentaries. He might be afraid to get back there. I'll give the new flick a chance, regardless. It can't possibly be another Vampire in Brooklyn.

[psychomoviecollector]

My thoughs:
Nightmare on Elm Street- This is among the finest pieces of modern horror, and it was groundbreaking, to say the least. This was masterfully crafted, it had great death sequences, and showcased the best of Robert Englund's work.

Shocker- By far, Craven's weakest work in memory. This was a laughable attempt to create a horrific serial killer movie. This was not only non-violent, but the dialogue was among the worst written, and the fx were too cheap.

People Under the Stairs- A very original and very brilliant horror film. Rather than stick to the usual supernatuaral serial killer, which had been so prevalent in some of his earlier works, and chose to shock viewers using brutal and disturbing imagery. And while I cannot claim to have been frightened by this film, it certainly left a mark on me.

Scream- The first time I saw this, I was highly dissapointed, and found it to be too mild. After reflecting upon my viewing experience and having been a big Craven fan from seeing NOES and the People Under the Stairs, I elected to re-watch it. It was then that I understood its importance to the horror genre, and it changed the way I viewed 80's horror films. Now I have plans to buy an uncut version, same movie with the restored gore that the american R rated print lacked.

Scream 2&3- These were both okay, but they didn't have the same effect as the first film. They were weaker, less original, and they were less entertaining.

New Nightmare- A fairly creative sequal to the stunning NOES film, and yet, it couldn't hold a candle to the original. I liked the fresh take on Freddy, the alteration of settings, and a further showcasing of Englund's skills.