Wes Craven
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
This was one of the first movies I remember truly scaring me. “Nightmare” is right – Freddy Krueger haunted my dreams for months every time I’d watch it. And I’d watch it often, because it was also one of the first movies that made me realize…I love being scared.
Wes Craven truly understood how to scare his audience. Every aspect of the movie works in concert to evoke the most fear possible… the background music is perfect (that nursery rhyme sticks in your head in just the worst way), the sound effects are chilling (those “finger-knives” scraping across metal get me every time), and the pacing keeps you at the edge of your seat from beginning to end.
Cursed (2005)
Cursed is a very 2005 Kevin Williamson/Wes Craven production that ends up more Dawson’s Creek than Freddy Krueger. Joshua Jackson and all.
That said, I still really like it. The dialogue is cheesy and hard to swallow (I don’t think Kevin Williamson has ever quite figured out sibling relationships in his writing), but the acting is great. And the cast has a lot of relatively big names – Christina Ricci, a pre-fame Jesse Eisenberg, Judy Greer, Portia de Rossi. Oh, and of course Shannon Elizabeth.
Deadly Blessing (1981)
Okay, I know I said last week that it’s hard to go wrong with Wes Craven, but this one kind of did.
Deadly Friend (1986)
I’m going to be so honest right now that I’m watching this the day after the US presidential election and I am certain that’s having a major impact on how I feel about this film…but I found it so weird and funny and entertaining.
My Soul to Take (2010)
I may be biased towards anything Wes Craven, but I liked this movie. It wasn’t quite as haunting as A Nightmare on Elm Street, but it was a relatively original story with a decent cast (Frank Grillo is always awesome…and Max Thieriot delivers the quiet creeper like no one else), and Wes Craven’s direction and use of background music elevate it above the typical teen slasher flick.
Sure, the pacing is weird (and changes halfway through) and the dialogue is only partly believable, but Wes Craven yet again delivers terror just under the surface – the idea that one of your friends could be a murderer unbeknownst to you? The idea that…you could be a murderer unbeknownst to you?
Scream (1996)
I’m so glad this movie turned twenty years old this year, albeit almost at the end.
Scream 2 (1997)
Look, I don’t think anything was ever going to live up to the first movie, not even (especially not?) a sequel as self-aware as this one. And it doesn’t, but it’s fine.
Honestly, as soon as the opening scene started, I remembered most of this movie, which probably didn’t improve this viewing for me. But it’s fine. The movie, I mean. It’s just fine.
Scream 3 (2000)
Oh, did I forget to mention yesterday that I’d be watching all the remaining movies from the Scream franchise this week? Hope you don’t mind!
I’m a little worried I might mind by the end of it…I’m not sure I ever saw this one or Scream 4. Some scenes felt familiar but it could just be because there’s not a whole lot of “new” in this.
Scream 4 (2011)
Well, that’s kind of a bummer…this is the first installment I could barely make it through. And it’s the last film Wes Craven directed. Both the last film in the Scream series directed by him, and the last film he ever directed.
Shocker (1989)
I really wanted to like this more than I did. It has Mitch Pileggi! And Peter Berg! And an interesting storyline!
The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
I must be getting to the part of the year where I’m tired and I don’t have much to say. I still don’t have much to say about this one.
The Last House on the Left (1972)
This movie is hard to watch. Not in the normal, almost tongue-in-cheek way I usually say it. There’s nothing wrong with this movie, but the things it depicts…well, there’s a lot wrong there. There’s no need for fancy special effects here, and while there’s not a whole lot of gore, there are several graphic, disturbing scenes.
For a directorial debut, this was quite a statement. If Wes Craven was here for anything, it was to scare as many people as possible.
The People Under the Stairs (1991)
After watching this for the first time tonight, I’m wondering how had I not seen this before tonight? It must be the end of the year, because I’m pretty sure I’ve used that joke before.