Happy Birthday, Wes Craven! Born today in 1939 as Wesley Earl "Wes" Craven, this American novelist, actor and filmmaker was known for his pioneering work in the horror genre, particularly slasher films.
It was here that he mixed horror clichés with humor and satire. His impact on the genre was considered prolific and highly influential.
Due to the success and cultural impact of his works, Craven has been called a "Master of Horror".
Craven earned an undergraduate degree in English and psychology from Wheaton College in Illinois and a master's degree in philosophy and writing from Johns Hopkins University.
Craven earned an undergraduate degree in English and psychology from Wheaton College in Illinois and a Master's Degree in philosophy and writing from Johns Hopkins University.
Craven later briefly taught English at Westminster College and was a humanities professor at Clarkson College of Technology (later named Clarkson University) in Potsdam, New York. He additionally taught at Madrid-Waddington High School in Madrid, New York.
During this time, Craven purchased a used 16 mm film camera and began making short films. This was after his friend, American singer/songwriter Steve Chapin, informed him of a messenger position at a New York City film production company.
This was where Chapin's brother, American future folk rock and pop rock singer/songwriter, humanitarian and self-music producer Harry Chapin worked.
Craven later moved into the building, where his friend Steve lived at 136 Hicks St. in Brooklyn Heights. Craven's first creative job in the film industry was as a sound editor.
In 1964, Craven married his first wife Bonnie Broecker and produced two children: The first was American writer and director Jonathan Craven.
The second was American actress Jessica Craven. She was a singer-songwriter in the American folk-rock and harmony duo group the Chapin Sisters.
After Craven's divorce, he left the academic world for the more lucrative role of pornographic film director.
While his role in the 1972 American pornographic film 'Deep Throat' is undisclosed, most of his early known work involved writing, film editing, or both.
Craven's debut feature film as writer and director was the 1972 American exploitation horror slasher/thriller film 'The Last House on the Left'.
Craven expected the film to be shown at only a few theaters, which according to him "gave me a freedom to be outrageous, and to go into areas that normally I wouldn't have gone into, and not worry about my family hearing about it, or being crushed."
Ultimately the film was screened much more widely than he assumed, leaving him ostracized due to the content of the film. On a budget of only $87,000, 'Last House' earned $3.1 million at the box office.
After the negative experience of 'Last House', Craven attempted to move out of the horror genre, and began writing non-horror films with his partner. This was American filmmaker, director, producer and writer Sean S. Cunningham, none of which attracted any financial backing.
Finally, based on advice from a friend about the ease of filming in the Nevada deserts, Craven began to write a new horror film based on that locale.
The resulting film was the first film of which Craven is best known, being the 1977 American cult classic horror film 'The Hills Have Eyes'.
Craven based the film's script on the legend of Scottish cannibal Alexander "Sawney" Bean, which Craven viewed as illustrating how supposedly civilized people could become savage.
Upon release, the film had cemented Craven as a "horror film director". Craven late noted "It soon became clear that I wasn't going to do anything else unless it was scary".
On a budget of $250,000, the film earned $25 million at the box office.
Reviews for the film were mostly positive, with critics praising its tense narrative and humor. Some critics have interpreted the film as containing commentary on morality and American politics, and the film has since become a cult classic.
Seven years later, Craven's wrote and directed the second film of which he is best known.
This was the 1984 American horror mystery/slasher fantasy film 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' (also known as 'Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street'). Cunningham directed one of the chase scenes, although he was not credited.
Upon release, 'Nightmare' turned out to be a staple classic horror film of the genre that launched a film franchise with eight sequels.
The film had also co-starred Johnny Depp (Glen Lantz) in his film debut as the boyfriend of heroine Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp).
Later that same year, Craven married his second wife, being American actress Mimi Craven.
Three years later, Craven and Mimi were divorced in 1987, with Craven stating in interviews that the marriage dissolved after he discovered it "was no longer anything but a sham".
Today, critics praise the ability of 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' to transgress "the boundaries between the imaginary and real", toying with audience perceptions.
Craven's works tend to share a common exploration of the nature of reality. For example, 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' dealt with the consequences of dreams in real life.
'A Nightmare on Elm Street' was met with rave critical reviews and is considered to be one of the greatest horror films ever made, spawning a franchise consisting of six sequels, a television series, a crossover with 'Friday the 13th, and various other merchandise.
In the seventh installment of the franchise, the 1994 American slasher fantasy/mystery horror film 'New Nightmare' (also known as Wes Craven's New Nightmare'), the film has Langenkamp play herself as she is haunted by the villain of the film in which she once starred.
At one point in the film, the audience sees on Craven's word processor a script he has written, which includes the conversation he just had with Heather—as if the script were being written as the action unfolds.
In the mid 1990s, Craven directed the third and a final film of which he is best known. This was the 1996 American mystery/slasher horror film 'Scream'.
Written by American screenwriter, filmmaker and actor Kevin Williamson, the characters in the film frequently reference horror films similar to their situations.
The film also included a scene, (albeit a quirky cameo), with Craven as the high school janitor, wearing a red striped sweater and donning a fedora as a nod to his most notable horror character creation.
Craven stated in interviews that he received calls from agents telling him that if he left that scene in, he would never work again.
'Scream' was credited with revitalizing the horror genre in the 1990s, which was considered to be almost dead following an influx of direct-to-video titles and numerous sequels to established horror franchises of the 1970s and 1980s.
These sequels drew decreasing financial and critical success, as they exploited clichés upon which films in the genre had become reliant.
Craven and Cunningham's characters, Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees, later appeared together in the 2003 American mystery/slasher horror film 'Freddy vs. Jason'.
The following year, Craven married his third wife being American film producer Iya Labunka. She frequently worked as a producer on her husband's films. They would remain married until Craven's passing.
In the 2005 American documentary film 'Inside Deep Throat', Craven says on camera that he made "many hardcore X-rated films" under pseudonyms.
Although known for directing horror/thriller films, Craven had worked on two films which are outside this genre.
Most notably, he served as one of the twenty-two directors responsible for the 2006 French/Liechtenstein/Swiss/German/American drama/romance anthology film 'Paris, je t'aime' ('Paris, I Love You').
He had directed the segment 'Père-Lachaise', named after the largest cemetery in Paris. With more that 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world.
Four years late, a remake of 'A Nightmare on Elm Street', under the same name, was released in 2010. The film was made under the production company Platinum Dunes, of which was co-created by Michael Bay.
Craven had been active from 1971–2015.
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