Wesley Earl Craven (August 2, 1939-August 30, 2015) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor.
He was primarily known for creating the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise (1984-2010) and directing the first four films in the Scream franchise (1996-2011). He also directed cult classics The Last House on the Left (1972) and The Hills Have Eyes (1977), the horror comedy The People Under the Stairs (1991), and psychological thriller Red Eye (2005). His other notable films include Swamp Thing (1982), The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988), Shocker (1989), Vampire in Brooklyn (1995), and Music of the Heart (1999).
Craven was known for his pioneering work in the horror genre, particularly slasher films, where he mixed horror clichés with humour and satire.
The cultural impact and influence of his work have often led him to be referred to as a Master of Horror.
In 1995, Craven was awarded the Life Career Award for his accomplishments in the horror genre by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films.
More information: The Guardian
Craven was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Caroline and Paul Eugene Craven. He was raised in a strict Baptist family. 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 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, he purchased a used 16 mm film camera and began making short movies. When his friend Steve Chapin informed him of a messenger position at a New York City film production co, where his brother, future folk-rock star Harry Chapin worked.
Craven moved into the building where his friend Steve Chapin lived at 136 Hicks St. in Brooklyn Heights. His first creative job in the film industry was as a sound editor.
Craven has cited filmmakers Ingmar Bergman, Luis Buñuel, Alfred Hitchcock, Federico Fellini, Jean Cocteau, and Francois Truffaut as among his major influences.
Craven's first film, The Last House on the Left (1972), was conceived as a remake of Bergman's The Virgin Spring (1960).
Craven's works tend to explore family dynamics, the nature of dreams and reality, and often feature black humour and satirical elements. A Nightmare on Elm Street, for example, dealt with the consequences of dreams in real life. New Nightmare has actress Heather 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 Wes 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. The Serpent and the Rainbow and Shocker portray protagonists who cannot distinguish between nightmarish visions and reality.
More information: ABC13
In Scream, the characters frequently reference horror films similar to their situations, and at one point, Billy Loomis tells his girlfriend that life is just a big film. This concept was emphasized in the sequels, as copycat stalkers re-enact the events of a new film about the Woodsboro killings, Woodsboro being the fictional town where Scream is set, occurring in Scream.
Scream included a scene mentioning an urban legend about Richard Gere and a sex act involving a hamster.
Craven stated in interviews that he received calls from agents telling him that if he left that scene in, he would never work again. The last film that he directed before his death was Scream 4.
Marianne Maddalena served as a producer on twelve of Craven's films. After working on Wes Craven's New Nightmare, Patrick Lussier became an editor on all of his features up to Red Eye.
Craven tended to employ cinematographers Peter Deming, Mark Irwin and Jacques Haitkin on his films.
Except for Music of the Heart, composer Marco Beltrami worked on all of Craven's films, from Scream to Scream 4. Although he usually wrote his own films, Craven worked with screenwriter Kevin Williamson regularly after Scream.
Craven often used a number of the same actors on his projects, including Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Robert Englund, Michael Berryman, Heather Langenkamp, and Davis Hess.
Craven died of a brain tumour at his home in Los Angeles on August 30, 2015, four weeks after his 76th birthday.
Many actors and fellow directors paid tribute to him, including David Arquette, Adrienne Barbeau, Angela Bassett, Bruce Campbell, Neve Campbell, John Carpenter, Courteney Cox, Joe Dante, Johnny Depp, Robert Englund, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lloyd Kaufman, Jamie Kennedy, Rose McGowan, Kristy Swanson, Edgar Wright, and Amanda Wyss.
The tenth episode of the horror series Scream was dedicated to his memory.
More information: The Guardian
and taking the gamble and hope you don't get fired.
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