One of the best things about the horror community is that it's...well, that it's a community. We squabble like siblings when we have different tastes, we bond over favorites. Sharing the tales of our introductions to the genre brings us closer together. We nerd out together at conventions and it comment sections. We're like a really big, incredibly strange family.
When someone involved in the horror world dies–be it a writer, a director, an actor, or even a fellow fan–it stings because we're losing one of our own. Even if we've never met the person, our mutual love of monsters and mayhem means they're near and dear to us.
Wes Craven, ever a champion of and for horror, has died at the age of 76, still too young. I'd wager there isn't a genre fan out there who hasn't been greatly affected by one or more of his films, for he left us with a legacy of some of the best movies that horror has to offer. We can take comfort in that, but it still stings. He had more to give us–more to give the world of cinema–but we've lost one of our own.
Thanks for all the nightmares, Mr. Craven.
For most of my life I equated Wes Craven with a certain kind of horror film -- the kind that ended with a sudden and explosive downbeat shock.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, that only happened three times that I can think of ("Deadly Blessing," "A Nightmare on Elm Street," and "Deadly Friend"), and it turned out that in each case those endings were imposed on him by the studios.
So, basically, my sense of Wes Craven was really a sense of studio bureaucrats imposing their expectations on him.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Rest in Peace, Wes, whoever you were!
If it wasn't for Wes, I would never have been introduced to horror films. If it wasn't for Wes, I would've never enjoyed the subversive mixed with the meta-ness and gore of the genre. Honestly, I'd say, my life would've been a little emptier without his work. R.I.P. Wes Craven.
ReplyDeleteah geez Stacie you got me to tear up at work. I love reading this blog, and what you said gave me the feels more than anything else over the last 20 hours or so of public mourning. I'm glad to see you're posting more, keep it up.
ReplyDeleteAh, thank you so much, those are some mighty compliments. I'm happy to be posting more myself, though I obviously wish the circumstances were different today.
ReplyDeleteI hate that we won't get any new Wes Craven movies, ever. Fuck cancer.
He was a pioneer of modern horror in the 70s, created one of the most famous monsters in film history in the eighties, and revived the at the time very moribund horror genre in the 90s. You can get lucky once, but it takes more than luck to have a huge defining impact on the genre decade after decade.
ReplyDeleteSad news for horror fans, but what a great career.
Thanks for this Stacie. I refused to read any other crap on the Internet about his passing and waited until your post. This man single-handedly revived my love for horror in one of the worst droughts in horror history (yeah, I'm talking about you 1990s). And he brought us Freddy Krueger. I still have a special place in my heart for New Nightmare. RIP you delightful fiend.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, that's quite an honor!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I almost forget how important SCREAM is, how revitalized the entire genre. Basically I take it for granted at this point, largely thanks to diminishing returns on the sequels. I should give it a spin, it's been quite a while.