Over the next 31 days I plan on reviewing MY PERSONAL FAVORITE HORROR FILMS... and I am going to do it in exactly 31 words!
Today's Entry (10/15/16) - Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
When the last remaining children of the mob that killed Freddy start going crazy, they are sent to an institution where they must locate and destroy Krueger's remains once & for all.
Even his name was scary….WES CRAVEN. A name that could crawl right off the page and strangle you if you read it too long. He was a man whose name, and nightmares, were of such notoriety, that they were specifically referenced in the formal title of a movie, (more on that later). Craven’s impact on pop culture cannot be overstated. Arguably the most influential horror director since Hitchcock, Craven’s films defined and then re-defined a genre for several generations.
Craven was 45 years old at the release of “A Nightmare on Elm St.” Not old by any means, but a far cry from the film school babies that he is often lumped in with. Craven understood the value of a life lived. He understood that you will have much more interesting things to say about life, in art, if you live it. James Cameron has expressed similar sentiments over the years. Craven has often attributed his extended success in movie making, to coming to horror, really coming to cinema in general, as an adult.
Long before he brought revolutions to a genre on multiple occasions, Craven was an undergraduate at the strictly religious Wheaton College in Illinois, in line with his upbringing. Interested in becoming a novelist, he eventually hitchhiked to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, eventually earning a master’s in philosophy and writing. He followed that with a teaching stint as a Professor of Humanities at Clarkson College of Technology in Potsdam, N.Y. Potsdam was a small college town, whose fraternity house happened to have it’s address at 18 'Elm Street.' Truly all of Craven’s life experiences informed the creation of his most popular character.
"Not recommended for persons over 30!" Ha!
Craven had begun his filmmaking career years before 'Freddy.' “The Last House on the Left” (1972) & “The Hills Have Eyes” (1977), two visceral films that pushed the limits of “acceptable cinema.” Last House on the Left especially shocked audiences and critics, and of course made teenagers NEED to see it by any means possible. It also made for a further estrangement from Craven’s strictly religious family, unable to understand how these gruesome sights could spring from the mind of such a nice boy. ‘Last House’ sparked a bit of a trend in the mid to late 70’s of hyper realistic brutal exploitation films. But of course Craven’s legacy still had further to go.
Freddy came after Michael, after Jason and after Leatherface, While he has from the get-go gotten lumped in with these other icons, Freddy has always been on a whole other platform. In truth Freddy has more in common with Dracula, a monster born of anger, obsessed with vengeance and able to conjure himself in many forms. Craven’s time in intellectual circles fueled the creation of Krueger. Every aspect of the character and story was created purposefully to take the audience through a psychological terror. Even the color of Freddy’s sweater was given specific attention, the colors chosen because the brain interprets these two shades in a way that make the viewer unsettled. I found Freddy at a young age, too young really. Initially an object of absolute unmeasurable fear, I eventually came to love Freddy as so many of my generation did. From the get go though, I always knew the name of the man who created Freddy. Probably the first film Director that I can remember actively being a fan of.
Freddy’s influence is astounding. It took New Line Cinema out of the back room and into the big leagues. Freddy was a bona fide cultural icon. Like Mickey Mouse. He spawned a TV show, video games, comic books, toys, showed up on talk shows. Everything except a Saturday morningcartoon, but I would wager every one of Freddy's father's that one got pitched at some point. The franchise carried on into the next decade.
The early to mid-nineties though were are a dark time for horror fans. The big boom of the 80’s had petered out, with the big characters either being killed off or being put to sleep with dismal box offices. The formula was broken, but luckily Wes Craven, had a new nightmare.
“Wes Craven’s New Nightmare” (which is it’s full formal title) saw the mastermind back in the Director’s chair for a 'Freddy' film for the first time since the original. He contributed as a writer for part 3, but otherwise remained largely uninvolved in the franchise through the 5 sequels, although his name was rarely went unmentioned when discussing the franchise in any way. His approach to New Nightmare was inspired. What if Freddy was real? What if the limited safety net we had as an audience member of, "it’s only a dream," or really, "it’s only a movie," were nullified. New Nightmare managed to provide a fresh take on the character and the property, while at the same time legitimizing the sequels in many ways. For really, you can’t have a story of Freddy being watered down and tired, without the movies that did just that.
'New Nightmare' is my 2nd favorite of the series, only giving ground to the original, but truly it is every bit as fantastic. I have on more than one occasion indulged in “The Craven Trilogy,” consisting of the original film, ‘Dream Warriors’ and 'New Nightmare.' I think I may do that tonight. "Wes Craven’s New Nightmare" is wholly unique, clever and aware of the where horror had come from and where it was heading. The audience had grown smart enough that the old tricks wouldn’t work anymore and Craven knew that. He had taught them too well.
Unfortunately the movie did not reach the audience it was looking for. Perhaps Freddy was just way too ingrained in culture, or maybe simply it was still too close to his heyday. I could see the movie playing that much better if it were released maybe 10 years later. While audiences maybe weren’t ready for Freddy to usher them into a new era of horror, they had no problem with his mastermind taking the reins to make them scream.
In 1996 when “Scream” was released, I approached it with my nose in the air. I fancied myself a horror veteran, already maintaining that air of snobbery and close mindedness that genre fans often exhibit. This was a kids movie, and even though I WASa teenager, I had no interest in this fancy sleek new slasher. That was of course until I saw it and realized it was made specifically for me.
This was a horror movie where the characters were my age and they were motivated by their love/fear of 80’s horror movies. The movie was rampant with self-referential winks and movie references that these days permeate every aspect of pop culture. By Craven’s own account, he was not a child of the movies. Raised as a fundamentalist Baptist, he cites “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962) as being the first movie he recalls paying to see in a theater…as a senior in college. That did not stop him from observing a culture that was raised on movies, movies of a certain genre, his OWN movies at that. It all seemed so fresh, so clever and I ate it up. Wes Craven, without any hyperbole, had ushered in a new generation of horror. For me it was only fitting that the man who defined the genre for a generation of young people, did it again. Craven was 57 at this time.
The impact of Scream was enormous. For better or worse copycat movies littered theaters to varying levels of success for the next decade. Even the old ghouls like Michael Myers tried to jump on the bandwagon to get “Screamified.” The remake/reboot trend started to creep out it's ugly head in the early aughts and that has more or less carried us to the present day. Craven went back to the Scream well himself 3 times in serviceable sequels, the last of which being in 2011. “Scream 4” attempted to send up the remake trend that had become some rampant, but it didn’t spark the revolution that maybe some of us hoped. Two cultural revolutions for one man will have to suffice (3 counting 'Last House'). Craven himself was guilty of cashing in on the remake bandwagon being hands on with the big screen reboot of his ‘Hills Have Eyes’ property. Craven collaborated with his son Jonathan on the films, and they are widely regarded as being on the better side of the remake onslaught.
At times, early in his career, he displayed frustration with being labeled a horror Director, even wrestling with the idea of continuing after ‘Last House’ had made him so notorious. A friend at the time encouraged him to “get rid of that Protestant guilt and don’t be ashamed of what you do well.” Craven listened and honed his craft over the next 4 and ½ decades. Not every film Wes Craven had his name associated with bore the standard of excellence that his high profile works did. Although, even his lesser known works always had charm and wit. 1991’s “The People Under the Stairs” is one of the most unique and curious offerings of the era, presenting a deranged Alice in Wonderland like scenario in a suburban home. It’s one of my faves. “Shocker” (1989), “The Serpent and the Rainbow” (1988), and “Red Eye” (2005) all stand as examples of a filmmaker capable of producing entirely different experiences while still working in the same broad genre. He had one of the early big screen comic movies with "Swamp Thing" (1982), which wasn't well received by and large, but is one movie I wore out on VHS. He also dabbled in non-genre fare such as “Music of the Heart” (1999), which earned multiple Academy Award nominations. His most recent endeavor was overseeing the production of a TV series based on "Scream." Admittedly I haven’t had much interest, but it’s doing well and I have heard some good things so I may have to give it a shot. For nothing else I am glad there is a generation enjoying a product that has the DNA of Wes Craven in it, even if it’s not really for me anymore. While some of his outputs haven’t been met with the warmest receptions, there was always a little bit of excitement whenever he was rumored to be involved with a project, as if at any moment he could easily springboard to the head of the line and lead us into a new chapter of terror. Even when the recent rumors cropped up of yet ANOTHER ‘Nightmare’ movie, there were hopeful rumors that Craven may decide to dip his toe back in.
His private life was mostly just that. By all accounts he was a quiet, soft spoken man. Known for his calm, almost reassuring manner of speaking and his constant professional demeanor. Always neatly, conservatively, dressed, Craven was often met with surprise by the press and fans as they expected some sort of dark, silent, imposing horror maestro. He was an avid bird watcher, a few years ago joining the Audubon California board of directors, a group that is devoted to the conservation of birds and habitat.
I have long admired,"Wes Craven". Being a fan of his work and learning about it, also led me to learn a lot about the man behind it. I always enjoyed his interviews and commentaries. He seemed like the kind of guy who would be fun to have a drink with in the corner an old pub. He appreciated hard work, the application of knowledge and didn't let societal guidelines impact his work. Perhaps most importantly from a personal level,...took a genre seriously that was oft overlooked for being hokey, and made something that impacted countless people. He made horror, frightening, thoughtful, subversive and at times legitimately dangerous. He made horror "art."
I will leave you with this quote from the man himself, when asked why he thinks birds matter….
“One could cite facts like, birds eat lots of harmful insects, charm us at our feeders, or challenge us to learn their field marks, molts, and names both common and scientific. But perhaps the answer lies deeper. Since the beginning birds have lifted our eyes to the skies. They’ve shown us we’re not gravity’s slave, that flight is possible and limitless. It can hover and soar, dive and display, and take us from one end of the planet to the other in a single, impossible burst of energy and purpose. Inspiration is the gift birds have given us from the start. But now they give us a question as well. Like the canary in the mine, they hold the planet up to us like a mirror and ask: “Can you not see that if we pass away, soon you will as well?” That’s a good question, and since birds pose it, they matter a lot.”
Mr Craven, thank you for your time. You are forever in my nightmares.
I certainly do love me some Freddy. Nightmare On Elm St is one of my favorite film franchises in history. And the character has grown to levels that no one, not even Wes Craven, could have ever imagined. He has appeared on countless products, especially in toy form. But companies are always looking for a way to bring a new Freddy product to market that is unique and can take the character to new heights. Leave it to NECA, one of the titans of the toy industry, to come up with a great idea for this years 2014 San Diego Comic Con exclusive. Not only did they come up with a great idea... it is one of the most obvious ones that hasn't been done before!
Read more after the jump...
Later this summer NECA will be unleashing Super Freddy. This makes so much sense for a Comic Con exclusive. The toy features an 8.5 inch height, classic felt costume with a cape, and our hero even has his own superhero logo!
What a great idea, but that doesn't surprise me very much when it comes to NECA. The guys have been changing the game with every single figure they issue, especially the Nintendo Entertainment System versions of Freddy & Jason that came out in the last few years. Those figures were epic, and this one takes a character that has been done a billion times before and make an original figure out of it. I am sure this will be a monster release (no pun intended) and that people will be scrambling all over San Diego to get this one in their collections. So far the above pic is the only one available (thanks to Action Figure Insider and IHorror for the pics), but if more begin to surface I will add them later....
Mondo always brings the funk on any posters they release... they won't put the Mondo name on it if it is not a killer poster. But whenever they bring in some fresh artists I always take notice. This week we are seeing 4 movie posters being released by We Buy Your Kids through Mondo and they are all spectacular. There has to be something said about the selection of the films as well. You have a classic 80s flick in Beetlejuice, a hit iconic horror movie in A Nightmare In Elm Street, a cult classic Italian horror film in Deep Red, and an Arnie barbarian movie in Conan... how eclectic is that? Each poster is fantastic in their own rights, so click here to get more details on each one and when they will be officially on sale. As usuall with Mondo, there is a limited amount of each of these so stay on top of it if you want one for your personal collection. Check out all four after the jump...
Mondo recruits the best artists to create the coolest movie posters in the game. That is not debatable. I usually don't even bother posting Mondo posters when they are released. I do not post them not because they suck, but more along the lines that they are usually covered by EVERY BLOG ON THE PLANET since they are so awesome. But when the company focuses its energy on an event like Texas Frightmare Weekend and some of the horror genres (my fave!) classic films.... well, these are certainly getting posted!!! Enjoy this years five entries and make sure you click on the artist links under each picture to see more of their works.
This first one goes out to CCD's own Jedi Rob Martin!!!!
Lord Netsua has a Deviant Art page that is LOADED with horrific drawings of monsters and mayhem. But the two pieces that stuck out two me had to be his mashups between horror and the puppets of Sesame Street. The first picture is a movie poster for A Nightmare on Sesame Street featuring Elmo, and the second is a drawing featuring monstrous versions of Grover, Cookie Minster, and The Count. His villainous stylings of these childhood faves had me bugging out... so I shared them with you guys here. Check out both pieces after the jump...
I came across this wonderful website entitled Title Screams, which is a site that celebrates the wonderful triumphs of past 8 & 16 bit video game title screens. This site has tons of screen caps, and they brought back a lot of good memories involving controllers with two buttons and no save features. I decided to revisit the site for the best of the best another day, but today I will focus on the Horror themed screen shots they had in their files. Here are a few that caught my eye. Do you remember them all? Tell us what you think in the comment section below. Click after the jump for the full gallery of home screens...
One of my favorite artists that I have come across since I began this blog would have to be digital artist Sean Hartter. Ever since the first time I laid eyes on his Alternate Universe Movie Posters and other amazing digital creations I was completely drawn in buy his stylized artwork. But one of the reasons I like his stuff so much is because he seems to pick subjects that are always near and dear to my heart. When I saw his recent takes on the big Hollywood horror three (Freddy, Jason and Mike) I had to share them with you for All Horror Week. I hope you like them as much as I do. Click after the jump to see all three...
I always loved the Choose Your Own Adventure books, and the various endings suit the Nightmare on Elm St storyline extremely well. The cover of the book is so spot on to the originals as well... good stuff!
Making Jason the mascot to his own cereal... what a great idea. And the marshmallows are all shaped like hockey masks... brilliant!!!
The third Halloween movie had nothing to do with Michael Myers, yet Hartter goes back to the jack-o-lantern imagery of the opening credits of Halloween Pt. 1 to drive home the piece. I also like the play on the TV... if you have seen the travesty that is Halloween III, then you get the reference.
Nice job Sean... now all of you get over to his site and order some shit ASAP (click here).
