R.I.P. Wes Craven

Ah, this is a tough loss. One of my favorite directors growing up, hell, just in general: Wes Craven, passed away at the age of 76.

My first memory of Wes Craven being brought into my life was one of my earliest memories. In the mid-1980's, my family decided to rent the 1984 classic A Nightmare on Elm Street and allow me to take in the film. My only memory was of being so scared that I had to be taken into the other room while the rest of the family continued to watch. Being the man responsible for providing my first scare through cinema is about the highest praise I can offer.

Not to be deterred by being traumatized at the hands of Wes Craven, I spent the latter part of the 80's and all of the 90's catching up on Wes Craven's current and past films. From blind-buying The Last House on the Left and The Hills Have Eyes to watching films that Wes Craven only associated himself with including Wishmaster and They, he made a fan out of me for life.

Skipping over the classic that A Nightmare on Elm Street is, a fond memory of mine was watching his 1989 film, Shocker, multiple times on USA's Up All Night. Though not Wes Craven's strongest film, it is a film I associate with my childhood and holds a special place in my heart. Around the same time, Wes Craven created the highly-underrated The People Under the  Stairs. Touching on socio-economical themes to balance out some of the horror elements, the film is a gem that needs to be revisited.

Another memory I recall having was watching the short-lived Nightmare Cafe, starring Robert Englund. I couldn't really tell you much about the show, but I do recall waiting anxiously for the premiere as Wes Craven was involved in the production.

Wes Craven did a lot to influence my childhood, all for the better.

After a string of films that didn't seem up to par in the 1990's, though New Nightmare is a must-see, Wes Craven came back with a vengeance in 1996's Scream. Sending up the genre he helped influence, Wes Craven created a new horror icon for the next generation. As the years of his life came to a close, Wes Craven stayed busy and created the better-than-expected Red Eye, which stepped out of the comforts of horror and instead thrust the audience into a high-paced thriller.

Always a good commentator, Wes Craven was a very smart guy who appeared to enjoy his audience by participating in film commentaries and documentaries. Always appearing willing to discuss his filmography, good and bad, Wes Craven was someone you always wanted to keep talking.

The world is a little less scary today. And that's not a good thing.

R.I.P. Wes Craven 1939-2015

31 In 31: Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare

Yes, the tagline for this film is "They Saved the Best for Last"....

Like usual, advertising lies. Rachel Talalay brings us probably the most incomprehensible Nightmare on Elm Street film in the entire franchise. Freddy Kruger (Robert Englund) is stuck in Springwood, Ohio and all of the kids in town are dead; save for one mysterious guy who goes by John Doe (Shon Greenblatt).

John is thrust out of Springwood with no recollection of who he is and what is going on. He stumbles to a local  youth shelter where he meets with care giver Maggie Burroughs (Lisa Zane) and misfits Spencer, Tracy and Carlos (Breckin Meyer, Lezlie Deane and Ricky Dean Logan). Maggie attempts to have John try to remember details about his life by dreaming, wherein he begins to dream about Freddy and Springwood.

Maggie decides to take John to Springwood, accidentally bringing Spencer, Tracy and Carlos along to be Freddy's fodder. A plot that makes no sense later, Maggie, John and the kids must struggle to get out of Springwood and destroy Freddy Kruger once and for all.

Make no mistake, this is a god awful film. The script makes no sense; something about Freddy struggling to leave Springwood and take his show on the road... I really don't know. Along with that, director Talalay infuses the film with an intense supply of humor ranging from sight gags to cameos for no reason (including Tom Arnold, Roseanne Barr, Johnny Depp and Alice Cooper to name a few). The humor really does not work and due to the large amounts of humor heaped onto this film, horror and suspense falls by the wayside.

Possibly the worst aspect of this film is the end. Freddy's final battle and how that is resolved is horrendous. From the lame use of 3-D to the dream demons and onward to Freddy's end all feel very uninspired. It is sad to look at where A Nightmare on Elm Street started and, at the time, this was how it was going to end. "Kids..."

Now, on the flip side, I still find this film somewhat enjoyable on a purely dumb level. Most of the gags fall flat, but some of them are entertaining... maybe because the rest of the film is that bad. The recurring house sequence, and Spencer's dream including the infamous "Power Glove" line are some of the so bad, it's good segments. Not to say that they are good by any means, but they stand out more than the rest of this cluster of a film.

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare is a mixed bag of awful and less awful segments. On the plus side, I still think it is better than Nightmare 2 and 5. That has to count for something, right? Yes?