It's October! And with me being the cheesy cliché that I am, I've already spent WAY too much on Halloween decorations – I'm talking quality ones though, not tinsel spiders and rubber bats!
But it is a slightly bitter-sweet Halloween this year. While on the one hand I'm stoked to actually be out and about in London for once (as it falls on a weekend), on the other my pre-Samhain run of horror film gorging has two sad notes to it. Firstly the loss of Sir Christopher Lee will be hammered home as I indulge in his Dracula films. But also the recent loss of director Wes Craven from brain cancer has spurred me to revisit some of his works including the 'Scream' quadrillogy.
Horror is a genre that has its ups and downs. For every single great movie there a dozen throwaway ones. Yet Craven made his name in horror with 'The Last House On The Left', 'The Hills Have Eyes', 'A Nightmare On Elm Street', 'Scream', and 'Red Eye' standing as a testament to his skills as a director, writer and producer. But over the years he also dabbled in lighter films such as 'Music Of the Heart' and 'Paris, Je T'aime', as well as releasing two books 'Fountain Society' and 'Coming Of Rage'.
Craven may have been guilty of a few stinkers in his time, however his style of directing and his common themes of playing with the nature of reality have still been highly influential to this day. He seemed to be able to tap into what the audience wanted and re-invent the horror genre in each decade. The ultraviolent exploitation 'The Last house On The Left' and 'The Hills Have Eyes' in the 70's. The reality-bending slasher franchise of 'A Nightmare On Elm Street' in the 80s, and the the self-aware de-constructed post-modernism of 'Scream' in the 90s and 2000s.
He was a real innovator who has left a lasting legacy on cinema and will be sorely missed by fans.
Now, a couple more bits and then you can get back to reading our reviews.
If you would like to be part of our next compilation album, all you have to do is check out last month's editorial. If you've not heard our previous compilations, I thoroughly suggest you do by going to our bandcamp page HERE.
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