This one hurts, folks. We regret to report that writer, director, and horror titan Wes Craven has died at the age of 76. Craven had been battling brain cancer, and was surrounded by family at the time of his death. Our Devin Pike broke the news here, what follows is my personal tribute.
There are few people in Hollywood that left the kind of impact on the industry like Wes Craven. Making a splash in 1972 with his directorial debut THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, he followed with an equally impressive horror entry THE HILLS HAVE EYES in 1977. But it was the 1980s that defined him as a horror movie master once A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET was released in 1984, introducing the world to scary movie icon Freddy Krueger. The film starred Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Amanda Wyss, Jsu Garcia, Robert Englund as Freddy, and was the motion picture debut of Johnny Depp. The high concept focused on a group of teenagers terrorized in their dreams by former child killer Freddy Krueger. The film became so popular it spawned several sequels, a television series called FREDDY’S NIGHTMARES, and a 2010 remake.
In 1996, Craven once again stunned the genre by releasing SCREAM, a horror movie that played off the typical conventions of horror movie lore, almost like a self-parody. The film was incredibly successful, making a movie star our of Neve Campbell, and leading to three sequels and a new TV show this fall on MTV. Some of Craven’s other notable works include THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW (a 1988 voodoo/zombie-themed thriller with Bill Pullman), the 1999 drama MUSIC OF THE HEART starring Meryl Streep (a definite departure from the norm for Craven), and the 2005 film RED EYE which starred Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy in an airplane-set thriller. He also appeared as himself in a parody scene in JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK, and again as himself in the pilot episode of CASTLE with Nathan Fillion.
I first remember hearing Craven’s name with the NIGHTMARE movies, as I was 10 at the time the first film was released. As the years passed, I sought out his previous work, and anxiously awaited new projects from him. Craven just seemed to “get” what made horror work. Even some of his less-appreciated fare like DEADLY FRIEND (1986) or SHOCKER (1989) always left an impression, or at the very least gave you scenes to talk about fondly for years. Did you know he wrote and directed SWAMP THING in 1982? In fact looking at Craven’s IMDB biography makes one realize this was not a guy content to rest after a success here and there, he worked consistently and at times produced multiple films each year. He even helmed several episodes of the highly-underrated 1985 version of THE TWILIGHT ZONE. You could also count on seeing Wes pop up in little cameo roles in several movies he directed, and he did countless interviews where he would enthusiastically talk about his projects. Craven was an example to be followed in this business, and inspiration to anyone wanting to write or direct. His contributions have been loved for years, and he leaves behind a legacy that will never die. Thank you sincerely for the wonderful work, good sir.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
