Case study research on Wes Craven, director of Nightmare On Elm Street.

1. GENRE RESEARCH.
-Horror,
Director: Wes Craven.

2. WES CRAVEN - biography.
Wes Craven, born August 2nd 1939 was rasied in the suburbs of
Cleaveland, Ohio. He is known to be one of most innovative,
challenging and genre bending directors to specialise in Horror films.
However when he was younger he had intended to become a college
professor after his parents had instilled the idea that movies were the
work of Satan. In 1964 Craven discovered expermiental art and
filmmaking, which followed by Craven purchasing a 16mm camera and
making short films with students at the college he was teaching at.
After realising his true dream, to be a filmmaker, Craven left his
teaching post and traveled to New York where he worked as a
messenger for a post production company. After working himself up to
the post of an assistant manager, he had broken into filmmaking as
the editor of a film comedy. He finally recieved the opportunity to
create his own film when an independent film company gave Craven a
small sum of money which was The Last House on The Left (1972).

3. WES CRAVEN.
Wes Craven has wrote, produced, edited and
directed a number of his own movies which has left
him one of the most recognized practitioners of
horror movies, becoming syonymous with the genre
itself.
He wrote, directed and edited his first film feature
'The Last on The Left' in 1972.
The Last House On the Left is known to be his most
controversial film he has directed. The film was
banned and heavily editied in countries all over
the world, it had been eventually deemed as
"video nasty." Craven used this to his advantage
and used a marketing tag-line which was "To avoid
fainting, keep repeating 'it's only a movie'," which
was a success as the film went over to gross over
$3million.
Craven is also directed Nightmare On Elm Street,
the Scream sequel, The Hills Have Eyes, Vampire In
Brooklyn and many more.

4. A little more information...
Wes Craven was the first to discover Jhonny Depp, whilst casting
"Nightmare On Elm Street." Depp is now regarded as one of the
most versatile actors of this day and age. Similarly he gave Sharon
her first starring role for his film "Deadly Blessing" & gave Bruce
Willis his first featured role in an episode in the mid-80's edition of
"The Twilight Zone."

5. Craven's Films.
The Last House On the Left (1972):
The Last House On the Left is the film which launched Craven's career. Although it is a film, it is said to
have a documentary feel to it that adds to the brutality of the scenes, which makes it "repulsive to
watch, even by today's standards." It is regarded as one of the most screen shockers of all time and
according to Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide is the most repugnant movie .
Nightmare on Elm Street (1984):
The storyline is of teenagers who realise that their dreams are being invaded by the spirit of Freddy
Kreuger, a child molester who was secretly murdered by his parents. Wes Craven in Nightmare On Elm
Street reinvents the "boogeyman" archetypeand Freddy Krueguer was seen to be a "role of a lifetime."
The film was extremely successful to the point seven other sequels followed the first film.
Scream (1996):
This post-modern thrilling horror is the result of the combination of Craven's skill at creating suspense
and Kevin Williamson's script writing which lead to two more successful sequels directed by Craven
himself. The plot is centered around a female teenager who is trying to overcome the death of her
mother but is burdened by a mass killer who is murdering her friends.