Wes Craven was an American film director, writer, and producer known for his work in the horror genre. Some of his most famous works include A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream. Craven enjoyed pushing boundaries with violence, gore, and sexuality in his films to elicit physical reactions from audiences. He believed horror films served as a way for people to rationally think about and process their real-life fears. Throughout his career Craven directed 29 films and television shows spanning the horror genre.

1. Director Case Study
WES CRAVEN

2. “Horror films don't create fear.
They release it.”
Wes Craven

3. “If I were interested in reality,
I'd be making documentaries.”
Wes Craven

4. The Man
 Wesley Craven was born August 2nd 1939 in
Cleveland Ohio to Caroline and Paul
Craven.
 He was bought up a in a strict Baptist family
and his father died when he was four years
old.
 He attended John Hopkins University and
achieved a Masters in Philosophy ad writing.
 First film job was as a sound editor in a post
production company in New York

5. The Career
 Craven started left education and made
many X rated pornographic films under
different names.
 His first directing job was ‘The last house on
the left,’ a film met with equal amounts f
praise and controversy. It was later remade
in 2009 with Crave in the producer role.
 Craven has made two of the best loved
horror franchises in history, ‘A Nightmare on
Elm Street’ in 1984 and ‘Scream’ in 1996.
 He has gone on to direct 29 piece spanning
film and tv.

6. On horror films…“Its like boot camp for the psyche. In real life, human
beings are packaged in the flimsiest of packages, threatened by real
and sometimes horrifying dangers, events like Columbine. But the
narrative form puts these fears into a manageable series of events. It
gives us a way of thinking rationally about our fears”

7. Cravens Style
 Wes Craven has always loved shock value.
He enjoys evoking a physical reaction from
his audience.
 He frequently tries to push the boundaries of
what is considered acceptable in media,
especially in terms of violence/gore and
sexuality.
 He favours jump cuts and loud jump scares
as methods of
creating tension.

8. Cravens Style
 Wes Craven has always loved shock value.
He enjoys evoking a physical reaction from
his audience.
 He frequently tries to push the boundaries of
what is considered acceptable in media,
especially in terms of violence/gore and
sexuality.
 He favours jump cuts and loud jump scares
as methods of
creating tension.

9. Craven’s Style
 Seen is the opening to one of Cravens
masterpieces ‘Scream.’ That scene in
particular is what got him known for his shock
value. The scene in question had to have
frames cut out of it so the intestines were not
seen to be moving. If they had not done this,
some cinemas will
have refused to
show the film due
its explicit violence
and gore.