Tag: wes craven
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The Cabin in the Woods
Genre deconstruction has become quite chic in the years following Wes Craven’s reflexive horror classic, Scream. It gave a boost to the horror genre, which was then immediately slogged with cheap spoofs, high-profile remakes and at least two new sub-genres: found footage and the unfortunate and aptly-named torture porn. Read more
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A Nightmare on Elm Street
Considering the wisecracking clown Freddy eventually became, it’s easy to forget how truly terrifying he was the first time around. Audiences didn’t know what to expect, having been inundated and dulled by countless slashers that followed in the wake of John Carpenter’s trend-setting Halloween. Read more
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Serial Thriller: Scream 2
As clever as its predecessor, with an opening sequence every bit as horrifying. The self-aware references to sequels carry the film throughout and the scares are genuinely frightening and, in the case of the prologue, downright disturbing. Read more
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Serial Thriller: Scream
Following on the heels of his very-meta New Nightmare, horror veteran Wes Craven serves up a reflexive revival of the diluted and nigh-dead slasher subgenre. With Scream, he reinvigorated the conventions of horror even as he simultaneously skewered and savored them. Read more
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Wrong Turn
When Deliverance meets The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the result is an unsettling thriller that’s better than it has any right to be. Director Rob Schmidt surprisingly shuns cheap sight gags in favor of mounting tension. It may not be completely unsurprising but neither does it take your viewership for granted. Read more