Review by Scott Nicholson

"Wes Craven: The Art of Horror"

Written by John Kenneth Muir
ISBN 0-7864-1923-7
327pp. softcover 2004 [1998]
McFarland Books

es Craven is so synonymous with the horror genre that he was able to get away with “Wes Craven Presents” in the titles of some of the films he produced.

John Kenneth Muir’s book “Wes Craven: The Art of Horror” pays homage to the director, writer, and occasional actor while also casting Craven’s work in a philosophical and psychological light. For example, Muir not only links Craven’s brutal first film, “The Last House on The Left” with Ingmar Bergman’s “The Virgin Spring” but also a medieval German ballad called “Tore’s Daughter.” Muir dwells on autobiographical details that inform Craven’s worldview, and thus the view that is projected on the screen. Craven’s upbringing in a strict Baptist family was contrasted with what he viewed as a “secret life” of the family, in which arguments are denied and troubles are glossed over. Craven’s habit of remembering his dreams, as well as a frightening eincident at the age of 11, were the genesis of Craven’s most influential work, “”Nightmare on Elm Street.”

Since Craven gave up the dull life of a professor to jump into the world of film, he has become influential in the genre despite his attempts to break away from it. While Freddie Krueger will no doubt be considered Craven’s high-water mark, he also released hugely influential films such as the modern cannibal drama “The Hills Have Eyes,” a documentary-like treatment of voodoo in “The Serpent and the Rainbow,” the dark comic-book vehicle of “Swamp Thing,” and a campy Eddie Murphy vehicle “A Vampire in Brooklyn.”

Despite these successes, Craven was credited yet again for influencing Hollywood horror with the 1996 release of “Scream,” which was genuinely scary in addition to paying witty homage to horror –movie conventions, including some that Craven himself invented. Muir even includes an appendix of direct or indirect references in “Scream” to other movies.

In “Wes Craven: The Art of Horror,” Muir writes an in-depth analysis and synopsis of Craven’s feature films, as well as covering his work in television. Muir has an encyclopedic knowledge of the horror genre, and it’s amazing he has time to write due to the number of movies he’s watched over the years. But Muir separates himself from the true horror geek by giving psychological weight to his analysis and tempering his obvious love for the genre with critical comparisons to not only contemporary films, but also the zeitgeist of the times of the films’ releases. He touches on Craven’s use of the family unit as a true source of fear and collects critic’s rants, actor’s statements, and the good, the bad, and the ugly in a genre that is often maligned and relegated to just a notch above pornography.

McFarland Books recently reissued the book in a trade paperback, with the hardcover edition originally published in 1997. Unfortunately, Muir was unable to update the book, and so it doesn’t cover Craven’s career over the last seven years. Craven has taken a few dark turns in the years since, but has also made a few ploys for respectability, including a new thriller called “Red-Eye” currently in production. Muir, who has written books on John Carpenter and Tobe Hooper, is well positioned to place Craven among the giants of the last three decades of horror cinema.

For more on the book, click here.

Scott Nicholson is author of The Manor, The Harvest, and The Red Church, with The Home scheduled for a release in August. He’s also a screenwriter and horror movie buff. His virtual lair is www.hauntedcomputer.com.