Wes Craven: Independent Filmmaking Royalty

 If you walk into this man’s home, you’ll hear a scream from the people under the stairs. You’ll run out thinking it was a nightmare, when you were just inside the last house on the left. Scream, People Under the Stairs, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Last House on the Left are a few of the titles that make up Wes Craven’s filmography.

About to turn 30, he took a risk and moved to California in pursuit of his new found passion, film-making. His earliest work goes back to writing and editing porn. Which no one from his family saw coming, since he was raised in a strict Baptist household. In 1972, Wes Craven released his first full-length film as a director, Last House on the Left. Last House on the Left follows 17-year-olds Mari and Phyllis as they’re kidnapped, degraded, and raped by escaped convicts. Phyllis eventually dies in an attempt to save her best friend. Mari, trying to escape, befriends the leader’s son by giving him a nickname and her necklace. He lets her runaway. Hope fills Mari’s eyes as she runs as fast as she can. The criminals catch up to her. They rape her, and carve their names into her chest. That little glimmer of hope she had disappears. 

The escaped convicts are ashamed of what they’ve done, they stare at their blood stained hands and give her space. Mari, extremely weak, manages to push herself off the ground, throws up, and says a prayer under her breath. She no longer tries to run, she walks towards the lake, and knows this is the end of the road for her. They shoot her. The water carries her body away. The escaped convicts take refuge in a lake house thanks to a married couple. The married couple turns out to be Mari’s parents. They manage to figure out what happened to their daughter and take vengeance into their own hands. 

I have an admiration for independent filmmakers, because they don’t have the big budget that Hollywood movies have, they can’t rely on stunning special effects, A-List celebrities, or worldwide promotion. Independent filmmakers have to make sure the storyline has a good flow, the acting is believable, and the editing shows continuity. The film, for me, is an example of how hard work does pay off. With a budget of $90,000, they were able to make a profit of $3.1 million at the box office.

            The story itself reminds me of something my Dad once said, that a person isn’t born bad, that it’s life and society that turns people a certain way. An upbringing filled with poverty led three people to find pleasure in causing others pain. A doctor and his wife mutilated three people in name of revenge. This story is filled with human beings being driven to unleash the darkest side of them. Last House on the Left shines a clean light into the dingy corners of the human psyche, which is what I believe a film should do. Now, I encourage you all to support independent films by visiting a film festival. And for my fellow filmmakers, keep writing! Keep directing! Keep going! Feel free to check out this short documentary on "The Last House on the Left."

The People Under the Stairs: How it Broke the Horror Movie Archetype

The People Under the Stairs broke the horror archetype on many different levels. The film had a child as the lead actor, the cast was predominantly black, and achieved a perfect blend of horror and comedy-all a rare thing in the horror genre. In addition to the villains being rich and White, it was scary how detached they were from real life, but then again, they won the natural lottery. As the story progresses, one can’t help but to bond with the lead character through a series of difficult choices. “[…] Daddy cut out the bad parts, and put the boys in the cellar, […]. They get flashlights and food of some kind. I suppose they're happy in their own way.” This dark tale tells the story of insane siblings who’ve stolen children, thrown some away in the cellar, and fed the rest to the people under the stairs. 

 

Real life problems are presented to this barely thirteen year old in the first act. Fool, our lead character, has a mother dying of cancer, his family’s about to be evicted, and they have nowhere to go. It’s interesting how the person that lost the natural lottery is the hero of this film, and the winners are placed as the villains. 

An opportunity to earn money to save his family arises; it goes against his moral standing, but what good are morals when your family’s starving? Finding yourself rooting for Fool is inevitable, which leaves the window open for fear to sneak in, making it impossible to fear for our young hero. 

 

The film itself managed to stand out when released for many reasons. It’s become a custom in scary movies to have barely any, if not, no Black people included in their production. Wes Craven noticed the unleveled playing field within the horror genre and reacted. This movie featured a mostly Black cast, and not only that, but the lead actor was Black. To quote one of the greatest sequels, “the horror genre is historically known for excluding the African American element.” – Which happens to be another Wes Craven film. While some scenes do seem farfetched, it works with the movie, even adding some humor to the story.  

 

            The People Under the Stairs comments on unfair housing policies. The children-stealing landlords charge tenants double the rent when late a day, and triple when late two days, and evicted on the third. The sole purpose of those rental claws is to get as much money as possible from low-income families, then push them out, making the building available for  “different” type of tenants. These morally depraved brother and sister aren’t so detached from modern days landlords in parts of cities labeled the “ghetto” part of town. If anything, this movie amplifies on the need for fair housing policies all over the country. Authority may be a dangerous thing when in the hands of certain people. 

The People Under the Stairs is a must watch! And like the song over the ending credits says, “Do the right thing!” 

 

"Top 5 Teen Slasher Films"

 

#5 "The Final Girls"

“The Final Girls” is a slasher-comedy about a teen attending a screening of a slasher film her late mother was in. Within the first act, her and her group of friends are transported into an 80’s cheesy slasher flick. The screenplay was written by Joshua John Miller, Miller’s inspiration came from seeing his father, also an actor, die on film. He plays with the idea of what it would be like if he had a second chance, but this second chance was inside the movie. The film does a great job at poking fun at slasher films, where sexually promiscuous teenagers get murdered one by one.    

#4 "Freddy Vs. Jason"

            Okay, this film might not have the strongest writing or the best cast, but it has the original Freddy, Robert Englund- AND JASON VORHEES! The film has blood, guts, and sharp objects being thrown around, but it probably works best as a comedy-horror. The characters are pretty basic, which may stop the audience from forming any emotional attachment, leaving us not caring for who dies next. This movie has cool fighting scenes between Jason and Freddy, making it beloved by horror fans, giving us hope for another crossover, maybe Jason Vs. Michael?

  

#3 "Scream"

            Wes Craven reinvented the horror genre a second time with “Scream.” Other films came along hoping to imitate its success like, “Urban Legend” or “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” An interesting fact about this film is that it was rated NC-17 when first presented as a horror, but Craven was told it was too scary. “Scream” was later re-submitted for rating, but as a comedy, and was rated R this time. This film acknowledged other horror film Icons like, Freddy and Michael Myers, giving it a more realistic vibe. The scream trilogy gave us the last scream queen, Neve Campbell, and for that, we’ll be forever grateful.  

 #2 "A Nightmare on Elm St."

            Freddy Krueger- that’s all you need to say when presenting this movie. This film gave many of us nightmares, I mean, can you imagine knowing someone wants to kill you, and not being able to sleep on top of that? I don’t know if I would make it to the end, I need my sleep. A Nightmare on Elm St. spawned a franchise featuring this iconic villain. In the late 70s to the mid 80s, more than 100 men died in their sleep according to Vanwinkles.com, being named the “Asian Death Syndrome.” All the victims were Asian men, young and healthy, who went to sleep and never woke up. These strange deaths along with testimonies about sleep paralysis were the base inspiration for this movie.

 

 

#1 "Halloween"  

            A classic that had to be on this list is “Halloween.” This successful 1978 horror film, not only gave us horror icon, Michael Myers, but the memorable scream queen, Jamie Lee Curtis. On a budget of $300,000, the movie grossed $47 million at the box office in the U.S. and $23 million internationally, making “Halloween” a profitable independent film. If you haven’t seen the 1978 version, and have only seen the Rob “I’m gonna stretch the fuck outta' the beginning” Zombie version, please do yourself a favor and watch the original, then apologize to humanity afterwards. 

Why "Scream 2" is the Best Horror Sequel in History!

The best sequel in horror film history? Yes. Horror sequels tend to be watered down versions of their predecessor, yet Scream 2 is nothing close to that. This sequel plays with the idea of "cause & effect" by exploring the consequences of the original Woodsboro massacre.  A remarkable quality of the film was the mixture of different genres it contained: Horror, romance, comedy, suspense...etc. The mixture of genres allowed us to sympathize better with the heroin; Who hasn't felt scared when walking down an isolated street? Who hasn't felt the butterflies of sharing a smile with their crush? Who hasn't shared a laugh with a close friend?

We were provided with a romantic plot that hooked us in the first film, and reeled us in with the second installment. I’m talking about the relationship between the ambitious news reporter, Gale Weathers, and the kind-hearted officer, Dui. 

We want them to be together, but reality keeps kicking in, reminding them of their differences, one dreams of being the next Diane Sawyer...

 While the other dreams of a normal life: a family, a white picket fence, and no murderers to chase after. 

Then, there's Sidney, our unlucky protagonist, and Derrick, a good guy that won't stop fighting for her. Once you fall for their puppy love, it hurts much more when their existence is in danger. 

"It's all happening again...." A memorable scene is when Derek, Sidney's boyfriend, is attacked. Dui rushes to Derek's rescue and Sidney's left outside the house, worried, scared, witnessing everything she believes to be her fault. It’s the exchange of looks that Dui and Sidney trade that makes the scene more significant. Dui looks at her in a way that tells her, it’s all starting again. Sidney, with watery eyes, finally accepts it, nothing is over, and more blood is to be shed.

Sidney, haunted by the sins of her mother, yearns for a normal life- but a normal life is not in her cards. (ONLY SPOILER) A killing that really hit home was Hallie, Sid's roommate, with whom she shared more than just a room, but her insecurities, and was never absent when Sidney needed reinsurance that she was not alone. 

Sidney formed an emotional bond with the victims, resulting in her blaming herself for everything, when she was only a victim as well. 

 After the first massacre, Sidney seems to suffer from post-traumatic stress. The poor girl sees ghost face everywhere, like soldiers coming back from war who find it difficult to adjust to a civilian life. A scene that pointed out how traumatized Sidney was, was the play rehearsal...

As far as the story-line goes, it’s perfectly structured. Each scene adds information to the murder mystery and pushes the story forward.  The acting is on point; Neve Campbell is a respectable scream queen.  “Scream 2” took the weaknesses of the first film and eliminated them from the second, while emphasizing on the strengths of the first installment, like making fun of horror films while being inside a scary movie itself. "Stab 2? Who would want that? Sequels suck."

 What’s your favorite horror sequel? And what did you think of “Scream 2?”