Movie thoughts and fiction updates.
Wes Craven was suddenly hot stuff, so Chiller sometimes gets billed as Wes Craven's Chiller. Well, he didn't write it, it was written by J.D. Feigelson (who also produced the television movie), and it's more of a return to form for Craven after A Nightmare on Elm Street, by which I mean that it's Craven… Continue reading Chiller
Wes Craven found an idea that played entirely to his strengths, and it's probably his best film. It's also hindered a bit by the fact that he couldn't quite get rid of his weaknesses around character and structure. Craven was a frustrating filmmaker, is what I’m saying. He had great ideas, and he could do… Continue reading A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
If I were the kind of person to give up on a film, I would have given up pretty early in Invitation to Hell, Wes Craven's television movie that was designed to Susan Lucci a change of perception in the public consciousness and, perhaps, a path towards a Best Actress award at the Emmys. If… Continue reading Invitation to Hell
Apparently Wes Craven took this comic book adaptation to prove a couple of things to studios: that he could work with action and that he could work with movie stars. Is it a surprise that he didn't get Batman immediately after this, a few years before Tim Burton got his shot, after everyone saw Swamp… Continue reading Swamp Thing
After the boring slog that was Summer of Fear, Wes Craven comes back with a much more put together film that, while it doesn't work completely, offers more atmosphere and a cohesive sense of horror and tension that works in the film's favor. It also ends up spinning its wheels after a certain point before… Continue reading Deadly Blessing
David Vining, Author 