I’m actually having trouble writing this right now. It’s currently Sunday night and 10:07pm CT. About an hour ago I learned of Wes Craven’s death and I’m still in shock. What makes it the most shocking is that it was just so sudden. Reports are saying he died from complications due to brain cancer, so I imagine Mr. Craven knew this day was coming. Still, I am incredibly saddened by this news. Wes Craven held a special place in all of our hearts, so we’re going to be remembering him all week here at Bloody Disgusting. First, I thought it might be nice to share all of our first Wes Craven experiences with each other.
My first Wes Craven experience is a little cliché, and I’m not ashamed at all. I’m a child of the 90s (born in 1989, but whatever), so Scream was my first experience with Wes Craven. If any of you regularly read my posts, this should come as no surprise to you.
I was in 8th grade, and I was one of those kids that was never allowed to watch R-rated movies until I was 17. Every now and then, my dad would rent me one for us to watch together. One week, he rented me the entire Scream trilogy, and I watched all of them back-to-back. Oddly enough, Scream 2 was my least favorite and Scream 3 was my favorite at the time (I think I watched Scream 3 at least 4 times that week), and now the opposite is true (Scream 2 is my favorite and Scream 3 is my least favorite). Nothing will beat the moment of watching the original Scream for the first time, though.
First, it was a wonderful bonding moment for me and my dad, and I’m glad I got to share it with him, but it was my introduction to the wonderful mind of Wes Craven. I hadn’t even seen A Nightmare On Elm Street yet! I have never had an experience quite like seeing the opening scene of Scream for the first time. From the infamous opening scene with Drew Barrymore, to Tatum’s unique garage-door death and the Billy/Stu reveal, Scream just works. I knew it way back then, and I know it now. It may be one of his more recent films (if you want to call 19 years ago “recent”), but I’m glad that was my first Wes Craven experience.
While my story may be a bit of a cliché, I’m very curious to know some of yours! I know we have readers of all ages, so I’m excited to hear about some of you who saw Last House On The Left or The Hills Have Eyes in theaters. Feel free to share as much as you want in the comments below! RIP Wes Craven. You were a true talent.
