Exclusives
Wes Craven on Remaking His Old Films: “I Kind Of Put All That Behind Me”
While speaking to Wes Craven yesterday about the upcoming release of Scream 4 on April 15th, B-D reporter Chris Eggertsen took a moment to ask the director for updates on previously-rumored remakes of his earlier films – Shocker and The People Under the Stairs have both been mentioned – given that he’s taken a very active role in producing previous reboots of his (with the exception of last year’s Elm Street, which he confesses he had nothing to do with).
However, it appears we may not be seeing any more remakes of Craven’s movies (at least those he owns the rights to) anytime soon, as he told B-D that spending so much of his time on Hills and Last House caused him to realize that doing what he really loves – actually directing movies – had been put on the back burner for far too long.
More inside.
“You know, I think there was a little [period] where we were kind of doing remakes – [though] the ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ remake was made by totally different people – but part of that was just the result of discovering that we owned those projects again after 30 years,” said Craven. “But definitely by the end of the second ‘Hills Have Eyes’ film remake, I felt like, you know, I’m spending too much of my time and energy doing this, and I need to get back to directing. And so…I wrote ‘My Soul to Take’ and then signed up for [‘Scream 4’].
“You know, I just kind of looked [at it] and I said, ‘you know what, you’re a director and [you] shouldn’t be devoting a full year to remaking ‘The Hills Have Eyes’,” he continued. “It takes that kind of time, and…the choice seems to be obvious [to direct instead]. I think I underestimated the amount of time that was required to do a remake. Even if you were gonna put it in the hands of a really good director, you still have to be very much a part of it, you still have to be doing a lot of work on it. And that kind of keeps you from being a director. So I kind of put all that behind me for the time being, and maybe for the rest of my life. [Laughs]”
I for one am glad Craven has gotten back in the directing game recently, regardless of the relative quality of his newer films. My Soul to Take may have been a disappointment for most, but given his stature as one of the greatest horror directors in film history I’d agree with Craven that his time is far better spent behind the camera. And besides, did anyone (besides BC) really care to see a remake of Shocker?
Exclusives
‘The Haunting of Pennhurst’ Exclusive Clip Trains Scare Actors For Historic Haunt in Tribeca Doc
The past and present collide in haunting, poignant ways in the genre documentary The Haunting of Pennhurst, which sees a Halloween haunt serve as a reclamation of true historic horrors.
Ahead of its world premiere at the 25th Tribeca Film Festival, we have an exclusive clip that sees scare actors in training for the Halloween season. The catch? This haunt is opening at the historic Pennhurst State School & Hospital site, a facility that caused immense harm to its disabled patients over decades of its operation.
In the documentary, “For over seventy years, Pennhurst State School & Hospital was called a place of care. What happened inside killed over half its population. It closed in 1987, leaving behind unmarked graves and an unresolved history. Today, on those same grounds, disabled performers – many living with the same conditions that once sent people to Pennhurst – put on their makeup, pull on their costumes, and prepare to scare people for a living.
“Through grit, compassion, and buckets of blood, the eclectic performers of the Pennhurst Asylum haunted attraction are wrestling with a space that is at once a lucrative business and a gravesite.”
The upcoming documentary hails from directing trio Nathan Stenberg, Mike Attie, and Katarina Poljak, who explore their socially-relevant subject through archival footage, first-hand accounts, and an immersive verité.
“Pennhurst has haunted us since we first passed through its dragon-tooth gates; the horrors of the institution echo through the site today. We are so grateful to bring this film to the Tribeca Festival, particularly the Escape from Tribeca section, which feels right for a story where past and present bleed together. We hope audiences leave unnerved and asking the same uncomfortable questions we did,” Attie, Stenberg, and Poljak said in a statement.
Watch the clip below that sees disabled and neurodivergent scare actors learning the ropes of a Halloween haunt, reclaiming the site’s grim history in the process.
Tribeca Screenings:
- Public 1 (Premiere) Screening – Friday, June 5 at 9:15PM at Village East by Angelika
- Public 2 Screening – Sunday, June 7 at 3:15PM at Village East by Angelika
- Public 3 Screening – Tuesday, June 9 at 6:15PM at Village East by Angelika