Cronenberg vs. Craven

I have long time been an admirer of both, though I think Craven is much more interesting when he is tweaking with the genre (New Nightmare is a very clever movie which fails by not realising that horror is - in general - an anti-intellectual medium). The first Nightmare On Elm Street is a truly scary movie and easily the best and most inventive of the supernatural slasher movie.

Along with the Kubrick and Godard series, the Lightbox also has Wes Craven on the upcoming schedule. Just a few films, but I'll finally see The Last House on the Left--probably 30 years too late for me to give it a fair chance, but I'll try.

Not a pleasant movie

So I gather. The word "sadistic" used to come up when I'd read about in the '80s (probably unavailable then, or I'm sure I would have rented it out). I may be looking away from the screen frequently...Loose remake of a Bergman film, I seem to remember.

Very loose. And with the wrong moral. And with badly misplaced music and comic relief. But the highs are pretty high.

Very loose "Virgin Spring," yeah. Which itself might be based on something? But it's one of those movies probably more valuable as a launching pad for discussion than as a movie. Which is ironic, because obviously it helps to see the movie first.

Last House definitely wasn't fun...I'd be hard-pressed to think of a reason to recommend it to anyone. There were a half-dozen people laughing hysterically towards the end, but it never worked on that level for me. It's just dismal and mean. I guess Manson's lurking in the background, but I think Texas Chainsaw and Pink Flamingos are much better at capturing something interesting about that moment.

They also showed the original trailer for The Hills Have Eyes beforehand (saw it years ago). Will be skipping that one--looked even drearier.

Wise choice. I didnt like it at all

Agree with Phil D. about the badly misplaced music--I don't know what was going on there. (I wasn't sure if it was bad imitations of hippie-folk, or parodies of same. One song even summarized plot points.) Would be interested in hearing what you thought the highs were; there weren't any for me.

Xp it seemed saturated with Manson to me, the way say the crazies is saturated with Vietnam (a war that was also an obsession of craven's while making last house apparently); you're right that this doesn't stop it from being a stupid and shitty film. I think wes craven is basically a shit director though.

Yeah this thread's comparison is ridiculous, craven barely qualifies as a stylist imo. He sometimes stumbled onto decent plot twists and provocative scripts but thats about it. Cronenberg is in another league entirely. Carpenter is the better comparison.

I really did like the first Nightmare when it came out; found it genuinely creepy, and while I'm sure it stole from lots of other horror films, it felt like something different. I may have seen the sequel--can't remember. But nothing after that, and I gather Freddy Kruger eventually became lovable comic relief or something. Didn't care for Scream, don't think I've seen anything else.

craven has directed landmark horror films across three different decades, which is quite unusual within the genre. the hills have eyes is great, btw - but then i really like the porno-exploitation vibe of last house, def feel like its deliberately shoddy atmos was a big influence on texas chainshaw.

I should have credited it with that--clearly an influence on TCM (not just the actual chainsaw). And Last House and The Hills Have Eyes did have important critical support from Robin Wood in The American Nightmare (which basically means that he believed they attacked the status quo, rather than propping it up, like The Exorcist; I never quite got with that, instead judging horror films by how scary/creepy I found them.)

Yeah I dont deny his significance

Last house, nightmare, and scream are all significant archetypal films of their eras and yet I dont think any of them are really that great. The latter two are fun (altho I actually think nightmare II is better).

Would watch Cronenberg's Howard the Duck, wouldn't watch Craven's Blade.

I think Craven is really, really smart, but his movies are pretty much dumb distillations of smart ideas. "Red Eye" makes me wish he did more than horror.

Last House is defensible, but I have no idea what people see in The Hills Have Eyes.

But since someone brought up The American Nightmare, I have to admit that Craven gives the smartest interviews.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/wes-craven-horror-maestro-dies-818806

damn ...

I interviewed him a few times, and he was always so smart and thoughtful. :(

Whoah

RIP. One of the all time greats in the genre.

gutted about this. LITERALLY!

;_;

Bummed out. The original The Hills Have Eyes and Serpent And The Rainbow are all-time.

r.i.p. damn.

yeah RIP. I don't think he ever really delivered a 100% great film but he was a remarkable bellwether for the genre across 3 decades, and when he was good (Nightmare II, Scream) he was fun.

(sorry meant I there)