BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS
There are some obvious classics I could have went with here, but people sleep on this movie WAY too much. In this 1991 horror movie we get an “urban twist” on Craven’s horror style. We have a young guy from the ghetto breaking into an evil rich family’s home. The family was creepy as hell and is what I truly believe happens behind the doors of Republican homes to this day. They kept people locked under their stairs, where they were abused and mistreated to the point of them becoming crazed zombie-like cannibals. The movie is just so weird that you can’t help but remember it and be creeped out by it, while at the same time amused. It’s a style trait of Craven that we’d see many times during his career.
(THREE) SHOCKER
Another one that most wouldn’t have in their Top 4 is this 1989 cult classic. I remember seeing Shocker on TV as a kid and being creeped out, but at that point I was too young to really comprehend what I was seeing. The movie is about a serial killer who makes a deal with the devil that when executed, in an electric chair none the less, he’d be turned into pure electricity. With that he’d “possess” people and they’d go on to do his evil bidding.
(TWO) SCREAM
In 1996, Wes Craven once again reinvented the horror genre. In Scream we saw Wes bring us a world of teens who talk about old horror movies and die in witty and ironic ways. At this point, horror was kind of passé but this grunge-era take on the sarcasm and tongue-in-cheek style of it all made for one of the most success horror genres of the 90’s.
(ONE) A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET
The movie is sharply done, edgy, and a classic. We’ve all seen it. For those over the age of around 24-25, you remember everyone with the sweater and a fake glove. The movie just made a HUGE impact. The remake… eh, but the original Nightmare will always go down as one of the best of all time. For that fact alone, Wes Craven gets a pass and should always be given a chance when he puts something new out. You can’t argue this one. You may want to claim you like another of his movies as the best, but you’d just be coming off as trying too hard. The man put Freddy Krueger on the screen for the first time. That’s all that needs to be said to secure this spot. The movie put a new spin on horror and provided the world with one of the modern horror icons.
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