1428 Elm: Our First Wes Craven Films

Joe Click- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

My first frightening introduction to the mastery of Wes Craven was his 1984 nocturnally-driven epic A Nightmare on Elm Street. I was barely out of the double digits when I first saw the picture. The music, the direction, and the writing all came together to create something that was unlike anything I had ever seen. Fred Kruger, or Freddy as he would later be known, was different than any other cinematic creation I had ever witnessed. I may have been young, but all I did was watch film from a real young age and nothing ever came close to this in terms of sheer creation.

Freddy was a disgusting entity, one that genuinely enjoyed to watch his victim squirm as he teased his prey. He wasn’t bound by the physical world. He was the master of the nocturnal dream land. He was eternal. His creator will forever share this in common with his most vile creation.

The world lost one of its greatest artistic minds as Wes Craven succumbed to brain cancer. I suppose it’s quite sadistically serendipitous. The deadly disease attacked what we all love about the man. Sure he was a good man and a kind soul, but the filmmaker’s brain was that of legend. So let’s not be sad of his passing, let’s all celebrate the masters mind. You’ve given us all many sleepless nights, and passion beyond our wildest dreams. From us to you, wherever you are. We love you, and we’ll always be your Dream Warriors.

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