This week, a brand-new Scream hits theaters, the first without Wes Craven at the helm. The new filmmakers, Radio Silence, credit Craven for inspiring their careers and have been vocal from the start that they’re aiming to honor Craven’s legacy with their film and even dedicate it “For Wes.” A large part of that entailed the team extensively studying not only the Scream franchise, but Craven himself.
By all accounts, Craven was a mild-mannered, well-spoken, and kind director that engaged with fans and filmmakers alike with consideration. The type of person that you wouldn’t suspect of extreme or brutal horror, but Craven came out swinging hard with his debut, The Last House on the Left. The filmmaker had his fingers on horror’s pulse for decades, too, bringing a transformative horror movie at least once per decade, including A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, and Scream 4, a sequel ahead of its time.
You could count on Craven to bring timeless insights into the genre beyond the screen, too, like, “Horror films don’t create fear. They release it.” Perhaps he understood horror a little too well; Craven never could break out of horror as he wanted. That desire to branch out might be linked to his constant attempts to push boundaries within the genre, either through casting choices, tonal swings, trope subversions, or genre commentary, even if they didn’t always land with audiences upon release.
The announcement of a Scream without Craven seemed strange, even with confidence in Radio Silence. Craven directed all four previous installments of the franchise, and his passing in 2015 still feels so raw and recent. That speaks volumes of his impact.
Radio Silence committed themselves fully to learning from the horror master,
taking lessons when creating their own brutal slasher whodunit in his memory. That they achieved it without losing their voice added another layer of appreciation to their mantra of “For Wes.”
Craven doesn’t just live on through his films or the memories of those that met him. He lives and breathes in the new, emerging horror masters. The filmmakers dedicate themselves to the genre, taking the inspiration he gave them and building upon it, taking his lessons to heart, and forging new paths in horror from them.
That didn’t happen overnight. Craven’s films have an enduring impact and have for decades;
Scream inspired Radio Silence to become filmmakers in the first place.
A Nightmare on Elm Street fans channeled their unwavering love into a documentary. Craven’s name continues to pop up in special thanks or dedications in horror, including Mick Garris’
Nightmare Cinema or Shudder’s recent horror-comedy
Vicious Fun.
The new
Scream succeeded for me for many reasons – a spoiler-free
review here if you choose to read why. But one of the more surprising reasons is how it helped heal some of my feelings of loss over Craven’s passing. That gaping hole in horror feels smaller now with the realization that countless other fans, filmmakers, and beyond continue his memory in surprising ways, big and small. That’s one hell of a legacy to leave behind, and I’m so thankful for it.
