Sadly, today we have lost one of the biggest icons and contributors ever to be part of the horror genre.
Wes Craven has always been the main reason why I fell in love with this industry and I will forever be grateful for it.
I have to start with his biggest accomplishment, contribution and the one thing that had keep me scared for my life as a youngster.
Freddy Krueger not only was the first horror icon I knew about but he was the first to scare the living day lights out of me. What could be scarier to a four year old than a man who could attack and kill you in your sleep? In my opinion and from my experience, nothing else could top it.
I recall several nights as a child running downstairs in tears looking for my dad because Freddy had made an appearance in my dreams and sure enough, my father was laying on the floor watching one of the Nightmare films. Needless to say I was continuously terrified thanks to seeing him paused on that screen.
Years later, my mother introduced me back into the horror genre with The People Under the Stairs, another brilliant film made by Craven. With a nice dose of comedy inserted, I was able to begin getting over my fear of the horror genre and started appreciating everything it had to offer.
This opened the door to all the classics and forced me to face my nightmares and watch all the Nightmare on Elm Street films. This forced viewing made me fall in love with the character of Freddy. A love that would never die out!
I soon got caught up in the Scream phenomenon and knew I had to watch the movie. Upon my first viewing of the film with my sister, our mother decided to run into the room with a butcher knife to scare the life out of us.
The thrill of the scare made me laugh but also opened up a door for me to find more thrills in order to feed myself the adrenaline.
And after that I was hooked to horror for life and it all stemmed from films and characters that Wes Craven had created and I must thank him for that. Something most horror fans can relate to and something that none of us will ever be able to properly thank him for.
So for everything you've done for all your fans, all the film makers, screen writers, special effects people, reviewers and beyond, we thank you Mr. Craven.
You will be miss by everyone. Rest in peace.
Twitter: @horrorshoot
