Farewell to Wes – Dread Central Writer David Gelmini
So, as you would have heard by now, Wes Craven has died at the age of 76. This is crushing news to, well, everyone. Horror fan or not, you have to admit that his mark on cinema was immeasurable. And so was his mark on me. He helped to cement my love of horror in a way that nobody else could.
As a kid, I loved horror. I was obsessed with anything dark and creepy and mysterious (I still am, but you get the idea). Particularly, I loved monsters. I could spend all day looking at pictures of monsters and not get bored. They just fascinated me. I remember walking into comic book shops and spending as much time as I could just flicking through the pages to look at the creatures that the creative team had conjured up (although that wasn’t very often; in the UK, where I’ve always lived, comic book shops are about as rare as remakes that surpass the original).
I remember vividly one occasion circa early 2000s when as a kid I went to the fair. I was too young at the time to be going on any of the rides, so instead I just looked around in the vain hope of finding something to interest me. And lo and behold, what should I stumble across? A horror-themed ride called ‘The Hellraiser’ (as far as I know, they got no clearance to use that title; if you’re reading this, Clive Barker, please don’t sue). But it wasn’t the ride that fascinated me. On the surrounding walls there was a huge mural of classic horror characters, old and new.
One particular caught my attention. A horribly burned man with huge metallic claws for hands, a black fedora hat, and a red and green striped shirt. I stood there, frozen on the spot. I just couldn’t take my eyes off the image. Who was this monstrosity of a man? How did he come to look that way? What’s his story? Those questions raced through my young mind as I stood transfixed, hypnotised at the image. I thought that it was the coolest thing in the world. My disappointment at not being able to go on any of the rides vanished instantly.
After I refused to let the subject die, the adults accompanying me gradually told me that the character’s name was Freddy Krueger and that he was in a film where he killed people. They would say no more in fear of damaging my fragile little mind. But they’d already told me enough. I was fascinated by the character, and I was desperate to see his film. I was a kid at the time and my computer skills weren’t great, but through the magic of that wonderful thing known as the internet, I soon discovered that he was the star of a series of films called A Nightmare on Elm Street.
And while I didn’t see any of the films for a long time later, the knowledge alone that there was an entire series of films where an awesome looking monster dude with claws for hands murdered people made me fall in love with horror even more that I already was. And I’ve remained in love with it ever since.
So thank you, Mr. Craven, for all the happy memories, and I know for certain that your films will create many, many more generations of horror fans.
— David Gelmini
With the tragic passing of Wes Craven, literally everyone in the industry has been reeling and expressing love for the man and his work. Several people have been writing in to Dread Central to ask if it would be cool to post their thoughts. So this Farewell to Wes feature will be their opportunity to share their feelings and their thoughts with you, the horror community.
Some will be long, some will be short, but all are important and will be featured with love and caring. It’s our honor to be able to do this for the man who gave us so very much.
Categorized:Editorials
