Farewell to Wes – Guest Blog: Greg Nicotero
You would think growing up in Pittsburgh in the 70’s it was kinda all about zombies… right? And let’s face it… it sort of was. But being a horror fan then had its perks, and one huge perk was being drawn into the world of these passionate and highly imaginative filmmakers who rode the wave alongside The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Night of the Living Dead, and Psycho… to name a scant few.
I had the immense pleasure of working alongside Wes Craven on most of the films he was responsible for starting in 1991 (thank you, Stuart Besser) with The People Under the Stairs and then onward for nearly two decades. I was in awe of the contrast of his kind nature and warm smile with that of the leering grin of Freddy Krueger or the faceless Ghost killer from Scream that he made real.
I was obsessed with A Nightmare on Elm Street and to this day still consider it one of the seminal movies in my youth… in actuality I saw it in the theaters while we were shooting Day of the Dead after studying every photo in Fangoria Magazine over and over again. No rules applied… a fitting comparison to what Wes so generously gave all of us.
It is difficult to put in words the impact Wes had on me as a horror fan, filmmaker and human being… but what I can say mostly is THANK YOU. He encouraged me as an artist and as a director when he sponsored me into the Director’s Guild of America. Last time I saw him was at my 50th birthday party (and damn if it wasn’t a dream from nerd heaven… Rodriguez, Darabont, Landis, Mark Hamill alongside the cast of “The Walking Dead”) when he and his wife walked in. He gave me a big hug, smiled shyly as he always did, and thanked me for inviting him. SERIOUSLY?
IT WAS ME WHO THANKED HIM FOR THAT NIGHT AND MANY OTHERS OF COUNTLESS INSPIRATION.
— Greg Nicotero
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:News
