Wes Craven is one of the most successful and iconic horror movie directors in Hollywood. Wow, this was a great book and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves any of Wes Craven's movies. His films encompass a variety of styles, elements and themes, from the nihilistic existentialism of Serial Killer Cinema: An Analytical Filmography with an IntroductionSleaze Artists: Cinema at the Margins of Taste, Style, and Politics It has a bit less biography than I would have liked and the film criticism, while solid, isn't groundbreaking; but it's still and entertaining and interesting read for fans of Craven or the horror genre.One of my favorite directors. This book goes beyond the screen to examine what really led to Wes Craven′s nightmares and ours. I wasn't really acting. But he was a good man — so rest in peace, old Wes. Start by marking “Wes Craven: The Man and his Nightmares” as Want to Read: I especially appreciated the chapters on "A Nightmare on Elm Street." See all books authored by Wes Craven, including The Fountain Society, and Horror 201: The Silver Scream, and more on ThriftBooks.com. One of the best—and one of the most articulate—to ever make horror films talks openly about his philosophy and his craft. You may know him for directing movies such as nightmare on elm street , last house on the left and the hills have eyes. Either way, the man responsible for bringing Freddy Krueger and the Ghost-Face killer to the big screen is the subject of a new biography by John Wooley, Wes Craven: The Man and His Nightmares.Chances are, if you're reading this site, you know who Wes Craven is. He was known for his pioneering work in the horror genre, particularly slasher films, where he mixed horror cliches with humor and satire. Wes Craven is one of the most successful and iconic horror movie directors in Hollywood, with a career that has spanned almost forty years. For fans, the book offers a window into what went into their favorite films, for creators, it shows how those films were made, and for scholars, it opens a window into why Craven made his films. Interestingly, Craven was handed the film and hired as the director, but he made it into an outstanding piece of work, despite it's adult/grotesque content. A good overview of Wes Craven's career, containing some information that I had not been aware of, particularly in the area of projects that never came to fruition. The man is a gem.Wes Craven was who gave me my love for horror. But if you want to know the intimate details of Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream, you're gonna be underwhelmed.The description says that the book covers Craven's life and his movies. Due to the success and cultural impact of his works, Craven has been called a "Master of Horror". Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. "Throughout his career, Craven was nominated for and won numerous awards, including multiple But Wes Craven was brave enough to give me the gig based on his daughter's opinion, I guess she had read with a bunch of actors, and after the casting sessions, she said, 'No, that's the guy.' There was an slight focus on how his films were perceived, but I feel as though that aspect of it, being one of the core focuses of this book, simply skimmed the surface. His impact on the genre was considered prolific and highly influential. Interestingly, Craven was handed the film and hired as the director, but he made it into an outstanding piece of work, despite it's adult/grotesque content. Having not known much of Mr. Craven's career, it was an insightful look into the mind of the man. I've read other film critique from Muir; he's a true horror archivist and a definitive scholar of the medium. Published Either way, the man responsible for bringing Freddy Krueger and the Ghost-Face killer to the big screen is the subject of a new biography by John Wooley, Wes Craven: The Man and His Nightmares.This book was an interesting read on Wes Cravens life and reasoning behind his most horrific films. His masterful examination of the nightmarish nexus of dreams and reality helped spark a career that has spanned close to forty years. It felt as if I was reading an extremely long magazine article instead of a biography, not to mention it did tend to dwell too much on Craven's lesser known films and barely touched on the ones that he's most known for.