Wes Craven

Lore & Background

Craven set out to make a deliberately more cerebral film than recent entries to the franchise—which he regarded as being cartoonish, and not faithful to his original themes. The basic premise originated when Craven first signed on to co-write *Dream Warriors*, but New Line Cinema rejected it then. In *New Nightmare*, Krueger was portrayed closer to what Craven had imagined: darker and less comical. To reinforce this, the character's make-up and outfit were enhanced, with one of the most prominent differences being that he now wears a long blue/black trenchcoat and a green hat. The signature glove was redesigned for a more organic look, with the fingers resembling bones.

In Their Own Story

In the film, Craven admits to having precognitive nightmares. He explains that the films had kept an ancient supernatural entity trapped, which has been freed after the series ended with the release of *Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare*. In the guise of Freddy, the entity is focusing on Heather Langenkamp, its primary foe, as killing her will allow it into the real world. Heather must agree to play Nancy again to stop it. Heather catches a glimpse of Wes's script, which, inexplicably, is a written play-by-play of every dialogue and action she and everyone around her are taking. After Heather and Dylan push Freddy into the furnace, destroying both the monster and its reality, Heather finds a copy of the events in Wes's screenplay. Inside is a note from Wes thanking her for defeating Freddy and playing Nancy one last time.

Reader's Guide

The film was written under the working title *A Nightmare on Elm Street 7: The Ascension*. Craven initially scripted himself as a man driven insane by nightmares, who had cut off his own eyelids to stay awake and was being driven by Michael Berryman's character from *The Hills Have Eyes*. Craven decided to opt for a more comforting setting of being in an opulent house in the Hollywood Hills. The film won an International Fantasy Film Award from Fantasporto for Best Screenplay by Craven. *Wes Craven's New Nightmare* was released on October 14, 1994, grossing $19.8 million at the box office on a budget of $8 million, making it the lowest-grossing film in the *A Nightmare on Elm Street* series. However, it received positive reviews from critics, and is considered by many as one of the best Nightmare movies and one of Wes Craven's most enduring films.

Did You Know?

• Craven originally scripted himself as a man who had cut off his own eyelids to stay awake, but changed it to a more comforting setting in an opulent house in the Hollywood Hills.
• He named Fran Bennett's character, Dr. Christine Heffner, after former MPAA ratings chief Richard Heffner, with whom he had clashed many times over the content of his films.
• The basic premise for *New Nightmare* originated when Craven first signed on to co-write *Dream Warriors*, but New Line Cinema rejected it then.
• The film won an International Fantasy Film Award from Fantasporto for Best Screenplay by Craven.
• Craven regarded recent entries to the franchise as cartoonish and not faithful to his original themes, so he set out to make a deliberately more cerebral film.