Wes Craven names his favourite horror movie villain of all time
Very few horror directors have impacted the genre as much as Wes Craven did throughout his career. The creator of incredibly popular franchises such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream, Craven’s body of work continues to delight younger generations of horror enthusiasts.
Right from the very beginning of his career, Craven showed signs of great filmmaking talent even though his directorial debut, The Last House on the Left, was ostracised due to its controversial subject matter. Thankfully, the film has transformed into a bonafide cult classic over time, especially after Craven’s later successes.
Scream is probably the most acclaimed addition to Craven’s filmography, known for its metafictional examinations of the horror genre and all its associated clichés. Interestingly, Craven was hesitant about the project, but he decided to direct the film after a 12-year-old kid convinced him to accept the challenge.
During a conversation with Forbes, Craven was asked about some of the iconic movie monsters that influenced him as a horror filmmaker. The director singled out Hannibal Lecter as his absolute favourite, claiming that the murderous cannibal was the true manifestation of complete and inescapable evil.
Craven explained: “He showed me the level of sophistication that can be brought to a horror film. With a character like Lecter, who is articulate and intelligent, you can achieve the satanic level of scare – someone with powers greater than you who can outrun you and is totally at ease with violence, is amused by terror and who actually enjoys the process of dismantling you.”
Lecter is definitely a fan-favourite when it comes to horror movie monsters, especially due to Anthony Hopkins’ immortal portrayal of the character. More recently, Mads Mikkelsen also delivered a fantastic rendition of the highly intelligent psychopath in the 2013 television adaptation based on the iconic character.
While talking about Lecter, Craven claimed that cannibalism is the logical conclusion of evil. He added: “That’s the most primal demonstration of fear, isn’t it? Something that can completely destroy you to the extent that it actually takes your flesh into its body. That’s total ownership. Totally terrifying.”
