The Wes Craven Collection (DVD)

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Liked it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Good
How does it compare to similar films?	Not applicable

Advantages:	Three good films; plenty of extras; great bonus DVD .
Disadvantages:	Some films have more extras if you just buy the single film; let down by Mind Ripper .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

The Wes Craven Collection is a boxset of some of Wes Craven's best works. It includes four films and a bonus DVD.

♦♦♦♦♦Film one: Scream♦♦♦♦♦

Main cast:
--------------

Sydney Prescott - Neve Campbell
Tatum Riley - Rose McGowan
Billy Loomis - Skeet Ulrich
Stu Macher - Matthew Lillard
Randy Meeks - Jamie Kennedy
Gale Weathers - Courtney Cox
Dwight "Dewey" Riley - David Arquette
Casey Becker - Drew Barrymore

About Scream:
--------------------

I am somewhat reluctant to go into too much detail on this film, because I feel I will be repeating myself, since I have already written an in-depth review on the film itself; however, I will do so anyway because I realise that many who are reading this will not have read the other.

Scream is an excellent way to open this DVD boxset - the most recent and (in my opinion) best film in the set.

Possibly one of Wes Craven's most inventive works, Scream is innovative and original, and contrary to popular opinion, not predictable at all - it kept me guessing until the end. The direction of this movie is effortless, it flows perfectly and there is never a moment when you're not glued to the screen.

The action is shocking right from the beginning, when the film opens on the gruesome murder of Casey, played by the ever-lovely Drew Barrymore. It gives the viewer a look at how sadistic the killer can be, and at how much enjoyment he gets from not only the killing, but also from 'playing' with his victim beforehand. This is an immensely attention-grabbing start to the film, which ensures that the audience is hooked right from the word go.

Although hugely popular at the time of its release back in 1996, Scream unfortunately seems to have gathered since then some negative opinions, seemingly because of the influx of "teen slashers" that have been released since then. Many people are of the assumption that Scream is yet another one of the same, when in actual fact, this couldn't be further from the truth.

Kevin Williamson's script is extremely clever with its self-parodying, or satirical dialogue - everybody knows what to expect in a horror movie, or so it seems - the ruthless killer, the virginal heroine, the big-breasted girl who (as Sidney puts it) is always running up the stairs when she should be going out the front door - in other words, exactly the sorts of stereotypes one would assume are rife in a film of this ilk.
Williamson tackles this fact head on with Scream, by writing into the dialogue conversations that discuss these horror-movie archetypes - for example, the "Horror Movie Rules", given to us in an extremely humorous fashion by film fanatic Randy are another classic - horror movie fans will love this, as they are all so very true!
The rules are as follows:
1) No sex
2) Never Drink or do drugs, it's a sin, it's an extension of rule 1
3) Never say you'll be right back, cause you won't be back, you'll be dead.

Scream acknowledges the existence of horror movies, and almost pokes fun at their predictable nature, then presents us with something that does not conform, making it truly unique.

The casting could not have been better for Scream, using many established and respected actors, and yet managing to avoid anybody too "hollywood", thus keeping it realistic. My personal favourite is Matthew Lillard who plays wonderfully the role of ever-so-slightly-insane Stu, boyfriend of our main character Sidney (played by Neve Campbell). With a relatively low reported budget of $15m, Scream really is a masterpiece.

What really makes the movie for me though, is not only the great storyline but all of the smaller details, which you may not notice unless a true horror fan. Craven pays homage to other great horror movies, and to the work of directors John Carpenter and Sam Raimi. There are numerous references, in-jokes if you like - for example, a janitor in the hallway looks suspiciously like Freddy Krueger and is also called "Fred" (Fred, interestingly, was played by Craven himself!); Billy's surname is Loomis, an obvious link to Carpenter's Halloween films, there is a reference to "Wes Carpenter" by Tatum (played by Rose McGowan) and they are also watching "Halloween" on TV in the house at Randy's party - these are just some - there are many more to be found if you're looking for them.

Scream is definitely a work of art, and is definitely a film that must be included in any Wes Craven Collection.

The Extras:
----------------

The scream DVD in this boxset contains all of the same extras that you will find on the individual DVD, so you really are getting your money's worth with this one.

● As with all of the films in this set, there is an audio commentary by Wes Craven, which you can select easily in the root menu by clicking on 'bonus material' and choosing to switch the commentary on.

●The 'Prouction Featurette' includes commentary from Wes Craven and some of the cast on the movie and their experiences whilst making it. There are some scenes from the film and some behind the scenes footage, and the featurette lasts for just over 6 minutes.

● The 'Behind the Scenes' extra includes a lot of, well, behind the scenes footage. There are two sections to this - behind the movie, and Drew Barrymore. The first is around 3 and a half minutes long, and is extremely interesting and educational, particularly for any aspiring filmmakers out there. You get to see Wes Craven's superb direction in motion, and it is fantastic to see all of the equipment they used when shooting, such as a steadicam, track and dolly, and cranes for overhead shoots. You also get to see how some of the scenes were created.
The Drew Barrymore section focuses on how Drew's death scenes were made - it is especially interesting to see the 'Drew doll' used for parts of it, which is a doll modelled to look exactly like the actress with her guts hanging out and covered in blood. It must be very strange to be her, because the doll is so realistic that I thought someone was carrying her for a moment. This section is just under 3 minutes long.

● The 'Special Effects Gallery' shows molds and concept drawings used for the creation of some of the special effects pieces used in Scream. This is mainly centred around the creation of the 'Drew doll', and while interesting, is really nothing special.

● 'Q and A with the Cast and Crew' is footage of the cast and crew answering two questions put to them - "What is your favourite horror movie?" and "Why are people fascinated by horror?" - not a huge Q and A, but a little bit of fun, nevertheless.

● The 'Cast and Crew Profiles' are text based profiles, basic overviews really, and nothing you couldn't find elsewhere, probably imdb.com.

● And finally, 'Did you know?' provides some interesting little tidbits of information, such as the fact that to keep Drew Barrymore looking upset and crying, Wes Craven kept reminding her of animal cruelty stories, because Drew is a huge animal lover and vegetarian.

♦♦♦♦♦Film two: The Hills Have Eyes♦♦♦♦♦

Main Cast:
---------------
Brenda Carter - Susan Lanier
Bobby Carter - Robert Houston
Ethel Carter - Virginia Vincent
Doug Wood - Martin Speer
Lynne Wood - Dee Wallace
Big Bob Carter - Russ Grieve
Fred - John Steadman
Jupiter - James Whitworth
Mars - Lance Gordon
Pluto - Michael Berryman
Ruby - Janus Blythe
Mama - Cordy Clark
Katy - Brenda Marinoff
Mercury - Arthur King
Beauty - Flora
The Beast - Striker

About The Hills Have Eyes:
-------------------------------------

'The Hills Have Eyes' and 'Last House on the Left' should really be the other way around in the boxset because The Hills..was Wes Craven's second foray into the world of horror after his debt with Last House. Released in 1977, five years after Last House, The Hills Have Eyes seems a more serious attempt by Wes Craven to make a good horror movie. This is not to say that Last House was not a good horror movie - quite the opposite; however, Last House appears to have been made with the intention of providing shocks, making the name Wes Craven known, and his future association with horror inevitable.

The shock factor of Last House seems to have done its job though, because 5 years later for the production of The Hills Have Eyes, Craven was given an extra $200,000 for his budget, and around double the amount of crew members.

The Hills Have Eyes follows the Carter family across the desert wastelands of America on their way to California, where they are attacked by a group of savage cannibals. After some of the family members are slaughtered in various unsettling ways, those remaining are left to fight for their lives.

There really isn't too much more to say about the storyline than this unfortunately, because The Hills..really is this straightforward. This isn't to say though that the film isn't interesting, because it is - just maybe not by today's standards. It can probably be classed as an early slasher movie, but with much more character development. The motivations of the cannibals at least, are not just to kill people, but to kill for food - it seems they genuinely don't see anything wrong in their way of life.

The film spends a good 20 minutes letting us get to know the Carter family before the first incident occurs, which means that we care about (at least some of) the Carter family members. Wes Craven does not rely on shocks or graphic violence in this film - the horror is more to do with the build-up and tension, and the terror of the people being tormented.

The Hills..was shot on 16mm, which adds to the feel of the film, with its slightly grainy look, and 'realistic' pale colouring, as opposed to the bright shiny film stock that is commonly used today. I am informed that they have "improved" the film for the latest releases - they have certainly transferred it to be viewable as widescreen - but it does not say anything about this in this boxset.

The Extras:
---------------

Unfortunately, this particular release of The Hills Have Eyes is literally just the film and the standard 'additionals'. The DVD includes an commentary by Wes Craven and Peter Locke (Producer), and the standards of Scene Selection and a choice of sound (5.1 surround or DTS).

If you were to buy The Hills..on DVD as it is now (it was re-released as a 2-disc set), you would get much more than these standards. The second disc of the set has a mammoth number of extras on it, including two hour-long documentaries, alternative endings, galleries and artwork - but I'm not going to go into details on this, because you don't get them here.

♦♦♦♦♦Film three: Last House on The Left♦♦♦♦♦

Main Cast:
---------------

Mari Collingwood - Sandra Cassel
Phyllis Stone - Lucy Grantham
Krug Stillo - David Hess
Fred 'Weasel' Podowski - Fred Lincoln
Sadie - Jeramie Rain
Junior Stillo - Marc Sheffler

About Last House on the Left:
----------------------------------------

Wes Craven's first project, Last House on the Left, originally released in 1972 is notorious to say the least. Deemed a 'video nasty', Last House was banned in the UK for years before being released, like many others of its ilk.

Last House on the Left is essentially a rape-revenge movie, much like 'I Spit on Your Grave' in its storyline, but nowhere near as nasty as that particular film. There is minimal 'rape' in Last House, as the violation is more about humiliation and torture, and only really contains one rape scene.

The premise behind Last House is two girls, Mari and Phyllis, who on Mari's 17th birthday set off for a concert. On the way, they decide to ask around on a quest to find 'pot', and wind up in the clutches of vile Krug and his gang. After the humiliation and rape of the two girls, which results in their deaths, Krug's gang seek refuge for the night, and stumble unwittingly upon the house of Mari's parents. Cue the revenge part of the plot....

In all honesty, I'm not a great fan of this film - it's a little too cringey for me. There are just certain moments that are too humiliating to watch - one in particular sticks in my mind, although it's not sexual abuse. For the sake of total humiliation, Krug tells one of the girls that she should wet herself - doesn't sound much, I know, but just the act of the terrified girl peeing i her pants was too much for me - she is utterly humiliated and it is horrible to watch.

That said, maybe that makes it a great film - one that, even after 33 years, can still shock.

I have read in places that the cartoonish way that the violence against the gang (by Mari's family) is portrayed is odd in comparison to the gritty realism of the earlier scenes, and I would have to agree 100% with that. It seems somewhat unbalanced and unfair that the girls should suffer hours of torment, and the gang be picked off much more quickly (although still with some viciousness).

Last House on the Left is definitely not for the faint-hearted, or those easily offended, but as a Wes Craven classic, it is a must-see for any fan of the genre - if only to see what all the fuss is about.

The Extras:
---------------

This boxset, despite letting us down on the extras for The Hills Have Eyes, really provides the goods for Last House. A fair few extras that you can find on the lone DVD release are on here, but as the released DVD is a two disc version, obviously you don't get them all.

● 'Celluloid Crime of the Century' is a 40 minute documentary with interviews from Wes Craven and Sean Cunningham (Producer) among others, about the controversy behind the film.

● 'Scoring Last House' is a ten minute documentary with David Hess about the score for the film.

● There are original trailers, tv spots and radio spots

● Cast and Crew biographies are short bits of information on each of those involved with the film.

● And finally, there are 2 stills galleries, one with behind the scenes pictures and the other is a stills / publicity gallery.

♦♦♦♦♦Film four: Mind Ripper♦♦♦♦♦

Main Cast:
---------------

Stockton - Lance Henriksen
Joanne - Claire Stansfield
Alex - John Diehl
Wendy - Natasha Gregson Wagner
Rob - Gregory Sporleder
Scott - Giovanni Ribisi
Thor - Dan Blom
Mark - Adam Solomon
Larry - John Apicella
Frank - Peter Shepherd

About Mind Ripper:
--------------------------

If you look up Mind Ripper on IMDB, it redirects you to 'The Outpost', another name this film has been known by.

Mind Ripper, or The Outpost, is about a scientific experiment gone wrong - very different to the other films in this set.

When an experiment to try to create a superhuman being goes wrong, those involved are trapped in a remote desert outpost, persued by their own monsrous creation.

This film is dificult to review without just saying phrases like "badly acted", "shockingly awful effects", and "poor character motivations". In fact, I really am going to keep this review quite short, because unfortunately there is not much more to it than that. The plot isn't dreadful, but it isn't particularly riveting either. The only notable performance comes from Giovanni Ribisi, who plays Scott in this, but who you will probably know as either the medic in Saving Private Ryan or as Phoebe's weird brother Frank in Friends.

Now, I have to be honest and say that I'm not entirely convinced at the motives of Anchor Bay (or whoever makes these decisions) for including Mind Ripper in this collection - it seems an odd choice, and in all honesty I can't help but wonder if it is some kind of marketing ploy. Another theory I'm working on is that Wes Craven, being as huge as he is in the world of movie making, had a personal say in what was included in this boxset - this being because the writing credits include his son, Jonathan Craven. Hmmm.....

For Mind Ripper to be included in "The Wes Craven Collection" seems like a bit of a cop-out, because Wes Craven did not direct or write any of this film. In fact, the only claim Craven has to it is the role of Executive Producer, which essentially means that he stumped up some money for it.

For a boxset to be called The Wes Craven Collection conjures up ideas that it will include Craven's greatest works, so it is a bit of a shame really that when Craven can lay claim to so many great films, they would include this dire excuse that has, at best, a vague connection to Wes Craven himself, rather than one of his own fantastic creations.

All in all, a disappointment.

The Extras:
---------------

Mind Ripper does not have any documentaries or 'making ofs', probably due to its obviously low budget, but at least it comes with something. The DVD includes some written text biographies and film notes, and a stills gallery - nothing outstanding, but better than nothing.

♦♦♦♦♦The Bonus DVD♦♦♦♦♦

The fifth DVD is a bonus disc which includes trailers (not for the films in the collection, but for various films in the genre), an interview with Wes Craven on his films, and 'American Nightmare', a 70 minute documentary.

Wes Craven's interview lasts 60 minutes as it is, so to get that plus the 70 minute documentary is fantastic value for money. In the interview, Craven talks about his childhood and upbringing, his filmmaking experiences and the bearing his upbringing had on these, and he also talks about many of his films, including where the ideas came from. Fascinating for anyone who enjoys his work, and watching this gives the films an added dimension of enjoyment.

'American Nightmare' is not specifically related to the collection or to Wes Craven, but is a documentary looking at the horror 'revolution' in the 60s and 70s. Although this doesn't appear to be a documentary you can buy on DVD, it is a seperate documentary all of its own, and has been shown on television - it has its own entry on IMDB (Internet Movie Database). This documentary is very entertaining for any horror fan, and is a real bonus of the collection.

♦♦♦♦♦The Boxset Overall♦♦♦♦♦

Whilst looking over the extras on the Scream DVD to remind myself of them, I did notice one flaw with it. There is an option to switch on subtitles for the hard of hearing (which, incidentally, i was trying to do because I couldn't have sound on my laptop at the time, not because I have hearing problems) - the problem comes because these subtitles only work for the film itself, and not for any of the extra features, which will be disappointing for anyone who does have problems with hearing. Other than this minor issue, there seem to be no problems with any of the actual DVDs.

At £17.99 from play.com, this DVD is good value for money if you like at least two of these films; however, if you were to buy each of the films individually (missing out Mind Ripper, hehe) you would get a lot more extras for your money. That said, Last House alone (2 disc edition) is £14.99 on play, so it is a lot cheaper to get it this way. I actually found my copy (I think in Asda) for the bargain price of £9.99, so I would definitely advise keeping an eye out in shops for it, since at that price you can't go wrong.