Polaris Publishing, out now

A detailed look at Wes Craven’s body of work, from early student films to his legacy.

Brian J. Robb’s 1998 book has been fully revised and updated to bring it bang up to date (including references to this year’s Scream) as well as including a new chapter on his lost student film Pandora Experimentia.

Through a combination of personal interviews and other resources, Robb compiles a comprehensive picture of Craven and his output, acknowledging up front that little is known or was discussed about the filmmaker’s childhood. We pick up the story at college and then follow him through his career, film by film, with direct quotes, behind-the-scenes stories, reviews and context for subsequent movies. As a fan of Craven’s work, I already knew many of the broad strokes, but there was a lot of detail here there I was discovering for the first time.

To be clear, this isn’t a book of academia, dissecting themes and content at a forensic level, instead it’s a remarkably addictive and easy- to-read guide to Craven’s work, piling in juicy snippets and lesser-known background – did you know that there’s a porn parody called The Hills Have Thighs?

As expected, the A Nightmare on Elm Street section is sizeable, referencing all the sequels (and remake) and TV series, and again, even for a die-hard fan like me, Robb has uncovered stories and references new to these eyes. Because the book isn’t just about his films (we delve into his writing and personal life) the chapters are not film by film, though still chronological, but making it rather tricky to find specific films in the absence of an index. The filmography is also a little thin, containing ratings out of five, which we can only guess reflect the writer’s personal opinions.

The Books Consulted section also only includes five books (including its own first edition) and I would have appreciated a detailed bibliography to help me seek out specific references that I could follow-up. For a casual reader, this probably isn’t a concern, but considering all the labour that’s gone into putting this 300+ pages of work together, it feels like a missed opportunity.

Verdict: Multiply your knowledge of Wes Craven’s oeuvre with a knowledgeable compendium of facts and insight. 8/10

Nick Joy