Every Wes Craven movie in order

Wes Craven is known the world over as being one of the biggest names in horror. But how well do you know Craven’s entire film portfolio?

Could you do with a refresher? No problem!

In this post, I am providing a list of all of Wes Craven’s movies – from his first release, to his last. You might be familiar with the likes of A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and Scream (1996), but do you know of some of the director’s other films, such as Music of the Heart (1999) and Red Eye (2005)?

Let’s take a look!

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The 1970s

Wes Craven kicked off his directing career in 1972 with The Last House on the Left. From here he directed The Fireworks Woman (1975), before helming The Hills Have Eyes (1977) and the TV movie, Summer of Fear (1978).

Craven’s movies from the 1970s are as follows:

• The Last House on the Left (1972)
• The Fireworks Woman (1975)
• The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
• Summer of Fear (1978)

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The 1980s

Moving into the 1980s, and Craven hit his busiest time as a movie director, overseeing nine films, including the likes of Swamp Thing (1982) and The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988). Craven’s most iconic picture from this time – the one that would be his signature piece – would be A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Not only did Nightmare make a horror icon out of Freddy Krueger, but it also made Craven a household name. While the director would go on to have other hit movies, including a huge series of films beginning in the 1990s, A Nightmare on Elm Street was (and still is) the film audiences would return to again and again.

Craven’s films from the 1980s include:

• Deadly Blessing (1981)
• Swamp Thing (1982)
• Invitation to Hell (1984)
• The Hills Have Eyes Part II (1984)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• Chiller (1985)
• Deadly Friend (1986)
• The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)
• Shocker (1989)

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The 1990s

Into the 1990s now, and it was another busy decade for Craven, beginning with the TV movie, Night Visions, followed by the cult favourite, The People Under the Stairs (1991). Then in 1994, Craven returned to the Nightmare series with the appropriately titled, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare – a post-modern take on the Freddy Krueger mythology.

A New Nightmare was very significant for horror fans, but it was Scream that became his biggest horror film of the decade. Released in 1996, Scream was a hugely successful, immensely influential film, which became popular with horror fans and non-horror fans alike.

Then to round out the decade, Craven made the unlikely decision to briefly move away from horror, by directing the musical drama, Music of the Heart. The film – which starred Meryl Streep – told the story of a violin teacher and a group of city kids.

Wes Craven’s films from the 1990s include:

• Night Visions (1990)
• The People Under the Stairs (1991)
• Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)
• Vampire in Brooklyn (1995)
• Scream (1996)
• Scream 2 (1997)
• Music of the Heart (1999)

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The 2000s

Things quietened down somewhat in the ‘00s, with Craven directing just four movies (*and partially directing a fifth). These films included Scream 3 (2000) and the Cillian Murphy chiller, Red Eye (2005)

The Wes Craven films of the 2000s, included:

• Scream 3 (2000)
• Cursed (2005)
• Red Eye (2005)
• My Soul to Take (2010)

*In addition to the above films, Craven also directed a small segment of the movie, Paris je t’aime (2006).

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2010s

And finally, during the 2010s, Wes Craven directed just one picture – 2011’s Scream 4. From start to finish, Craven oversaw all four Scream movies, bringing back the core cast for each picture and rounding out his legacy with horror.

In 2015, Wes Craven passed away. His sole film from the 2010s is:

• Scream 4 (2011)

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Recap 

Those are the Craven films by the decades, but if you simply want a list of all his movies, here are all the films directed by Wes Craven:

• The Last House on the Left (1972)
• The Fireworks Woman (1975)
• The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
• Summer of Fear (1978)
• Deadly Blessing (1981)
• Swamp Thing (1982)
• Invitation to Hell (1984)
• The Hills Have Eyes Part II (1984)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• Chiller (1985)
• Deadly Friend (1986)
• The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)
• Shocker (1989)
• Night Visions (1990)
• The People Under the Stairs (1991)
• Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)
• Vampire in Brooklyn (1995)
• Scream (1996)
• Scream 2 (1997)
• Music of the Heart (1999)
• Scream 3 (2000)
• Cursed (2005)
• Red Eye (2005)
• My Soul to Take (2010)
• Scream 4 (2011)

Outside of these films, Craven also directed some shorts, as well as some television, including episodes of the 1980s incarnation of The Twilight Zone.

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So, which is the best Wes Craven movie? 

For me it has to be Scream, followed very closely by A Nightmare on Elm Street and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. But what about you? 

What do you view as the best Wes Craven films? Sound off in the comments section below and let me know your thoughts.

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If you’re a fan of horror movies, not just the one’s by Wes Craven, then you may wish to know that many classic horror movies are currently available on Blu-ray, such as the ever-popular, Paranormal Activity series.

The Paranormal Activity: 6 Movie Blu-ray Collection includes six movies, including: Paranormal Activity, Paranormal Activity 2, Paranormal Activity 3, Paranormal Activity 4, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, and Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension.

The Paranormal Activity: 6 Movie Blu-ray Collection is available from all good entertainment stockists, including Amazon US and Amazon UK.

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I hope this post on the movies of Wes Craven has proved useful. For more movie-related posts, check out one of the recommended reads below.

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