New Nightmare Did Wes Craven's Meta Horror Movie Trick Better Than Scream
For many, Scream is the definitive self-aware horror series, a morbidly comical commentary of classic tropes—however, it was Wes Craven’s New Nightmare that managed to utilize the trick of meta-horror to better effect. Projects of the late director Wes Craven, both were an examination of horror movies from different vantage points. Although both movies provide valid insights, sometimes there’s more to a good dissection than sharp tongues and conscious observations.
With the tenth anniversary of A Nightmare on Elm Street arriving in 1994, Wes Craven decided to revive the Springwood slasher. Although instead of making a true sequel, the director told a story set in the real world, where the cast of the previous Freddy Krueger films reunited to make a final movie. Specifically, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare followed actress Heather Langenkamp, who was hesitant to get involved and return to her defining role. However, haunted by her past and afraid to face it, Langenkamp learned in the film that Freddy isn’t as dead or fictional as Craven had her believe, threatening her family and the real world.
Related: How New Nightmare's The Entity Differs From The Real Freddy Krueger
Cleverly critiquing the horror genre, the Scream series is considered iconic; however, they felt more like tongue-in-cheek slasher movie parodies. Meanwhile, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare differed in that it told a more emotional story focusing on the real-life experiences filming A Nightmare on Elm Street and its sequels. By framing it around a movie production, and their attempts to escape the shadows cast over their lives by Freddy, the movie handled its ideas better, with more authenticity and a scarier premise.
Created as a reflection of his films, Wes
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