It's safe to say that Joe Maddrey's
The Soul of Wes Craven (Harker Press, June 2024) may be the most
comprehensive and thoughtful biography of any human being I've ever read. The
physical book is in the 500-page neighborhood (I read the Kindle edition), and
there's not a word of padding to be found.
Author Maddrey conducted
years of research, including 80-some interviews with many of those closest to
Craven. From the legendary movie-maker's fundamentalist upbringing; to his
stints as a musician, college lit-mag editor, and producer of porn flicks; to
the inspirations behind his literary and cinematic concepts; to the stories and anecdotes
about Craven's most obscure films to his blockbusters, Maddrey explores
every aspect in depth, with both objectivity and sensitivity.
No doubt, the chronicles of Craven's milestone films — Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes, Nightmare on Elm Street, The People Under the Stairs, and so many others — are of deep and specific interest to the multitudes of Wes Craven fans. But perhaps
most revealing are the myriad insights into Craven's personal life, attitudes, and
philosophies, fleshed out by way of his own writings as well as first-hand
accounts by his friends, family, and fellow professionals. Also fascinating are
the accounts of Craven's many unmade or unfinished cinematic projects — not to mention those that morphed into entirely different
animals along their paths to completion.
That Joe Maddrey took on the daunting task of creating such an in-depth, thoroughly rounded picture of a public figure whose private side ran very deep indicates that undertaking The Soul of Wes Craven was not just a labor of love but a deep, passionate drive.
Five out of five Damned Rodan's Dirty Firetinis.
