Wes Craven's Cleveland roots revisited as "Scream" turns 30
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Wes Craven at the premiere of "Scream 4" in Hollywood in 2011. Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Thirty years after "Scream" revived the slasher genre, the horror classic is returning to theaters for Halloween — a reminder of the lasting legacy of its Cleveland-born director.
Why it matters: Wes Craven revolutionized horror movies, drawing from his Northeast Ohio childhood to create some of Hollywood's most enduring nightmares.
Driving the news: His iconic 1996 film "Scream," starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette, is receiving special 30th-anniversary screenings at theaters this week.
Flashback: Born in Cleveland in 1939, Craven grew up in a strict Baptist household where movies were forbidden.
- Ironically, one of his earliest experiences with film came at downtown Cleveland's Telenews Theater, where a friend's father took him to watch World War II newsreels.
- Craven also reportedly worked at the Cleveland Public Library before pursuing a career in filmmaking.
What he said: In a 1998 NPR "Fresh Air" interview, Craven recalled turning to books because his religious upbringing prohibited movies.
- Craven said he "got my joy of storytelling out of ... reading novels."
The intrigue: Craven drew inspiration for Freddy Krueger, the iconic villain he introduced in 1984's "A Nightmare on Elm Street," from his childhood.
- Freddy's name came from a childhood bully, while his sinister appearance was partly inspired by a frightening encounter with a fedora wearing stranger outside Craven's home on East 86th Street.
- That childhood home, near Wade Park Avenue, was later demolished.
Zoom in: Craven's home state also became part of his cinematic universe.
- The "Nightmare on Elm Street" franchise established Freddy's hometown as fictional Springwood, Ohio, while 1997's "Scream 2" unfolded at a fictional Ohio college.
The bottom line: Craven died in 2015 at age 76, but his legacy lives on. "Scream" remains a box office force, while "A Nightmare on Elm Street" could soon get a reboot.