The Soul of Wes Craven by Joe Maddrey

It's safe to say that Joe Maddrey'sThe Soul of Wes Craven (Harker Press, June 2024) may be the mostcomprehensive and thoughtful biography of any human being I've ever read. Thephysical book is in the 500-page neighborhood (I read the Kindle edition), andthere's not a word of padding to be found.

Author Maddrey conductedyears of research, including 80-some interviews with many of those closest toCraven. From the legendary movie-maker's fundamentalist upbringing; to hisstints as a musician, college lit-mag editor, and producer of porn flicks; tothe inspirations behind his literary and cinematic concepts; to the stories and anecdotesabout Craven's most obscure films to his blockbusters, Maddrey exploresevery 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 perhapsmost revealing are the myriad insights into Craven's personal life, attitudes, andphilosophies, fleshed out by way of his own writings as well as first-handaccounts by his friends, family, and fellow professionals. Also fascinating arethe accounts of Craven's many unmade or unfinished cinematic projects — not to mention those that morphed into entirely differentanimals 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.

The Soul of Wes Craven at Amazon.com