Wes Craven's five best films

Wes Craven's scarily iconic creation Freddy Krueger. Photo / Supplied

Even if you're not a horror fan, you've probably seen a Wes Craven film. Dominic Corry picks his five favourite films from the Scream director.

The most influential American horror director ever, the late Wes Craven was at the forefront of three major film movements: the backwoods brutality horrors of the '70s, the fantasy horrors of the '80s and the self-aware horror comedies of the '90s.

I spoke to the filmmaker in 2011 for the release of Scream 4, and he came across as a mercurial, avuncular figure who remained incredibly passionate about the possibilities of cinema four decades after he released his first movie.

To boil down his achievements to only five works is of course ridiculous, but here I go nevertheless with what I consider to be Wes Craven's Five Best Films.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

In addition to tapping into some very zeitgeist-y notions about the specious safety of the suburbs, Craven's 1984 classic elevated the horror genre with its unprecedented degree of visual flair, and helped usher in the era of 'set-piece' death scenes. It marked a turning point for the genre that can still be felt today.

Scream (1996)

Craven's films always displayed a high degree of self-awareness, and after going full meta with 1994's Wes Craven's New Nightmare (a horror film set during the making of A Nightmare On Elm St in which Craven played himself) he helmed this landmark thriller (written by Kevin Williamson) which had the then-novel approach of exploiting audience familiarity of the conventions of the genre. Scream's insane success forced every other subsequent horror movie to follow suit, but rarely with the same level of wit.

The People Under the Stairs (1991)

There was always more to Craven than just the Nightmare and Scream franchises, and this one-of-a-kind thriller is one of his better lesser-known works. Deserving of a much wider audience than it enjoys, it's about some bizarre goings on in a creepy house. The film was repeatedly cited by Kiwi director Gerard Johnstone as an influence on his recent horror hit Housebound.

The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)

Another under-appreciated effort from Craven, this unnerving chiller stars Bill Pullman as an anthropologist investigating a possible medical explanation for zombification in Haiti. Although based on a true story, it goes to some very freaky places. It features even better nightmare sequences than Craven's other, more famous movie about nightmares.

The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

Definitely not a film for everyone (although easier to stomach than 1972's The Last House on the Left), Craven's iconic '70s horror traumatised multiple generations of video store customers with the poster art alone. The film remains extremely effective exercise in "off the grid" scares, as a lost family is terrorised by some inbred mountain mutants.

Craven also directed some fantastic episodes of the 1985 revival of The Twilight Zone. Plus I also have a soft spot for Shocker. And Red Eye. Apparently Music of the Heart is really good, too.

* What's your favourite Wes Craven film? Comment below!