Wes Craven is probably one of the best movie makers in his field, in his genre. Horror does not have any kind of secret for him. But this undeniable quality kills the novelty a horror film is supposed to have in order to go beyond plain technical or even semiological excellence. And that is just the point here. We can recognize all the films that Wes Craven has made, and from each of which he has selected a little tidbit here and a small tiny piece there and then he has knitted everything together, with some loose moments here and there for the seams to be visible and people to recognize the borrowings. And he even managed to get some samples from films by other authors, Stephen King for example and his Green Line. But that is just the shortcoming of the film. It is nothing but knitted together borrowings and there is no new element, no new stuff, no new level of horror. It is déjà vu. The fear of television that invades our life, that manipulates our minds, that violates our virginity, all that is not enough to represent a new discourse. Because it is not. I am afraid this genre leads to repetition and Wes Craven take the sane decision Stephen King has taken, even if he took his time to take it, is the decision to retire one day and just stop always doing the same thing. And don't believe you can change styles. Anne Rice tried that but her life of Jesus is not convincing at all. Vampires are her real stuff. Messiahs are not exactly her cup of tea or should I say her glass of wine. In other words I don't think Wes Craven has reached a new level of extreme superb-ness. Just a well-crafted thriller and horror film. Nothing more, entertainment for sure, but nothing to put aside as the masterpiece you must not forget to take when you leave for the desert island to which we are all convicted to go after six, seven or eight decades of life. The Green Mile yes, Scream yes, a couple of others too, but not this one. It is not one of the five unforgettable ones.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne, University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, CEGID
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne, University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, CEGID