Trapped by a storm in a mysterious and frightening house, the reader is given several alternative choices to manipulate the plot and plan an escape.

Filmmaker Wes Craven has consistently and imaginatively scared movie audiences since the early 1970s. His films encompass a variety of styles, elements and themes, from the nihilistic existentialism of The Last House on the Left to the successful A Nightmare on Elm Street (which sent horror in a bold new direction), to the hallucinatory dreamscapes of The Serpent and the Rainbow. And in the nineties, Craven returned with the Scream films, which were simultaneously funny, clever and scary films that overturned the horror cliches of the eighties. The present work provides a history of Craven's film career since 1972, examining all the themes and techniques the filmmaker explored. For each film, a synopsis, cast and credits, historical context, and critical commentary are provided. Also covered in detail are Craven's forays into television, including movies such as Stranger in the House and work on such series as The New Twilight Zone.

Writer, producer, and director Wes Craven has successfully tapped into the horror vein for over forty years, serving up scary, funny, cutting-edge thrillers that have become classics in the genre. His films have been both critical and commercial successes, most notably Nightmare on Elm Street, which spawned a series of sequels and made Craven (and his creation, Freddy Kruger) an international sensation. He then created a second indelible series in the horror movie trope with Scream. In Screams & Nightmares, Brian J. Robb examines Craven's entire career, from his low-budget beginnings to his most recent box office hits, from the banned thriller The Last House on the Left and the cult classic The Hills Have Eyes to the outrageous Shocker and The People Under the Stairs. Through exclusive interviews with Craven, Robb provides in-depth accounts of the making of each of the films – including the final instalments of the Scream series – Craven's foray into writing novels, and his numerous television projects.

In 1971 Wes Craven wrote and directed a shocking and controversial horror movie LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT. Produced by FRIDAY THE 13TH creator Sean Cunningham, it became an instant cult classic. This is the inside story of the making of the film and includes exclusive in-depth interviews, with cast and crew, rare photographs and five years of meticulous research. A notorious film classic which broke the rules and the bank.

Director/screenwriter Wes Craven, who has been called "the reigning Mephisto of fright" ("Premiere" magazine), takes readers beyond the frontiers of medical science, into a chilling world where three people ensnared in a Faustian bargain race against time to stop forces of unimaginable evil.