Wes Craven is most well-known for directing A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and Scream (1996), but his body of work includes many horror movies that feature well-drawn characters, memorable villains that send shivers down audiences' spines, and best of all, smart quotes. Craven's movies often have a sense of humor along with many scary scenes, and that combination works well, making these stories even more interesting.
Many of Wes Craven's horror films have some quotes that stick with audiences, from a 1978 TV movie based on a beloved author's book to his 2005 movie Red Eye about a terrible flight.
Rachel And Julia Hate Each Other In Summer Of Fear (1978)
Rachel: "I can't stand thing about you, and that includes your hair!" Julia: "How rude."
I Know What You Did Last Summer is a '90s horror movie that holds up and is based on the novel by Lois Duncan, which was published in 1973. In 1976, Duncan's novel Summer of Fear was published and Wes Craven directed the TV movie adaptation, which aired in 1978. The movie stars some big names, with Lee Purcell playing Julia Trent, a teenage girl who moves in with the Bryant family. Julia's cousin Rachel (Linda Blair) is unhappy with this development and thinks that Julia is literally evil.
Summer of Fear can be considered an underrated teen horror movie and also has a solid script, although some of the dialogue is a bit dated now. As strange things begin happening to Rachel and she thinks it's all Julia's fault. These quotes are funny as Rachel is so frustrated with Julia and Julia pretends that she's sweet and innocent.
Children Sing A Creepy Song In A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
"One, two, Freddy's coming for you/Three, four, better lock your door/Five, six, grab your crucifix/ Seven, eight, gonna stay up late/Nine, ten, never sleep again."
Wes Craven wrote and directed A Nightmare On Elm Street, which features the beloved villain Freddy Krueger and his ability to enter dreams and kill people this way. Freddy Krueger is the best slasher villain for countless horror fans thanks to the funny things that he says in the franchise.
The first movie features a haunting song that children sing about Freddy, and it's hard to forget as it sounds terrifying. While some villains are goofy and easy to get away from, that's not Freddy at all. He endures because he really is that powerful.
Alice Hasn't Been Outside In The People Under The Stairs (1991)
"Can't get out. No one ever has."
Jordan Peele is remaking The People Under The Stairs, the 1991 horror movie written and directed by Wes Craven. It's an absolutely horrifying and tragic story of children being forced to live in a house and never being allowed to go outside.
The main character Poindexter "Fool" Williams (Brandon Adams) lives in a horrible house owned by landlords the Robesons who also go by "Mommy" and "Daddy." Fool's parents are told to leave and Fool hides in the house, coming across their daughter Alice (A.J. Langer) who lives a tragic life and is never allowed to go outside. When she tells Fool that her parents are cannibals and that they don't leave, it's hard not to shiver with fear. Anyone, whether a child or adult, would be freaked out when hearing these words.
Tatum Pleads With Ghostface In Scream (1996)
"No, please don't kill me, Mr. Ghostface, I wanna be in the sequel!'
While it seems like Scream 6 will have a lot of characters, the major players in the original 1996 film will always stick with audiences. Rose McGowan's Tatum Riley has a wild death scene as she tries to get away from Ghostface by moving through a garage door's tiny doggy door, and before that happens, she jokes around with the killer about a sequel.
Scream is not only a good example of how to write and direct a perfect slasher movie but it's a meta film, too, and it's funny and intelligent that the script mentions the sequel that was sure to come soon given the movie's popularity.
Jackson Compliments Lisa In Red Eye (2005)
"Pretty clear thinking given the circumstances. Wait, let me guess, some stress management courses? They're really paying off. When we get out of this, I may have to steal you."
Since it was released in 2005, Red Eye might be a forgotten 2000s horror movie, which is a shame since the film is terrifying. Rachel McAdam gives a genuine and relatable performance as Lisa Reisert, a woman who dislikes flying and who was attacked once in a parking lot and who has the bad luck to be sitting besides Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy). It turns out that Jackson is planning to murder a politician and thanks to Lisa's job, she's someone who he thinks can help him out.
While the movie is very tense, Jackson says this hilarious quote that breaks through the creepy atmosphere. The fact that he can compliment how cool, calm and collected Lisa is during this unimaginable situation speaks to how smart he is and adds some layers to his evil character.