With his first two films, "The Last House on the Left" and "The Hills Have Eyes," Wes Craven introduced himself as an engaging, often disturbing filmmaker. With his later films "Nightmare on Elm Street," "The Serpent and the Rainbow," and most recently "Shocker," Craven's name has become synonymous with horror. "I became 'The Guru of Gore' because that's what some writer decided to call me. I didn't set out to do that, and certainly don't think of myself in that way. I wince every time somebody calls me 'The Sultan of Slash' or 'The Maven of Mayhem,' because that's only a thin slice of me. It has become the world's entire perception because I'm very good, but it seems like an incredible waste of my spirit.

"I don't feel like I would ever want to move away from horror entirely, but there is a part of me...