Known as a master of horror, Wes Craven has written and directed some of the genre’s most memorable and iconic movies, but there’s one that flew under the radar despite possibly being his best work. First breaking out in the ’70s with The Last House on the Left and The Hills Have Eyes, Craven took it to the next level when he introduced the world to a horror icon, Freddy Kruger, in A Nightmare on Elm Street.
That spawned a love for the slasher subgenre in Craven as he also created the Scream franchise, which is still going nearly three decades later. While those movies certainly have their fair share of frights, there’s actually a lesser-known entry in Craven’s filmography that feels more terrifying than any of those. It’s 2005’s Red Eye, which has a simple premise of a woman named Lisa (Rachel McAdams) being terrorized by a man named Jackson (Cillian Murphy) on a flight.
Red Eye Is Wes Craven’s Creepiest Work
The Grounded, Simple Premise Makes It So Chilling
When discussing Wes Craven’s best horror films, there are plenty to choose from, but Red Eye is a different kind of scary. The Last House on the Left is harrowing, A Nightmare on Elm Street gives you nightmares, and while Scream has a frightening killer at the center, it does lean into a comedic tone from time to time. Then there’s Red Eye, which is creepy from start to finish.
So many people, and especially women, have run into a situation where they meet a seemingly nice and charming guy, only for things to turn sinister.
Creepy is the perfect word to describe Red Eye because it’s a film that is unsettling for most of its runtime. The fact that there’s no serial killer or supernatural enтιтy keeps it grounded (even if the story is a bit far-fetched in some ways), making it hit too close to home. So many people, and especially women, have run into a situation where they meet a seemingly nice and charming guy, only for things to turn sinister.
Being able to see yourself in the shoes of the victim in a horror movie adds to the scary factor. Jackson overpowers Lisa at several points throughout the story, but that’s not all. On top of the threat that he poses physically, he also terrorizes her psychologically, taking joy in threatening her family and overcoming every obstacle that she tries to throw in his way, making him a great horror villain. It makes Lisa’s survival at the end all the more impressive and gives audiences something to cheer for.
Wes Craven Gets The Best Out Of Cillian Murphy
The Actor Is Perfect As The Villain
When an actor delivers a great performance, they rightfully get all the praise, but the work of the director is sometimes overlooked. More often than not, the filmmaker works hand in hand with an actor to develop a character and they can bring out the best in the performer. That was the case with Red Eye as Cillian Murphy nails the role of Jackson Ripper. The audience can tell, even if Lisa can’t, that Jackson is bad news from the start because of the way Murphy portrays him.
Interestingly enough, Murphy actually doesn’t even like Red Eye. He spoke with Entertainment Weekly in 2024 and said, “I love Rachel McAdams and we had fun making it but I don’t think it’s a good movie. It’s a good B movie.” He only signed on because of the chance to work opposite McAdams, so his performance is even more impressive given he didn’t like the movie on the surface. The combination of his creepy demeanor, McAdams’ work as the hero, and the way Craven crafted the film make Red Eye something special.
