I am guessing that in the beginning Craven was considered a degenerate
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Wes Craven
whynotwriteme — 9 years ago(August 24, 2016 05:25 PM)
In 1972, there was not an established trend of extreme gore and sadism in movies. At that time, I am guessing that if Craven was recognized at all it was in a negative way. I am guessing he was thought of as a sicko and a degenerate. It was not until the 1980s when a generation had grown up in a society altered by the permissiveness of the hippie years and exposure to exploitation films of Romero, Hooper and Craven himself that he got the chance to join the mainstream with the Nightmare series.
What gets me is, where did LHOTL come from? Where did a guy in 1972 get the idea for such graphic gore as the scene where the evil girl pulls out the victim's guts? I doubt that scene came from "The Virgin Spring". Where was Craven's mind at during that time?