Horror Director Wes Craven Dead at 76

The man who gave us Freddy Krueger is gone! One of the great, name-above-the title horror maestros of the ‘70s and ‘80s has died. Wes Craven was a huge name in the horror biz – his A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET in ’84 was an influential shocker, spawning many sequels and rip-offs. He followed that up with the first three SCREAM films. He was such a box-office sure-thing, he was the reigns to a Meryl Streep Oscar-baiter with 1999’s MUSIC OF THE HEART. But Craven’s heart was always in horror: THE HILLS HAVE EYES, THE SWAMP THING, THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW, and THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS were among his many popular films. My favorite remains his first, THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, a still-terrifying look at sadism and savagery that was decades ahead of its time. Wes Craven was 76 and had suffered from brain cancer.

From The Hollywood Reporter:

“Wes Craven, the famed writer-director of horror films known for the Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream movies, died Sunday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 76.Craven, whose iconic Freddy Krueger character horrified viewers for years, died at his home in Los Angeles, his family announced. Craven claimed to have gotten the idea for Elm Street when living next to a cemetery on a street of that name when growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland. His five Nightmare on Elm Street films were released from 1984-89. Similarly, Craven’s Scream series was a box-office sensation. In those scare-’em-ups, he spoofed the teen horror genre. The movies frequently referenced other horror movies. Craven’s first feature film was The Last House of the Left, which he wrote, directed and edited in 1972……”

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http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/wes-craven-horror-maestro-dies-818806