R.I.P, Horror Maestro Wes Craven Dies Aged 76

He gave us ‘Nightmares’ on Elm Street, he made us ‘Scream’, tonight we learn the sad news of the ing of Horror maestro Wes Craven. The veteran director lost his battle with Brain Cancer Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, news confirmed by his family also through his official Twitter feed.

Craven was part of the new generation in the 1970’s mold the genre not just in that decade but the next 20 plus years with the likes of John Carpenter. 1972 saw Craven make his debut with the cult Last House On The Left a horror defined the traditional boundaries of horror. 5 years later the cannibalistic classic Hills Have Eyes was unearthed, a film believed to be loosely based on the Scottish folk tale of Legend Of Sawney Bean.

It was 1984 when Wes Craven created the horror icon dream killer Freddy Krueger when Nightmare On Elm Street was born, spawning 5 films making Robert Englund a horror legend. It’s believed he got the idea for the film living next to a cemetery whilst growing up in a suburbs in Cleveland.It was also the film that gave a certain young actor the name of Johnny Depp his first break too.

In 1996 he became responsible for another popular franchise creating the Ghostface Killer and the birth of Scream a franchise that breathed new life into the teen horror genre. The film would deliver 3 more sequels and a host of spoof versions.

Amongst the macabre of the horror genre Craven took time out to direct Music Of The Heart (1999) which starred none other than Meyrll Streep, earning her a Oscar Nomination for best actress.

But like any actor, writer or director, a genre you helped to mold will drag you back in , which saw him direct Scream 4. More recently saw him work on the TV show versions of Scream for MTV and People Under The Stairs. He had several other TV Project on the go however he was also executive producr of The Girl In The Photographs which is set for a Toronto Film Festival Premier next month.

Wes Craven is survived by his wife Iya Labunka, sister Carol Buhrow, children Jonathan Craven, Jessica Craven, step-daughter Nina Tarnawksy and three grandchildren. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mr Craven and his family at this sad time and thank you for the memories.