HBTVS is at a loss for words after news recently broke that horror master Wes Craven has passed away after a battle with brain cancer. THR reports that he passed away Sunday August 30th, 2015. Wes Craven was 76.
Craven’s first feature film was The Last House on the Left in 1972. Craven wrote, directed and edited the film which was produced by Friday the 13th creator Sean S. Cunningham. A trailblazer or horror, Wes Craven’s debut film along with 1977’s The Hills Have Eyes were both impactful enough to solidify his name in horror history. However, for three consecutive decades he managed to contribute massively important films to the horror genre.
1984 saw the release of the film that kept an entire generation from going to sleep, with A Nightmare on Elm Street. This was the film that also gave the world Robert Englund’s iconic portrayal of Freddy Kruger, one of horror’s biggest icons of all time. The franchise includes 7 sequels and a 2010 remake. 1994’s Wes Craven’s New Nightmare was Craven’s first meta-horror film that was a precursor to the next big franchise he launched in the 90’s that became the most financially successful films of his career.
The Wes Craven directed Scream was released in 1996 and was responsible for a resurgence of horror during the late 90’s. It was a self-aware slasher film that deconstructed the genre while giving birth to one of the last great horror slasher icons, Ghostface. Craven went on to direct 3 sequels and MTV recently developed a series based on the franchise that Wes Craven Executive Produced.
Photo Credit: @WesCraven
Wes Craven’s filmography also includes many other cult hits including Swamp Thing, Shocker, and The Serpent and The Rainbow. His impact on the horror genre can not be understated and he truly was one of the most influential and intelligent horror filmmakers in the industry. Wes Craven will be missed by many.
