Wes Craven

Wes Craven
Craven in 2010
Born
Wesley Earl Craven

(1939-08-02)August 2, 1939
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
DiedAugust 30, 2015(2015-08-30) (aged 76)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeLambert's Cove Cemetery
West Tisbury, Massachusetts
Other names
  • Abe Snake
  • Guru of Gore
  • Master of Horror
  • Sultan of Shock
Alma materWheaton College
Johns Hopkins University
Occupations
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
  • producer
  • actor
  • editor
Years active1968–2015
Known for
Spouses
Bonnie Broecker
​
​
(m. 1964; div. 1969)​
Mimi Craven
​
​
(m. 1984; div. 1987)​
Iya Labunka
​
(m. 2004)​
Children2, including Jonathan
Signature

Wesley Earl Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015) was an American film director, screenwriter and producer. Amongst his prolific filmography, Craven worked primarily in the horror genre, particularly slasher films, where he mixed horror cliches with humor.[1][2][3] Craven has been recognized as one of the masters of the horror genre.[4][5][6][7][8][9]

Craven created the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise (1984–present), writing and directing the first film, co-writing and producing the third, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), and writing and directing the seventh, Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994). He directed the first four films in the Scream franchise (1996–2011). He directed cult classics The Last House on the Left (1972) and The Hills Have Eyes (1977), the horror comedy The People Under the Stairs (1991), and psychological thriller Red Eye (2005). His other notable films include Swamp Thing (1982), The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988), Shocker (1989), Vampire in Brooklyn (1995), and Music of the Heart (1999).

Craven received several accolades across his career, which includes a Scream Award, a Sitges Film Festival Award, a Fangoria Chainsaw Award, and nominations for a Saturn Award. In 1995, he was honored by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films with the Life Career Award, for his accomplishments in the horror genre. In 2012, the New York City Horror Film Festival awarded Craven the Lifetime Achievement Award.[10]

On August 30, 2015, aged 76, Craven died of a brain tumor at his home in Los Angeles.[11][12]

  1. ^ "Paying Tribute to Modern Horror Pioneer, Wes Craven".
  2. ^ Dimelow, Gareth (September 1, 2015). "RIP Wes Craven: A Pioneer Who Tested The Limits Of Horror". Sabotage Times. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  3. ^ "The 5 scenes that show Wes Craven will always be the Master of Horror". August 31, 2015.
  4. ^ Leydon, Joe (August 31, 2015). "Wes Craven Remembered: A Master of Modern Horror". Variety.
  5. ^ "Wes Craven, Horror Maestro, Dies at 76". The Hollywood Reporter. August 30, 2015.
  6. ^ "Wes Craven, Whose Slasher Films Terrified Millions, Dies at 76". The New York Times. September 1, 2015.
  7. ^ Garrett, Preston (July 29, 2010). "The Top 13 MASTERS OF HORROR: Writer/Directors – The Script Lab".
  8. ^ "Wes Craven, Hollywood's Horror Pioneer, Dies at 76". NBC News. August 31, 2015.
  9. ^ "Here's Why Wes Craven is the Greatest Horror Movie Director of All Time". MovieWeb. January 9, 2022.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference CNN was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).