Wes Craven, Director Of ‘Scream’ And ‘Nightmare On Elm Street’, Dies At 76

Wes Craven, the iconic director behind a string of cult horror films, has died after a battle with brain cancer. He was 76.

Wes Craven Dies

Craven died on Sunday at his Los Angeles home, the filmmaker’s family told The Hollywood Reporter. 

After a stint working as a professor, Craven broke out in the film scene in 1972 with The Last House on the Left. He followed that up with 1977’s The Hills Have Eyes. Craven’s career took on new heights in the 80s with A Nightmare on Elm Street and its sequels.

In 1996, Craven once again managed to elevate his career, bringing audiences the first Scream film, which was to be followed by Scream 2 in 1997 and Scream 3 in 2000. Craven also directed Red Eye. His last major horror release was 2010’s My Soul to Take.

Though Craven was predominantly known for his work in the horror genre, he did explore other types of projects. Most notably, Craven directed Meryl Streep in her Oscar-nominated turn in Music of the Heart, a film about a musician that teaches the violin to inner-city school students.

Craven is survived by his wife Iya Labunka, sister Carol, son Jonathan, daughter Jessica, grandchildren Miles, Max and Myra-Jean and stepdaughter Nina.