By Dave Siderski

Iconic film director Wes Craven passed away on Sunday at his Los Angeles home after a battle with brain cancer. Craven was a mainstay on the Hollywood scene for 34 years. He cut his teeth on the Hollywood scene working in the Adult Film industry in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. In his first notable film, Craven was the Executive Producer of “Together”, a racy drama featuring legendary adult movie star Marilyn Chambers.

Craven quickly moved from adult films, eventually carving out a niche for himself as a preeminent director, producer and writer of classic horror and slasher movies. Those of us who grew up in the 1980’s will remember him most for the classic “A Nightmare on Elm Street” film series, featuring Freddy Krueger. Krueger is arguably Wes Craven’s greatest creation and perhaps the scariest, most sinister character in horror film history. Brilliantly portrayed by actor Robert Englund, Freddy Kruger was a child murderer in life who was burned to death by an angry mob. However, in death, he became something far worse, a gruesome ghost with knives for fingers who haunts the children of Elm Street in their dreams and methodically hunts them down in their dreams. A word to the wise, for anyone who hasn’t seen the “A Nightmare on Elm Street” series, DO NOT watch these movies just before you go to sleep!

More recently, Craven directed the four-part “Scream” film series, which combined to generate over $600 million in box office revenue and featured famous stars such as David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Drew Barrymore, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Liev Schreiber. His other famous films include “Red Eye”, “The Hills Have Eyes I and II”, and “The Last House On The Left”. Among Craven’s other projects, he also directed several episodes of the CBS remake of “The Twilight Zone” classic television series in 1985.

Craven is survived by his wife and three children. Horror film fans will miss his creative genius. Wes Craven, rest in peace.

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