Wes Craven (born August 2, 1939,Cleveland,Ohio, U.S.—died August 30, 2015,Los Angeles, California) was an American director and screenwriter who was known for hishorror films, several of which are classics of thegenre.

Craven earned an undergraduate degree fromWheaton College (Wheaton, Illinois) in 1963 and went on to earn an M.A. in writing and philosophy fromJohns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland) in 1964. He taught at Westminster College (New Wilmington, Pennsylvania) and then at Clarkson College (Potsdam, New York). He also spent a year teachinghigh school before taking his first film-industry job as a messenger inNew York City. Craven eventually worked his way up the ranks, performing sound editing among other jobs before he begandirecting films.

Craven’s solo directorial debut was the horror filmThe Last House on the Left (1972), which was considered so gory that it was banned in Britain until 2002. Despite its unrelenting violence, themovie received some critical praise.The Hills Have Eyes (1977), another low-budget slasher film, did well at the box office and developed a cult following. After directingDeadly Blessing (1981), Craven made his first big-budget picture,Swamp Thing (1982), which was based on theDC Comics character. However, it fared poorly at the box office.

In 1984 Craven had his breakout hit withA Nightmare on Elm Street, which he wrote and directed. The film introduced the villain Freddy Krueger, who kills his victims by invading their dreams and is given to incongruously humorous wisecracks. It spun off multiple sequels, television series, and a 2010 remake.New Nightmare (1994), the only spin-off created by Craven, bent thepremise, casting Craven and the stars of the first film as themselves in a story in which Krueger attempts to cross from film into the real world.

AfterA Nightmare on Elm Street, Craven worked steadily in films and television, but he did not repeat that earlier success untilScream (1996). A blockbuster hit, it was known for its dark wit and references to other horror movies as well as for a notable cast that includedDrew Barrymore,Courteney Cox,Neve Campbell, and David Arquette. The film was followed by three sequels (1997,2000, and2011) that had varying degrees of success at the box office.

In a significantthematic departure, in 1999 Craven directed the upliftingMusic of the Heart, starringMeryl Streep as a music teacher attempting to teach inner-city children to play the violin. His later films includedCursed (2005), a foray into the werewolf genre; the thrillerRed Eye (2005); and the slasher movieMy Soul to Take (2010), which was shown in3-D.