Wes Craven, the horror movie maker who brought to the big screen such blockbusters as “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Scream,” has died at the age of 76.
He suffered from brain cancer.
Craven’s family confirmed his death on Twitter and Instagram.
Craven’s career started in 1972 with “The Last House on the Left,” but his real splash came in 1984, with the now-famous Freddy Krueger character and the “Nightmare on Elm Street” flick. But at first, nobody would buy it.
“For three years, I was unable to sell it,” he told CNN at one point. “I basically went broke. So when the film got made and was a financial success, my career went from the basement through the roof. It was a wonderful feeling.”
Craven didn’t direct the film’s many sequels, except for “Wes Craven’s New Nightmare” in 1995, CNN reported.
And his movie viewers weren’t the only ones scared by his films. Craven said he sometimes scared himself.
“The times when I’m scared are when I’m writing,” he said, CNN reported. “I’ve been known to jump out of a chair when someone comes into a room.”
Craven found similarly smashing success with “Scream,” a film that also brought about several sequels and parodies.
“Today the world lost a great man, my friend and mentor,” tweeted actress Courteney Cox, who starred in “Scream.”
