On August 30, horror fans at San Luis Obispo High School and the world beyond were shocked and saddened to learn that legendary writer/director Wes Craven had passed away at age 76 from brain cancer. Most famous for creating the classic 1980s slasher film “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and the sensational “Scream” movie franchise, Craven defined an era of horror with imaginative works featuring savvy protagonists and violence depicted in a graphically realistic but unglorified manner.

With an educational background in English and psychology, Craven set out to make films beginning with gritty thriller “The Last House on the Left” in 1972. His second film, “A Nightmare on Elm Street” launched both his career and that of young actor Johnny Depp with its success and the popularity of blade-fingered archvillain Freddy Krueger. Though his involvement in the movie industry was not limited to the one genre, as evidenced by Oscar-nominated Meryl Streep film “Music of the Heart,” Craven’s unique gift for dreaming up haunting, larger-than-life horror villains has left a truly indelible mark on the world and will be missed by cinema fans everywhere. His creations will continue to unleash fear for generations to come. As the man himself said, “Horror films don’t create fear. They release it.”