Scream Director Wes Craven Dies at 76
Wes Craven, the vision behind some of the most iconic horror films of the past half-century, has died. The filmmaker, who created the youth horror genre with films like A Nightmare on Elm Street and the Scream franchise, among many other films, lost his battle with brain cancer on Sunday. He was 76 years old.
In our 2011 interview with the director, Craven talked about his fear of dying, a topic well-explored in his films. "I was paralyzed from the chest down when I was 19 so I kind of put my head together about dying and I think I've come to terms with it," he told us at the time.
Craven made his first feature film, The Last House of the Left, in 1972. He became a veritable horror auteur in the 1980s and 1990s, bringing the Elm Street and Scream franchises to the big screen.
In 1999, Craven switched directions from horror to drama with Music of the Heart, a film that earned Meryl Streep an Academy Award nomination for best actress. That same year, in the midst of directing, he completed his first novel, The Fountain Society.
Our condolences go out to Craven's family. Read our full interview with the late director, including his views on heaven, here.