The horror movie maestro who managed to haunt the dreams of teenagers everywhere in the 1980's with 'Nightmare on Elm Street' and again in the '90s with teen slasher-series 'Scream' passed away at his home in Los Angeles on Sunday (30.08.15) following a battle with brain cancer.

Wes Craven

Wes Craven

The Cleveland born director was raised in a strict Baptist family in the '40s who condemned cinema and banned him from reading comic books but he soon caught the movie bug when he watched his first film at college.

As a young man, Craven resigned from a short stint teaching literature and abandoned everything to move to New-York with one dream: to be a movie-maker. He entered the adult film industry but has never opened up about his actual role in the business.

In '72, he met the young producer Sean Cunningham and with a low-budget, the pair teamed-up to make 'The Last House on the Left' which was Wes' first movie that had a basic concept; monsters chasing teenage girls that depicted heavy scenes of sexual violence. But, a trademark was born. Despite the iconic director's first movie being a commercial success, it took him five years to come up with a second hit.

'The Hills Have Eyes' (1977) explored the human fear of living in primitive wilderness. Then in 1984, the film-maker cast Robert Englund to play Freddie Krueger in 'Nightmare on Elm Street'. It became such a hit that investors supported the director for several sequels - six in total - and the last Freddy movie was released just ten years later in 1994.

In-between blurring the lines of nightmare and reality in 'Nightmare on Elm Street' and his comic horror offering in 'Scream' Wes directed episodes of the American TV Show 'The Twilight Zone' and feature films like the successful 'The People Under the Stairs' (1991). Though he was generally regarded as the Godfather of horror, Wes drew a lot of criticism from his detractors who blamed him for exploiting the same clichés over and over again.

The release of 'Scream' in '91 finally eased the tensions and Wes earned credits from his peers and audience. The slasher movie was a worldwide hit thanks to its humour and nod to its predecessors but also thanks to its daring casting. Wes chose the already famous actress Courtney Cox - who was at the peak of her 'Friends' glory - and the soon to be famous Neve Campbell and Drew Barrymore.

The most memorable star remains as the terrifying white masked killer which was inspired by a painting of Edvard Munch called 'The Scream'.

Though he tried to direct other genres, Wes never repeated the success of his horror offerings. However just before he died, he wrote a series of comics called 'Coming of rage' which featured werewolves, zombies and vampires. Fear, it seems, was never far from his mind.

Wes Craven is survived by his wife Iya Labunka and two children.