Wes Craven Biography

Fast Facts

• Created "Scream," which parodied many of the horror conventions that he helped establish
• Majored in literature and psychology at Wheaton College and earned his master's in philosophy from John Hopkins University
• Gained his first job in the entertainment industry as a messenger for a postproduction company
• Made his writing and directorial debut with the 1972 cult classic "The Last House on the Left․"
• Worked as a college professor before deciding that he wanted to be a filmmaker
• Quote: "Horror movies have to show us something that hasn't been shown before so that the audience is completely taken aback․ You see, it's not just that people want to be scared; people are scared․"
• Quote: "If I have to do the rest of the films in the [horror] genre, no problem․ If I'm going to be a caged bird, I'll sing the best song I can․"
• Went outside the horror film genre to direct the inspirational drama "Music of the Heart" in 1999
• Directed "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and the "Scream" franchise
• Authored a regular humor column in his high school's newspaper
• At the time of his death, he was completing a five-issue comic book series called "Coming of Rage․"