Few filmmakers have made more of an impact on the horror genre than Wes Craven. The man behind two of the biggest horror franchises out there, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream, is responsible for so many iconic movies, be they widely acclaimed upon release or those that have developed a cult following over time.
He sadly passed away back in 2015 at the age of 76, but today, fans are honoring the master of horror on what would have been his 81st birthday. And here are just a few of the messages being shared on social media….
Craven’s films are still giving us nightmares all these years later.
Happy birthday to legendary director, Wes Craven. Always remembered, your films still give us nightmares 🖤 pic.twitter.com/D4E4p3OjBi
— Horror Flicks 🪓 (@HorrorFlickss) August 2, 2020
The Hills Have Eyes. Vampire in Brooklyn. Shocker. Look at all those classics!
Happy Birthday to the late great Wes Craven! (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015) pic.twitter.com/V5GGvurR5i
— Horror-Con (@HorrorCon2013) August 2, 2020
Filmmaker James Cullen Bressack took the time to share some inspiring advice he once got from the great man.
https://twitter.com/JamesCullenB/status/1289997207995785221
A shout-out to one of Craven’s most underrated flicks – 2005’s Red Eye starring Cillian Murphy and Rachel McAdams.
It’s Wes Craven’s birthday so shoutout to this underrated gem he made
Red Eye (2005) pic.twitter.com/d47dfpyVSb
— Pat Guy (@ThisPatGuy) August 2, 2020
What an incredible career.
Wes Craven in set for his first and last film 🖤🔪 #WesCraven pic.twitter.com/T1C4FGRpit
— 🕸Lizzy 🥀 LemonDrop🕸 (@lizzylemondrop) August 2, 2020
There’s some debate about where Scream 4 falls in the ranking of those movies, but a lot of fans love it deeply. It’s definitely a very strong final entry in Craven’s filmography.
scream 4 was the last movie directed by wes craven. we miss you legend 🤍 pic.twitter.com/XVUIkh3Vtm
— gabe (@screamkxng) August 2, 2020
Speaking of Scream, let’s not forget Craven’s hilarious blink-and-you’ll-miss it cameo as Fred the Janitor in the original movie – a clear take-off of his own most famous character, Freddy Krueger.
https://twitter.com/504bdv/status/1289981406244790273
Thanks for all the chills, sir.
Happy Birthday to Wes Craven! 🔪🔪Thank you for carving your own spot in horror history by creating characters and films that horror fans still cherish and honor to this day. pic.twitter.com/lkKOWb61MS
— Film Daze (@filmdaze) August 2, 2020
As well as Craven’s movies holding up so well and no doubt being watched for years to come, the franchises he created are still continuing to produce new entries. There’s bound to be another Nightmare in a few years, and right now Scream 5 is being developed. This will be a continuation of Craven’s quadrilogy with a few of the original stars returning. Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are said to be honoring Craven’s vision in their version, too, and we can’t wait to see what they’ve cooked up.
Tell us, though, what’s your favorite Wes Craven film? Share your memories of his movies in the comments section below.