Wes Craven, a master of horror cinema, who was well known for his creations “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Scream” franchises, has died at the age of 76 due to cancer. Mr. Craven’s most famous creation was the serial killer Freddy Krueger, played by Robert Englund, who, with his razor-blade glove, haunted the dreams of high school students in “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984) and its sequels. Krueger became one of the best-known villains in horror movie history. The first “Nightmare on Elm Street” cost $1.8 million to make and grossed about $25 million.

This is such a sad time for horror lovers across the world as they mourn a pioneer of horror cinema who brought them incredibly memorable and quotable films that will live on for years to come. Some of his films were probably the first horror films that many people saw, leading them into a love of the genre spanning over a great deal of time. Because of his contribution and the massive fan base he has, viewers probably check out the best new horror movies as soon as possible so they do not miss out on the recent releases due to the ignited horror flame he began, but they will always go back to a true master of horror when they need the nostalgia.

Mr. Craven began making films after briefly teaching English at Westminster College in Pennsylvania. Early in his career he directed, wrote and edited pornographic movies. Craven directed several other thrillers and horror movies during his career, including Swamp Thing(1982), Deadly Friend (1986) and The People Under the Stairs (1991).

A nightmare sequence in “Last House on the Left” was partly what inspired “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” “Last House on the Left” was a hit, and so was Mr. Craven’s next film, “The Hills Have Eyes,” which centered on a group of savages out to kill a family stranded in the desert.

In 1996, Craven reached a new level of success with the release of Scream. The film grossed more than $100 million domestically, as did Scream 2 (1997).