Wes Craven, the mastermind behind the hit thrillers "Scream" and "Nightmare on Elm Street," died Sunday night at his home in Los Angeles after losing his battle with brain cancer, Variety reports.
Craven, 76, broke into the big picture horror scene with his first feature "The Last House on the Left," which he wrote, directed and edited in 1972.
His 1984 hit "Nightmare on Elm Street," starring Johnny Depp, lifted him into the upper echelon of the genre and inspired a well-received sequel.
In the 1990s, Craven achieved blockbuster success with "Scream" (1996), which produced a trilogy and countless spoofs, grossing $100 million domestically.
Craven had recently signed a deal with Universal Cable Productions and had several television projects in development, including "The People Under the Stairs" with SyFy Networks, "Disciples" with UCP, "We Are All Completely Fine" with UCP/SyFy Networks, and a "Scream" series for MTV, among others.
Born August 2 in Cleveland, Ohio, Craven is survived by Craven his wife, producer and former Disney Studios VP Iya Labunka, sister Carol Buhrow, son Jonathan Craven, daughter Jessica Craven, and stepdaughter Nina Tarnawksy. He had three grandchildren.