Today, horror fans everywhere have a heavy heart. Wes Craven, horror maestro famed for creating Freddy Krueger, one of the most iconic horror characters in the history of film, died yesterday at the age of 76 after a battle with brain cancer. He is survived by his producer wife, Iya Labunka.

Craven claimed to have gotten the idea for Nightmare on Elm Street after living next to a cemetery on a street of the same name in the suburbs of Cleveland. Starting in 1984, the series spawned eight total movies (including Freddy vs. Jason, but excluding the 2010 remake), and grossed over $450,000,000 worldwide. The Freddy Krueger character, a career-making role for actor Robert Englund, conquered the globe throughout the decades since his inception, appearing on lunch boxes, bobble heads, figurines and more. The franchise remains in the limelight today more than 30 years later as being one of the genre’s new classics. It was also the subject of a 4-hour documentary in 2010 (among many others) entitled Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy. A legacy, indeed.

A one-trick pony, he was not, however. Craven’s first film, The Last House on the Left, was commercially successful, and remained increasingly controversial in 1972 due to its themes of rape and revenge. His next series launched in 1977 with The Hills Have Eyes, a tale about a suburban family being hunted by a pack of cannibals while stranded in the desert. Both Last House and Hills were eventually remade, to which Craven lent a hand in producing.

My personal love for Wes and his work began in the late 90’s with his reimagination of the teen horror genre: Scream. As a child, I was constantly hiding from horror. My older brother and cousin devoured the genre like a tub of buttery popcorn with a side of Sour Patch Kids. I remember seeing just the smallest snippet of Freddy slashing Tina Gray apart as she writhed on the ceiling, her blood soaking the bed sheets below. My hands tried to hide my eyes as I scurried past the television, but sneaking a few horrific peeks was simply irresistible. It wasn’t until the sixth grade when I saw Scream in the theaters that the horror bug finally bit (not to mention the fact that this was the movie that made me terrified to stay home alone at night for many years after). When the movie finally came out on VHS, I forced my brother to drive me to the local video store to rent it. I went home and watched it three times in a row that day, and within just a couple years, I watched it over 100 times. It was the right movie at the right time for me. I was obsessed.

It didn’t stop there, though. Thanks to Scream I had to see all of the classics that were referenced in my new favorite horror-comedy. I tore through The Howling, I climbed aboard Terror Train, I attended Prom Night. I fell in love with Halloween and John Carpenter, and all the B- and C- level films that those had influenced, leading me somehow to one of my favorite series ever, the Sleepaway Camp films. I fell down every horror rabbit hole and sub-genre possible, and in some weird, backwards way, I have Wes and Scream to thank for getting me there. And to this day, slashers are still my favorite of the sub-genres.

Craven stepped outside his high horror ranking to dabble in other genres, too. In 2005, he directed the psychological thriller Red Eye with Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy, and in 1999, he led Meryl Streep to one of her bazillion Oscar nominations with Music of the Heart. But make no mistake, horror was his true love and passion, and as a result, it was ours too.

With Halloween a mere two months away, horror fans everywhere should rejoice and celebrate Craven’s much-deserved legacy. Rewatch a Freddy flick, revisit (or discover) Last House, Hills or The People Under the Stairs. Hell, even watch Cursed (I had fun with it). The genre certainly owes a lot to Craven, and he certainly put his own stamp on the industry he leaves behind.

Thanks for the nightmares, Wes.

August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015