If you are looking for a face that isn’t burned or a hockey mask that represents an icon of the 80s slasher genre, look no further than the great Wes Craven. There were three slasher-style horror franchises thoughout the 1980s, but A Nightmare on Elm Street stood out. While Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers hacked and killed anyone in their path, there was more to Freddy Krueger. Wes Craven created a character that killed you in your dreams. It’s a genius concept that helped Nightmare differentiate itself from Halloween and Friday the 13^th. It’s one thing to look around the corner and find yourself at the mercy of a psychotic mad man…but it’s another to have no control of your dreams and subsequently be killed in them. Craven’s original Nightmare on Elm Street left many awake at night, and with good reason.

You could stop there and there would still be loyal Wes Craven fans who would praise Nightmare at every moment. But Craven wasn’t done. After Nightmare and Freddy were turned into what seemed to be pure comedy (Nightmare VI: Freddy’s Dead is a tough one to watch) Craven came back with what could be considered the true sequel to the original film: New Nightmare. When Craven turned Freddy to what seemed to be a real person (Freddy’s credited as himself in the credits), he arguably made Freddy the greatest horror icon of all time, surpassing Jason or Myers. Craven still wasn’t done, as the idea of bringing Freddy into “the real world” serves as a prelude to the Scream franchise. Of course, Craven was the director of Scream and saved the dying slasher genre.

It was a sad day on Elm Street for sure when Craven passed a few days ago. We’ll love Craven not for the memories or for the great horror icons he created…but for the fact that he kept everyone awake at night while we hoped that Freddy wasn’t coming for us. RIP Wes Craven.