'Nightmare on Elm Street' director Wes Craven dies of brain cancer aged 76

Wes Craven, a master of cinematic horror whose legendary directorial credits include “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and  ”Scream”, died Sunday aged 76, his family said.

Craven had been suffering from brain cancer and passed away at his home in Los Angeles. 

“It is with deep sadness we inform you that Wes Craven passed,” a family statement read. “Craven was surrounded by love, in the presence of his family.”

Craven directed 1984’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” whose terrifying  scarred villain Freddy Krueger left a defining imprint on the horror genre of  that decade and was reprised in a string of sequels and a 2010 remake.