Horror maestro Wes Craven taught college-level humanities before transferring his bloody vision to celluloid, in the process reinventing the teen horror genre. Born in Cleveland Aug. 2, 1939, Craven worked as a production assistant and editor before directing his first feature, 1972's The Last House on the Left, a gore-fest (both panned and praised) that made everybody stand up and take notice.

Next up was The Hills Have Eyes (1977), a twisted morality tale about feuding families that again left critics and audiences divided. Craven then graduated to big-budget flicks such as Swamp Thing (1982) and 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street, which unleashed Freddy Krueger on the world.

In 1996, Craven directed Scream, which spoofed (but embraced) the teen-scream genre. Scream 2 and Scream 3 followed, along with a departure for Craven, the sentimental Music of the Heart starring Meryl Streep.