Top 10 Best Wes Craven Movies

This film introduced Freddy Krueger, a demonic killer who stalks his victims in their dreams. With creative kills, a chilling atmosphere and Robert Englund's iconic character, A Nightmare on Elm Street became a horror classic that changed the genre forever.

When the slasher genre was all but dead, Wes Craven released Scream: a film that brilliantly parodied the rules of horror movies while being a terrifying slasher itself. Ghostface became an instant horror icon, and the film sparked a whole new generation of horror films.

A family traveling through the desert is attacked by a clan of savage cannibals, leading to a brutal fight for survival. With its grimy, realistic style and intense suspense, it became one of the most notorious horror films of the '70s.

Years before Scream popularized meta-horror, Craven had Freddy Krueger break into the real world. With a smart, original script in which the cast and crew of the Nightmare films are stalked by Freddy, Craven gave his own creation an innovative twist.

Craven's directorial debut is one of the most controversial horror films ever, in which two teenage girls are tortured by a sadistic gang, followed by the parents' brutal revenge. Brutal, raw and boundary-pushing, it sparked fierce debate about violence in horror films.

After the success of Scream, Craven made a sequel that brilliantly mocked the clichés of sequels while again being a tense, clever slasher. With bigger kills, stronger characters and a new twist, Scream 2 became one of the best horror sequels ever.

A boy breaks into a mysterious house and discovers that its deranged owners are keeping children locked in the basement. The film combines horror, black comedy and social commentary about poverty and class, and remains one of Craven's most underrated films.

Craven proves he can create intense suspense without the supernatural, in a thriller that takes place almost entirely on a plane. Cillian Murphy plays a charismatic but terrifying villain, and Rachel McAdams gives a strong lead performance in this nerve-racking film.

This unique horror film, inspired by the book of ethnobotanist Wade Davis, follows a scientist who travels to Haiti to research voodoo and a powder said to create zombies. With a terrifying atmosphere and psychological horror, it's an underrated gem in Craven's filmography.

This cult classic is an early adaptation of the DC Comics character Swamp Thing, a scientist who turns into a swamp monster. More campy than scary, it's an imaginative horror-superhero film that still has a loyal fanbase.