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Wes Craven, actor & director
Actor & Director

Wes Craven: Movies & Box Office

films
66
as director
26
on screen
1972–2025
box office
$915M
Born
August 2, 1939
Birthplace
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Full name
Wesley Earl Craven
Citizenship
American
Occupations
Film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, editor
Years active
1968-2015
Spouses
Bonnie Broecker, Mimi Craven, Iya Labunka
Children
2
Career at a glance

Wes Craven's Career in Numbers

Wes Craven's films in numbers — as an actor and a director, not counting appearances as themselves: when they were made, the genres Wes Craven works in most and the milestones along the way. The filmography runs from The Last House on the Left (1972) to Scream 4 (2011), and the 1980s were the busiest decade.

Wes Craven Movies by Decade

  1. 1970s 3
  2. 1980s 10
  3. 1990s 10
  4. 2000s 7
  5. 2010s 2

The 1980s were Wes Craven's busiest decade, with 10 films.

Wes Craven Movies by Genre

  • Thriller 8
  • Mystery 7
  • Horror 7
  • Drama 2
  • Comedy 2
  • Sci-Fi 2
  • Fantasy 1
  • Crime 1
  • Tv movie 1

Thriller is the genre Wes Craven has worked in most, with 8 films, ahead of mystery (7).

Wes Craven Career Milestones

Biggest box office hit
Scream $173M worldwide
Newest film
Scream 4 2011
66 credits

Wes Craven Filmography: Every Movie

Every film Wes Craven is credited on, newest first, with the role, the box office and the Movie Echo Score. 26 as director and 6 as actor. Re-order the list to see the best-rated films or the biggest hits first.

Wes Craven in Documentaries & Specials

34
  1. 2025 The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault (2025) movie poster The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault as Self · Documentary
  2. 2020 AGFA MYSTERY MIXTAPE #3: SEQUELITIS (2020) movie poster AGFA MYSTERY MIXTAPE #3: SEQUELITIS as Self · Documentary
  3. 2020 AGFA Mystery Mixtape #2: Later in L.A. (2020) movie poster AGFA Mystery Mixtape #2: Later in L.A. as Self · Documentary
  4. 2020 AGFA MYSTERY MIXTAPE #1 (2020) movie poster AGFA MYSTERY MIXTAPE #1 as Self · Documentary
  5. 2013 House of Wax: Unlike Anything You’ve Seen Before! (2013) movie poster House of Wax: Unlike Anything You’ve Seen Before! as Self · Documentary
  6. 2013 Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th (2013) movie poster Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th as Self · Documentary
  7. 2013 Trespassing Bergman (2013) movie poster Trespassing Bergman as Self · History
  8. 2012 Fear Himself: The Life and Crimes of Freddy Krueger (2012) movie poster Fear Himself: The Life and Crimes of Freddy Krueger as Self · Documentary
  9. 2011 The Making of ‘Scream 4’ (2011) movie poster The Making of ‘Scream 4’ as Self · Documentary
  10. 2011 I Am Nancy (2011) movie poster I Am Nancy as Self · Documentary
  11. 2011 Still Screaming: The Ultimate Scary Movie Retrospective (2011) movie poster Still Screaming: The Ultimate Scary Movie Retrospective as Self · Documentary
  12. 2011 Scream: The Inside Story (2011) movie poster Scream: The Inside Story as Self · Horror
  13. 2010 Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010) movie poster Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy as Self · Documentary
  14. 2008 Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX (2008) movie poster Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX as Self · Documentary
  15. 2006 Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (2006) movie poster Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film as Self · Documentary
  16. 2006 Never Sleep Again: The Making of ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ (2006) movie poster Never Sleep Again: The Making of ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ as Self · Documentary
  17. 2006 Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven’s Nightmares (2006) movie poster Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven’s Nightmares as Self · Documentary
  18. 2006 The House That Freddy Built (2006) movie poster The House That Freddy Built as Self · Documentary
  19. 2005 Ban the Sadist Videos! (2005) movie poster Ban the Sadist Videos! as Self · History
  20. 2004 The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004) movie poster The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing as Self · Documentary
  21. 2004 The Thick Brown Line (2004) movie poster The Thick Brown Line as Self · Documentary
  22. 2004 100 Scariest Movie Moments (2004) movie poster 100 Scariest Movie Moments as Self · Documentary
  23. 2003 Looking Back at ‘The Hills Have Eyes’ (2003) movie poster Looking Back at ‘The Hills Have Eyes’ as Self · Documentary
  24. 2003 Celluloid Crime of the Century (2003) movie poster Celluloid Crime of the Century as Self · Documentary
  25. 2002 Masters of Horror (2002) movie poster Masters of Horror as Self · Documentary
  26. 2001 True Hollywood Story: Scream (2001) movie poster True Hollywood Story: Scream as Self · Documentary
  27. 2000 Scream and Scream Again: A History of the Slasher Film (2000) movie poster Scream and Scream Again: A History of the Slasher Film as Self · Tv movie
  28. 2000 The American Nightmare (2000) movie poster The American Nightmare as Self · Documentary
  29. 1999 Welcome to Primetime (1999) movie poster Welcome to Primetime as Self · Documentary
  30. 1991 Fear in the Dark (1991) movie poster Fear in the Dark as Self · Documentary
  31. 1989 The Making of ‘Nightmare on Elm Street IV’ (1989) movie poster The Making of ‘Nightmare on Elm Street IV’ as Self · Documentary
  32. 1989 Gorgon Video Magazine (1989) movie poster Gorgon Video Magazine as Self · Documentary
  33. 1989 Stephen King’s World of Horror (1989) movie poster Stephen King’s World of Horror as Self · Documentary
  34. 1986 Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors (1986) movie poster Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors as Self · Documentary
Biography

Who Is Wes Craven?

Wes Craven was born in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. in 1939. Credited on films since 1972, as both an actor and a director. The background, training and the roles that shaped the career.

Wesley Earl Craven, affectionately known as the Sultan of Shock or the Master of Horror, made a significant impact on the world of film, particularly the horror genre. Born on August 2, 1939, in Cleveland, Ohio, Craven not only directed films, but was also a screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor. His notable works include A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, The Hills Have Eyes, and The Last House on the Left. Craven's unique style of interweaving horror cliches with humor made him a recognized figure in the industry. He started his career as a teacher, but eventually made a name for himself in the film industry.

In addition to his horror films, Craven also worked on various niche projects such as Music of the Heart (1999) and Paris, je t’aime (2006). Craven's talent did not only reside in directing and screenwriting; he also made significant contributions to the TV industry, directing episodes of the 1985 reboot of The Twilight Zone. His contributions to horror got him a Lifetime Achievement Award by the New York City Horror Film Festival. On August 30, 2015, Wes Craven sadly passed away from a brain tumor at the age of 76, leaving behind a significant legacy in the film world.

Works with

Who Wes Craven Makes Movies With

The actors and directors Wes Craven shares the most films with. Robert Englund comes first, with 17 films together, followed by Heather Langenkamp (11).

FAQ

Wes Craven: Questions & Answers

How many movies Wes Craven has made, the biggest hit, the best-rated film, the award record and more, answered from the filmography above.

How many movies has Wes Craven been in?

Wes Craven is credited on 66 films, from 1972 to 2025. 6 of them as an actor and 26 as a director. The filmography on this page lists every one of them, newest first, with the role and the Movie Echo Score.

What is Wes Craven's highest-grossing movie?

Scream (1996) is Wes Craven's biggest box office hit, with $173M worldwide, ahead of Scream 2 (1997) ($172M). Across every film with box office figures, Wes Craven's movies have made $915M.

Wes Craven's biggest hits

What is Wes Craven's newest movie?

The most recent film on Wes Craven's filmography is The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault (2025), in the role of Self.

Who does Wes Craven work with most often?

Wes Craven shares the most films with Robert Englund (17 films), Heather Langenkamp (11 films) and Neve Campbell (10 films).

The Best Wes Craven Movies, Ranked

Top rated, most awarded and biggest box office hits from 66 credits.

See the ranking

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