Wes Craven was born August 2 , 1939 in Cleveland , Ohio . He is an American movie director , well-known for horror film classics including Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream Wesley Earl `` Wes '' Craven ( born August 2 , 1939 ) is an American film director and writer , perhaps best known as the director of many horror films , including the famed A Nightmare on Elm Street and Wes Craven 's New Nightmare featuring the iconic Freddy Krueger character , the Scream films alongside The Last House on the Left , The Hills Have Eyes , The Serpent and the Rainbow , The People Under the Stairs , Vampire in Brooklyn , Red Eye and My Soul to Take .