On Aug. 30, 2015 the world lost Wes Craven, an icon of the film industry who created, wrote and directed several films considered classics in the horror genre. He was 76.

Craven may be gone, but his films and characters are still engrained within pop culture and our individual lives.

Craven was most known for the 1984 classic “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and its most iconic character, Freddy Krueger. Other than that, his other well known credits include “The Hills Have Eyes,” “Scream,” and “The Last House on the Left.”

With his films, Craven revolutionized the genre of horror, but also took part in and even popularized what many consider now to be horror film clichés, such as bloody gore, sexual deviance, and generally bad decisions by the main characters. The difference with Craven’s films is that he made them in a time before horror became all about going “BOO!” and startling the audience with a jump scare, which is what most ‘horror’ movies rely on these days. Anyone who thinks that startling is scary should give Craven’s films a viewing because he emphasized that true horror comes from style, not startle. Honestly, when has a movie based on jump scares ever given you a sleepless night?

And after seeing “Elm Street,” how would you ever be able to sleep again? For young kids, watching scary movies could be seen as somewhat of a rite of passage in growing up. Seeing that movie as a ten-year-old would be a testament of bravery, even though you may get too scared halfway through and turn it off. Even after growing up and knowing the tropes, watching the movie can still give you the chills, especially late at night in the dark…alone.

A few years down the line, Craven went on to direct the horror/satire film “Scream,” which both mocked and paid homage to the tropes and clichés the genre. This put Craven’s career in the industry into perspective, because it really showed what kind of impact he had on the film world (he only directed “Scream,” didn’t write it).

However, Craven was equally guilty of giving his films too many sequels and remakes, something today’s entertainment market is oversaturated with, especially in the horror genre. “Nightmare on Elm Street” spawned five direct sequels, a crossover, and two reboots/ remakes. “Scream” also racked up three sequels, and “The Hills Have Eyes” has about three as well.

But even when the quality of his film sequels seriously dropped, they still inevitably spawned another sequel. Why? Well, aside from money, nostalgia no doubt plays a part in why characters and movies are brought back and still beloved, but that nostalgia is rooted in the genuine memorability of Craven’s characters, stories and settings. The most important ingredient of nostalgia is emotional impact, and nobody can deny that Craven’s films have no shortage of that.

Craven’s films each had more than one emotional tone. Think of Freddy Krueger. Who else could terrify you, but also leave you admiring his sense of humor? You even sympathize with him when (spoiler, maybe?) he gets set on fire and burned alive in the original Nightmare. It wasn’t just his horror, it was also his humor and humanity that made Wes Craven such a terrific filmmaker.

Thank you, Wes Craven. Thank you for all your films, characters, screams, laughs and sleepless nights. Rest in peace, Wes, but whatever you do, don’t fall asleep.