In this blog for the Herald, I mark the passing of cinema’s all-time greatest horror auteur by citing five films of his that absolutely must be seen.

Undoubtedly the most influential American horror director ever, Wes Craven was at the forefront of three major film movements: the backwoods brutality horrors of the ’70s, the fantasy horrors of the ’80s and the self-aware horror comedies of the ’90s.

I spoke to the filmmaker in 2011 for the release of Scream 4, and he came across as a mercurial, avuncular figure who remained incredibly passionate about the possibilities of cinema four decades after he released his first movie.

To boil down his achievements to only five works is of course ridiculous, but here I go nevertheless with what I consider to be Wes Craven’s Five Best Films...