Wes Craven, the great horror movie maestro of the last 40 years, passed away Sunday at age 76, his family announced. As creator of such franchises as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream, he showed that horror could be both meaningful and gruesome at the same time.

Watch this TV appearance by Craven in the late 1980s, where he explained the psychological lure of his horror work: “Since very primitive times, men and women have always tried to wear the costume of the thing that frightens them the most… it’s a rite of passage, that you feel you control the worst fears of your life.”

Video via Dr. Ruth’s Official Channel.

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