Scream is full of clever horror references, but perhaps the best comes in the form of Wes Craven's cameo, a tribute to A Nightmare on Elm Street. In the annals of the horror genre, there are certain directors whose names immediately command respect, such as John Carpenter, George Romero, and Dario Argento. Another name on that vaunted list is Wes Craven, a filmmaker so creative he managed to revive the slasher genre not once but twice.
Craven of course made his directing debut with 1972's The Last House on the Left, a tale of murder, rape, and revenge so harrowing that some find it incredibly difficult so watch. He followed that up with The Hills Have Eyes, another gritty horror story that's full of disturbingly realistic violence. In 1984, Craven wrote and directed his best known creation, A Nightmare on Elm Street. Revitalizing an overstuffed sub-genre, A Nightmare on Elm Street took the slasher into the realm of the supernatural, a place it had rarely ventured before then. It also introduced the world to iconic dream stalker Freddy Krueger.
Twelve years later, in 1996, Craven hit the slasher genre with another shot of adrenaline, with Scream. A gory murder/mystery bursting with pop culture references and horror fan in-jokes, Scream was a massive hit, and spawned a long-running franchise. Leave it to Craven to tie his two greatest works together with an amusing cameo.
Scream: Wes Craven's Cameo is a Nightmare on Elm Street Tribute
Scream's cast is one of the better ensembles in horror history, boasting many future stars, and performances that fit their characters like a glove. One veteran actor who acted some Hollywood gravitas to the mix was Henry Winkler, whose resume features over 100 roles, but will forever be best known for playing "The Fonz" on the classic sitcom Happy Days. Winkler plays Principal Himbry, a bit of a hard-ass administrator, who finds himself on the wrong end of Ghostface's knife.
Prior to Himbry's death, he was bothered by an annoying knocking sound, and went to discover the source. Greeting him in the hallway was Woodsboro High's resident janitor, Fred, played by Wes Craven in a very brief turn. Craven's Fred is naturally wearing Freddy Krueger's hat, striped sweater, and black pants. Craven is also sporting a long wig and mustache, presumably to make him less recognizable at first glance. In a really nice touch that only diehard Freddy fans will notice, the sweater Craven's Fred is wearing in Scream doesn't have stripes on the arms. All the Nightmare sequels put stripes on the arms of Freddy's sweater, even Craven's own New Nightmare, but the original film didn't include them. It's an appropriate distinction, as nobody would know A Nightmare on Elm Street better than Craven.