10 Brilliantly Self Aware Wes Craven Cameos

While aficionados of different eras or types of horror may remember Craven for Last House On The Left or A Nightmare On Elm Street, it is the Scream franchise that gave him by far his most wide reaching audience and also found a director whose early work is pretty grim now in a much more playful mood.

Despite what the existence of this list may imply, Craven wasn't always a director with a Hitchockian penchant for appearing in the background of his own work. With Scream and its sequels, however, it seems like he couldn't resist a sly nudge and wink at the audience with appearances in every installment of the franchise. His part in the first film, however, remains the best.

With Woodsboro High School reeling from a killer on the loose, the school's principal is brutally murdered. Outside in the hallways is a familiar face mopping the floor (and he's wearing a familiar sweater).

Craven's janitor (named "Fred" in case the reference in his red striped sweater isn't obvious) has nothing to do with the plot, but he's still an appropriately creepy presence and one that perfectly encapsulates the movie's referential tone.