Unlike any of the other “Castle” actors on this list, Wes Craven was the only one to make a cameo appearance as himself within the show during the Season 5 episode, “Scared to Death.” The premise of the episode revolved around Castle and Beckett investigating the death of a woman who became convinced she was cursed from watching a haunted video tape which, ultimately, Castle watches as well. This obvious homage to horror flicks like “The Ring” roots the episode firmly into the world of popular horror which explains why horror icon Wes Craven shows up.
Craven is best known as the creative force behind franchises such as “The Last House on the Left,” “The Hills Have Eyes,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” and “Scream” which cemented his legacy as a truly talented horror director alongside other legends like John Carpenter and David Cronenberg. Unfortunately, Craven passed away from a brain tumor in 2015 at the age of 75 but is remembered as a pioneer of subversive horror filmmaking. During one interview with Mick Garris, Craven summed up his boundary-pushing filmmaking philosophy by saying, “”If I have to do the rest of the films in the [horror] genre, no problem. If I’m going to be a caged bird, I’ll sing the best song I can.”