The horror genre is a fairly difficult genre to perfect; a successful blend of suspense, terror, interesting stories, characters we care about, and a subject or character that terrifies us to our core, are all challenging feats to pull off. Add to that the fact that the horror genre is quite possibly the most subjective film genre out there. Audiences will have a very different perception of what is and what isn’t scary; whether this be ghosts, monsters, a masked stalker, or a more personal fear; filmmakers have a very difficult challenge to find what will terrify the majority of their audiences. However, a great director can pull this off seamlessly and can even create a brand-new fear that audiences didn’t know they had.
The greatest horror directors have blessed us with hit after hit of iconic horror movies, giving audiences standalone horror masterpieces and even kick-starting some of the biggest horror franchises of all time. But which horror directors are the best?
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8 Mike Flanagan
Blumhouse Productions
Hailed by both critics and the horror community, Mike Flanagan shines in his character-driven horror projects. Fans praise the director for his writing and direction, and claim that any movie with Flanagan’s name attached is guaranteed to be a quality movie. While being a hit director with fans and critics, many casual audiences are unaware of the director, or have never seen many of his projects. Mostly well known for his Netflix original horror series, The Haunting of Hill House and its un-connected follow-up The Haunting of Bly Manor, Flanagan was also behind the terrifying character-driven Netflix series Midnight Mass, which was praised by fans and critics as per usual, with the horror legend; author Stephen King, giving a glowing review of the series.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
Casual audiences may be unaware that Flanagan is behind hit horror movies like Oculus, Hush, and Gerald’s Game, all of which horror fans claim to be some of the most underappreciated horror movies of the past two decades, due to their precise pacing, perfect use of tension and suspense, and the personal character driven stories.
7 Sam Raimi
New Line Cinema
Casual audiences may recognize Sam Raimi as the man behind the iconic and popular Spider-Man Trilogy, and more recently Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness. However, the director is loved within the horror community, with fans praising Raimi for his memorable characters, and the wacky and fun nature to his films. Raimi’s movies Have become cult classics, with the hit Evil Dead franchise spawning a remake, a hit TV series, plentiful Ash Williams cameos throughout pop culture, and a recently released video game; alongside many movies paying homage to the horror movie, such as The Cabin in The Woods. Sam Raimi has directed other horror movies outside The Evil Dead franchise, to critical success with Darkman and Drag Me To Hell. While Sam Raimi’s style may not be for everyone, the acclaimed director is certainly loved by critics and horror fans.
6 Jordan Peele
Universal Pictures
Jordan Peele stunned critics and horror fans alike with the ingenious and important Get Out. After having an incredibly successful comedy career, no one could have prepared for how much Jordan Peele would shock the world with his first venture into horror. Little did we think, that he could release two critically successful and beloved horror films back-to-back, but yet again Peele blew expectations out of the water with his second horror flick Us. The horror community praised Peele’s compelling and intelligent stories, along with the director’s precise and important visual style, making every shot feel integral and important. Jordan Peele will return to horror this year, with Nope, releasing July 22nd.
5 George A Romero
Continental Distributing
Zombie movies are an important and integral sub-genre in horror, with many zombie movies being considered the best in the genre. However, zombies would not have been as big as they are today without the incredibly influential George A Romero. Hailed as the inventor of the zombie movie, George A Romero terrified audiences with the release of The Night of The Living Dead in 1968, introducing filmgoers to a brand-new kind of horror movie. Romero’s zombie movies kicked off a hugely successful sub-genre, which is well-loved and appreciated by horror fans today. The Night of The Living Dead spawned many successful sequels and remakes, and became a hit franchise with critics and horror fans all across the world. So whatever your favorite zombie movie is, there is a likely chance you have George A Romero to thank for that.
4 Tobe Hooper
Bryanston Distributing Company
Tobe Hooper’s legacy of iconic and terrifying horror flicks paved the way for how we see horror movies today. Creating twisted killers and ghosts in a suburban home, Tobe Hooper set a standard for horror movies, that many directors still attempt to emulate. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 1974 and Poltergeist in 1982, are considered by fans and critics to be Hooper’s best works, with their horrifying imagery, terrifying realism, and Hooper’s spine-chilling direction.
3 James Wan
Warner Bros. Pictures
Reinventing horror for a modern audience with The Conjuring, Insidious and kick-starting the Saw franchise, with frequent collaborator Leigh Whannell; James Wan is one of the best modern horror filmmakers today. Giving audiences not only some of the best modern horror movies, but some of the best and scariest horror movies of all time. Wan shines with his use of suspense, tension, and terrifying camera work. Fans praise the directors authentic horror style, making every film feel effortlessly scary. The Insidious franchise is hailed as some of the scariest movies of all time, no thanks to its terrifying music; using the spine-chilling screech of violins and a creepy song which has haunted many audience members. The Conjuring and Saw continue to be two of the most successful and highest grossing horror film franchises of all time, and that is all thanks to James Wan’s expert direction in the genre.
2 John Carpenter
Compass International Pictures
John Carpenter is perhaps the most revolutionary filmmaker in the horror and sci-fi genres, with iconic movies like Halloween (1978), The Thing (1982) and The Fog. Halloween is one of the most important horror films to date, with many film schools still studying this iconic piece of cinema. Critics and audiences praise Carpenter’s vision and ability to build suspense. Many fans claim that the score for Halloween is one of the most iconic film scores of all time, and the director’s perfect use of it in the film adds to how influential and iconic the director and film really is.
1 Wes Craven
Wes Craven encapsulates everything that makes a great horror director; interesting stories, terrifying and iconic characters, spine-chilling music, precise tension and suspense, and an impeccable vision, which shines through in every movie. Behind some of the best horror franchises of all time with A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Hills Have Eyes and Scream, Wes Craven truly made his mark on the horror genre and cemented himself as one of the best and most influential horror directors of all time.
Scream is hailed by critics and fans as one of the best slashers of all time, as both an homage and spoof to all the slashers before it, Scream not only works exceptionally well as an homage, but also as a movie that can stand on its own two feet. Many fans praise the director for giving audiences a fresh and unique take on a genre full of lackluster slashers with no memorable slasher villains. Wes Craven managed to reinvent the slasher sub-genre with two of the most iconic slasher characters in cinema history; Freddy Krueger and Ghostface.
