Renewed Top 10 - Horror Directors

It is October again, time for Spooky season. And that means it is time do some horror related content!

So let's start with some directors. Those that make some spooky, creepy, scary stuff.

Now, the list is going to highlight the directors that have made an impact for my viewing. But it does not reflect those that director my favorite horror films overall(that list is coming). Maybe it is the overall portfolio influence, rather than one movie in particular. Consistency and legacy are key for. Body of work as opposed to one shining example. Get the rules?

Top 10 Horror Directors

Here we go...

Honorable Mention 1: Terence Fisher: British director who focused on Gothic Horror. Hammer Films versions of Dracula, The Mummy, The Curse of Frankenstein. Now, the movies are pretty good, but the reason he is here is because he launched the careers of LEGENDS Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.

Honorable Mention 2: Stanley Kubrick: Kubrick is that one crazy, eccentric artist that just wants the masterpiece. A Clockwork Orange and The Shining are 2 of the greatest artistic movies of all time.

Honorable Mention 3: Guillermo del Toro: I enjoy Del Toro's work. Pan's Labyrinth is creepy as hell. And Hellboy is iconic. But while Hellboy is spooky, it is also a fun superhero movie. A visionary.

Honorable Mention 4: Tim Burton: Burton is one of my favorite directors. Period. But the secret to his spooky is that... it is his style. Famous for movies like Beetlejuice, Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd, Alice in Wonderland...... it is more the art style, and less the content that makes it spooky, and thus more of his movies are family accessible. Sleepy Hollow was the only real horror movie Burton did. But creepy and spooky is just in his art style

Honorable Mention 5: Ivan Reitman: Ghostbusters. There really isn't anymore you need to say. Ivan Reitman is the reason the Ghostbusters franchise came to life. From an idea... to a realization. And I'm going to mention Jason Reitman, for tackling Ghostbusters Afterlife. It isn't out yet, but if it is a smash hit like the originals, then he deserves to be mentioned here.

10. Andy Muschietti: Responsible for the IT remakes and wonderful unique film called Mama. I personally think he did a GREAT job getting that done. The reason he isn't higher on the list... he is an up and comer. He is has only just begun. And that is what he did? Impressive.

9. Jordan Peele: Who would've thought this comedian would be a genius in horror? I didn't. But Get Out won him an Oscar and Us was a unique take on the doppleganger story. Another who has only just begun.

8. Mike Flanagan: He put out some really good stuff. Responsible for Oculus, Ouija: Origin of Evil. But the reason I'm a fan is simply... Doctor Sleep. Sequel to one of my favorite horror films off all time, and...... it felt like he made it as an homage to the Kubrick's classic AND adapted the book fairly well. I hope for more, and if he were to do more with King's works, I wouldn't be mad.

7. Tobe Hooper: So many good B horror movies; but also brought us The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist, Salem's Lot, and Night Terrors. The resumé speaks for itself.

6. David Cronenberg: Dead Ringers, Stephen King's The Dead Zone, Scanners. All great movies. But... The Fly. The Fly is legendary. Why? Two words: Jeff Goldblum.

5. Tom Holland(no, not that one): The Father of Chuckie!! Created Child's Play... the original Fright Night, The Langoliers mini series, and Thinner! But he gets the spot for giving us such a twisted tale with Child's Play... and launching a franchise that is STILL putting out new content.

4. Sam Raimi: Before he was known for Spider-Man, Sam Raimi gave us BRUCE CAMPBELL. And how? The Evil Dead/Army of Darkness franchise. Sam Raimi also gave us Darkman, which was the first movie I ever saw of one Liam Neeson. But the really reason he makes the list is because...... post Spider-Man, he gave us one amazingly terrifying movie title Drag Me To Hell. If you haven't seen it, do it.

3. Alfred Hitchcock: The Master of Suspense. His own series, titles "Alfred Hitchcock Presents". But we are talking LEGENDARY movies: The Birds, Psycho, Vertigo, Suspicion, Dial M for Murder. If you don't know who Alfred Hitchcock is, then why are you here?

2. John Carpenter: Vampires, Village of the Damned, They Live(with Roddy Piper!), Prince of Darkness, Christine, The Thing, The Fog. Such diversity in his horror portfolio... but... he is also responsible for creating what we know as a Slasher Film, when he brought to us Michael Myers and the classic film Halloween.

This was a tough one to call... but here it is...

The Number One Horror Director is......

1. Wes Craven: The original version of The Last House On The Left. The People Under The Stairs. Shocker. Night Visions. Cursed. Red Eye. He is also responsible for The Hills Have Eyes... and he is the father of The Nightmare of Elm Street franchise. But the reason I put Wes Craven at Number 1 isn't because of those movies... it is for the Scream franchise. Freddy Krueger is my favorite slasher killer of all time... the movies are good, but Freddy is what elevated them. But Scream was different. It felt different. And the reason I feel that way is because the Scream franchise is a parody. I know what you're thinking... "No, that is the Scary Movie franchise". And yes... yes you're right. But look at what Scream set out to do. It purposely lampooned the horror franchise and things you are/aren't supposed to do. And then paid off for all of those rules/tropes but swerving the audience out of the killers' identity reveals. And I can appreciate Wes Craven do that in one of his own movies about the genre he helped make famous. That is pretty damn cool to me. And... Wes Craven is responsible for Swamp Thing getting its live action start. Swamp Thing may be an anti-hero now, but that original movie was absolutely a B level horror flick.

(Side note... one omission I have is Clive Barker. Yes... he created and directed Hellraiser... the first one... and with hits like Night Breed and Lord of Illusions... Clive Barker should be noted for his work in horror, but he isn't a director. His largest contributions to horror comes from putting pen to paper. Playwright, Screenwriter first, including Candyman. And his contributions do not go unnoticed. His directed movies are great, but so few.)

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There it is. Top 10 Horror Directors.

Anyone you think I left out? Anyone you are surprised I put in it? Let me know down below.

Don't like my list? Make your own.

And as always... share this thing...

Thanks for you time. More Halloween/Spooky themed lists coming this month, and some good reviews hopefully this week.

Until next time...

Don't forget...