In no particular order they are:
- John Carpenter: Carpenter directed some 32 films including a little movie called "Halloween". There are currently ten movies in the franchise (soon to be eleven). And if that wasnt enough, he's also responsible for "The Thing", "The Fog", "Village Of The Damned", "They Live" and "Christine".
- Wes Craven: Craven had such a prolific career that he is often dubbed the "Master Of Horror". His hits include the "Scream" and "Nightmare On Elm Street" franchises. Other films include "Last House On The Left", "The People Under The Stairs", and "The Hills Have Eyes". Sadly, Wes passed away in 2015.
- George A Romero: Romero created the zombie horror genre with "Night Of The Living Dead". Zombies are now more popular in modern culture than vampires. Who would have thunk? George also directed other hits such as "Creepshow" and "The Crazies". His "Tales From The Dark Side" TV series ran from 1983 to 1988.
- Eli Roth: Roth is best know for his series "Hostel" and "Cabin Fever". Often working in the "torture porn" horror subgenre, he is listed as a member of the "Splat Pack". It's a group of independent directors whose films are ultra-violent and low budget. The group also includes James WAn and Rob Zombie.
- James Wan: Wan brought us three of the top horror franchises of all time with "Saw", "The Conjuring", and "Insidious". He also invented Billy the Puppet (from "Saw"). On a side note, he is currently directing DC's "Aquaman" which should be out this year. Wan is one busy guy.
- Tobe Hopper: Hopper brought us "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "Salem's Lot" and "Poltergeist" (which received three Academy Award nominations). Hopper passed away in August of last year.
- Sam Rami: Rami brought us "Drag Me To Hell" as well as the "Evil Dead" franchise (of which "Ash Vs Evil Dead" TV series is still going strong). He also has done a few other little things you might have heard of such as "Spider-Man".
- Clive Barker: Barker is responsible for "HellRaiser" and "CandyMan" franchises. Barker is also a prolific artists whose work has appeared in many gallaries as well as his won books.
- Hideo Nakata: Nakata is a Japanese director who brought us the "Ring" franchise. He also ushered in the "J horror" craze as directors (including himself) began Japanese films from American audiences. Nakata is also responsible for "Dark Waters" and "Chatroom".
- Alfred Hitchcock: Known as the "Master Of Suspense", Hitchcock is responsible for much of what we know as the modern horror genre. He directed some 70 films including: "The Birds", "Dial M For Murder", "Rear Window", and "Vertigo". In fact his 1960 film "Psycho" is often cited as the most important horror film ever made. Sure Alfred was of questionable moral character (just ask Tippi Hedren). He still knew how the scare the hell out of audiences.
Honorable Mentions: This includes people who didnt make the top 10 but have still made some of the best stand-alone horror movies out there (as well as several international directors).
- Guillermo del Torro: del Torro has produced a number of movies and TV shows including: "Pan's Labyrnith", "The Strain", "Hellboy", "Crimson Peak" and most recently "The Shape Of Water" (which is raking in awards this year).
- Stanley Kubrick: Kubrick is not really a "horror director" but he brought us "The Shining". Kubrick is notoriously hard to work with but is also considered one of the best directors of all time.
- Takashi Shimizu: Shimizu is a Japanese director who brought us "The Grudge" ("Ju-On").
- Takashi Mikike: Though not widely known in the US, Miike is a Japanese director who brought us "Audition" and "Ichi The Killer".
- David Cronenberg: Cronenberg is a Canadian director who has made some the best "body horror" movies out there. They include "The Fly", "Scanners", "Videodrome" as well as "The Dead Zone".
- Rob Zombie: Born Robert Cummings, Zombie got his start as a musician in the heavy metal band "White Zombie". Great music by the way! He then went on to direct a number of great horror films as: the 2007 remake of "Halloween", "House Of 1000 Corpses" and "The Devil's Rejects".
- William Friedkin: Friedkin directed what is generally thought of as the best horror movie of all time, "The Exorcist". The movie won a Golden Globe for Best Director. He is also known for "The French Connection" (Best Director Oscar award), "To Live and Die in LA" and "12 Angry Men".
- Dario Argento: Argento directed "Suspira". Though largely ignored these days, Argento is on many "best of" lists. Known as "Italy's Hitchcock", he worked in a horror subgenre known as "giallo" (murder mysteries/thrillers). Other works include "Deep Red" and "Tenebre".
Photo Credits:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCX535LvZHE
GMonsterTV
TV: Heavy On Sci Fi, Horror & Adventure; Light On Reality
February 3, 2018
No comments: