HORROR TEN SPOT: Top 10 Directors 2 Watch

Last Updated on August 3, 2021

We all love the horror staples – gore, nudity, rampant swearing, and the general promise of having the shite scared out of us. But no element of a horror movie works well without someone to pull it all together. The director probably has more control over how kick ass, or flat, a horror movie is than in any other genre.

The problem is that a lot of horror flicks are disposable products, and talented directors often shy away from what we love best. So coming across someone who combines talent and a desire to explore the dark depths is a cause for much celebration. At the same time, the age of the internet is also an age of massive overhype, so we have to be careful before anointing the heir apparents of greats like Hitchcock, Carpenter, Craven and Red.

So who can we look to, based on current info, to carry the torch into the near future. Well I’m glad you asked because that’s exactly what we’re gonna look at this week. These are directors that have already done something amazing, and appear likely to continue that trend. Of course, if you disagree, or think I missed somebody, spit those bullets (I know you will), and let’s get this party started!

1. NEIL MARSHALL

Marshall set us all up with DOG SOLDIERS, and then knocked us the f*ck out with THE DESCENT. He is showing a tendency to edge away from strictly genre fare, which is a bit disturbing, but when you do horror as well as he does, that’s something that’s in the blood. He’ll keep coming back to us when the project warrants it, and it will be a frabjous day every damn time he does.

2. ALEXANDRE AJA

Here’s a man who put the world on notice that the French know horror. They know it hard. So far he’s given us some of the most striking genre images of the new millennium, and isn’t scared to explore all sorts of projects. Next year he catapults us all into 3-D, and I don’t know a horror loving soul who isn’t looking forward to the ride.

3. MARCUS NISPEL

I fully expect to catch hell for having Nispel so high on the list, but the reality is he took two beloved franchises and rebooted them for an audience that pretty much hates that shite and anyone involved in it. That he delivered anything watchable would be worth noting. The fact that he delivered two outstanding examples of how to retread hallowed ground is amazing. I am ready for him to tackle an original genre piece though.

4. JAMES GUNN

I know Gunn’s a 1-credit wonder so far. Not that he hasn’t done a shite ton of work, but SLITHER is his one genre release as a director. But that one movie was such a f*cking blast that I feel like he’s already proven himself. And THE BELCOO EXPERIMENT is solidly in my most anticipated flicks because of that. I have faith in the man dammit! And if it turns out I’m wrong, oh well, we’ll always have Grant Grant.

5. JAMES WAN

It would be hard to find a cooler, more sincere guy working in the industry. Wan is so open and enthusiastic that you want everything he does to be genius. And it hasn’t been, but all of his work has been personal, interesting, and driven by a desire to stick with what he wants to do, instead of simply cashing in on the fame of a fresh auteur. Didn’t you get a little happy in the pants when you heard he snagged CASTLEVANIA? I sure did. And that is the mark of a talent to keep a solid eye on.

6. ELI ROTH

The internet and all its damn tubes giveth, and it taketh away. Eli Roth was a preferred flavor for awhile, and then the tides turned a bit. Some of that was because he drank a bit of his own Kool-Aid, but everybody should be allowed to get a little spiky when something they’ve slaved over is getting hammered. Regardless, this man has already given us two great horror flicks, and has a fanboy love of all things genre. As long as he doesn’t go all BOONDOCK SAINTS on us, I expect we’ll be hearing from Roth for a long, long time. And be better off for it.

7. LARRY FESSENDEN

Even genre fans don’t tend to think of horror as art very often. Fessenden makes an argument for the pro with every damn film he releases. Flipping conventions on their head with each project, he’s so clear in his vision that he almost dares you to come along for the ride. Not to everyone’s taste, but true genius is rarely popular because it touches places that many of us cannot, or do not want to understand. Larry works near that stratosphere

8. LUCKY MCKEE

Lucky’s name is slightly amusing since the distribution of his flicks has been anything but. However, the man makes powerful genre pieces that even hardcore fans have difficulty stomaching at times. His subject matter is far from mainstream, and the general populace’s awareness of him is minimal, but if you want to make sure you’re gonna catch a flick that will surprise and possibly destroy you, this is a good dude to gamble on.

9. DARREN LYNN BOUSMAN

I get flack for this, but I liked SAW II better than the original. Better acting, better budget, and a story that hadn’t folded back on itself so many times that it all felt like a house of cards. Bousman had the balls to basically say, “Don’t just have me adapt my script, let me direct this f*cker too.” Mad props for that alone. Then he follows up with REPO, which love it or hate it, you have to admit was a creative gamble that proves he probably has trouble finding jeans that fit with cojones that massive.

10. ADAM GREEN

HATCHET split the skulls of its audience just like the implement in question, and turned thousands of genre fans into instant Greeniacs. Only time will tell if the man can recapture the power of his first effort, but seeing someone turn in an effective old school slasher in the post-SCREAM era is well worth watching for the foreseeable future.