Halloween Special: The Best Horror Directors

It’s Halloween, so Too Much Culture is taking a look at the best horror film Directors of all time – enjoy, and don’t have nightmares.

Takashe Miike

Takeshe Miike is one of the most controversial Directors working today. Miike is best known for his romantic horror film Audition.  But it was Dead or Alive which rocketed him to international success and made Holly Valance a horror icon.

Tobe Hooper

Hooper’s seventies shocker “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” changed the face of horror movies. Shortly after completing this movie Hooper retired from film making, and lived on Sesame Street until his death in 1983.

Wes Craven

Craven’s latest addition to the “Scream” franchise is released next year amid much anticipation. Wes Craven had a cameo in the first “Scream” film, in which he paid homage to Freddie Krueger by dressing in a red and black striped jumper, wearing a bladed glove, molesting some children, burning himself alive and ruining his own mythology with an ill advised hip-hop single.

Eli Roth

With “Hostel” 1&2 Eli Roth created a new genre of horror, known as Torture Porn. Coincidentally Torture, Porn is the title of David Baddiel’s upcoming live shows. Roth frequently works with Director Quentin Tarrantino, the two get on well having bonded over their shared love of Director Quentin Tarrantino.

John Carpenter

Carpenter kick-started the Slasher genre with his classic “Halloween”. In the film babysitters are stalked by Michael Myers, who systematically kills them with his unfunny Scottish accent and over reliance on prosthetics. Carpenter states: “I had such a tough time directing The Thing.” Referring to the temperamental on set attitude of Jamie Lee-Curtis.

William Friedkin

Friedkin’s now infamous horror “The Exorcist” proved so powerful that it was only recently released, complete with the terrifying Spider Walk scene, where Linda Blair recreates Toby Maguire’s cool walk from “Spiderman 3”.  Friedkin went to great extremes to film the genuine reactions of actors featured in “The Exorcist”, yanking actors on ropes, firing guns loaded with live ammunition and building sets inside a freezer for the famous ‘lights go on when the door opens’ scene.

Sam Raimi

Raimi’s “Evil Dead” was one of the first films to feature on the ‘Video Nasty’ list of the early eighties.  Coincidentally ‘Video, Nasty’ is the title of Dustin Diamond’s upcoming live shows.

Tod Browning

Browning directed the now legendary “Dracula” in 1920, but by far his most shocking work is that of “Freaks”. The film features real life freaks, the pin-heads, midgets, worm man and the side-show ‘geek’, played by Simon Pegg.

Stanley Kubrick

Kubrick was famous for insisting on multiple takes while filming “The Shining”, this meant each scene was shot nine or ten times. The alternate takes were eventually re-cut and released in 1996 as “Dunstan Checks In”.