Horror is an important genre because it's designed to take risks. As such, masters of horror need to be fearless. Horror tends to be recognized as a throwaway genre designed to disgust the audience, but great horror has completely changed filmmaking. The tricks, styles, and stories that are told onscreen are tent poles for what can be accepted in a visual medium. These techniques and movies have stood the test of time because of the directors who created them. Great filmmakers of the past and present have crafted moments that stand to this day. These films have revolutionized cinema, and these directors are among the many that helped solidify horror as an impactful genre and a conduit for change.
5 Wes Craven's Blend of Twisted Comedy and Intriguing Plots Speaks for Itself
The late Wes Craven's impact on cinema is rare because it's defined by not one but two iconic franchises and focuses on more human antagonists. Craven is responsible for some of the most visceral films in horror and challenged the idea of what humans are capable of. In films like The Last House on the Left and The Hills Have Eyes, the horror doesn't just come from the violent and disturbing kills, but from the knowledge that these are people in the real world committing these atrocities. Twisted and visual, his films leave viewers disturbed that gruesome acts can be done by people who they could meet in real life.
Of the numerous great horror films he's created, his best work is undoubtedly in the slasher genre. Craven's imagination both strengthened the slasher genre and later on revived it. In 1984, he created A Nightmare on Elm Street, featuring the villainous Freddy Krueger, where he subverted the slasher genre by creating a monster who hunted characters in their dreams. In the 1990s, Craven directed the horror/comedy Scream, where his expertise with slashers and dark sense of humor made the film an instant classic. Blending horror with a unique sense of humor, Wes Craven is synonymous with horror.
4 Jordan Peele's Social Commentary Creates an Uncomfortable, Necessary Watch
Though a relatively new name in horror, Jordan Peele has created works that are both horrific and eye-opening. Peele, who is also known for his comedy, displays an understanding of the human experience and social strife. He tells his stories through subtext and visuals that wow throughout the film and leave an uneasy feeling long after the movie ends. As a Black filmmaker, he tells the story through a lens of institutional racism and subtle introspection that opens conversations that need to be discussed. Well plotted, thought-provoking, and with a unique style, his films attack human issues that tend to be forgotten.
What makes Peele a master of horror is the thought he puts into every detail. In a Hitchcock-like manner, everything on screen, from the costuming to set design, has a deeper meaning, and the characters and dialogue do the same. Though films like Nope and Us demonstrate this skill, none do so better than Get Out. The film drips with atmosphere down to the framing of shots, which makes the audience feel as trapped as the protagonist. Every single second of the buildup increases anxiety, and Peele has mastered that aspect of horror.
3 Tobe Hooper Made Cinema Question What Is Appropriate for Film
This particular entry came down to Tobe Hooper and George A. Romero. Though both had a similar impact on film, Hooper gets the nod here. Hooper's impact doesn't just come down to longevity or classics, both of which he has, but it's due to his innate ability to push the boundaries of what is considered exploitation. Regarded for his gritty atmosphere and gruesome sequences, he challenged the idea of decency by calling out society's willing acceptance of real-life violence and horror.
Directing films like Poltergeist and Salem's Lot are enough to propel him into stardom; his unique style is perfectly on display in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Depicting violent crimes and murders is commonplace in today's cinema, but Texas Chain Saw Massacre pushed the boundary far beyond what was considered acceptable. Considered indecent, to the point where it was banned in several countries, Tobe Hooper walked so horror could run, and that alone makes him a master of horror.
2 John Carpenter's Films Get Better With Age
John Carpenter is a director who has created numerous classics, even if some weren't recognized at the time. Carpenter is a pillar of the horror genre because of his incomparable use of visual directing to pair with his original scripts. Known for his elite framing on screen and use of shadows, Carpenter lures viewers into his films with compelling stories, then scares the audience with clever camera work and uses shadows to reveal horrors. Audiences and critics alike watch his films and have to constantly search the screen for clues and scares, increasing the tension.
Carpenter has a plethora of films to point to that maximize his talents, even if some are more popular. Films like Prince of Darkness capture his visual brilliance, and The Fog expertly hides the ghosts in plain site and reveals more over time. Above all, The Thing and Halloween franchises make Carpenter legendary because of their mastery of the horror genre. Both films expertly isolate the cast and increase the slow-burn horror, but they also master the framing techniques Carpenter is known for and force the audience to study where the scare will come from. No filmmaker, before or since, has mastered visual and audible storytelling quite like Carpenter.
1 Every Horror Filmmaker Should Aspire To Be Alfred Hitchcock
"There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it." Alfred Hitchcock's statement about horror is one of several reasons why he's the greatest horror director of all time. Though his work can be classified as suspense, Hitchcock built up so much tension that the scare itself was a relief. His tricks, styles, and motifs have created a subgenre of film called "Hitchcockian." Movies like Psycho, The Birds, and Dial M for Murder blend in anxiety-inducing build-up, dark characters, and slow-burn horror to craft some of the most compelling films ever to be made, many of which are considered among the greatest of all time.
What truly separates Hitchcock from the rest is that every director on this list and the subgenres they've developed takes influence from Hitchcock. Tobe Hooper and Texas Chain Saw Massacre challenged decency, but Psycho laid the groundwork in the shower scene. Craven and Carpenter owe their slasher origins to Norman Bates in Psycho. Peele's attention to detail and atmosphere exist because of the precedent set by Hitchcock. Very few filmmakers, horror or not, have had the long-term impact of Alfred Hitchcock. His style, attention to detail, and build-up are a masterclass of filmmaking and have set the standards for all horror movies. He is truly the master of horror.