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The Top 50 Horror Directors

Fifty filmmakers who shaped the genre, from the silent era to today. Pick a director to see their best horror films and where to stream them.

  1. Alfred HitchcockThe master of suspense, whose Psycho and The Birds rewired what audiences expect from fear.
  2. John CarpenterDirector, writer and composer behind Halloween, The Thing and The Fog: patient widescreen dread with a synth score.
  3. Wes CravenCreated A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream, and reinvented the slasher twice.
  4. George A. RomeroFather of the modern zombie film, starting with Night of the Living Dead in 1968.
  5. Tobe HooperMade The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Poltergeist: raw, feverish and hugely influential.
  6. David CronenbergThe godfather of body horror: Videodrome, Scanners, The Brood and The Fly.
  7. Dario ArgentoItalian giallo maestro of Suspiria and Deep Red, known for saturated color and Goblin scores.
  8. Sam RaimiWent from the splatter slapstick of The Evil Dead to Drag Me to Hell, always with a wild camera and a grin.
  9. Roman PolanskiRosemary's Baby and Repulsion made paranoia and apartment-bound dread an art form.
  10. William FriedkinThe Exorcist director, who brought documentary grit to the supernatural.
  11. Brian De PalmaHitchcock's most flamboyant heir: Carrie, Sisters and Dressed to Kill.
  12. Mario BavaGodfather of giallo and Italian gothic: Black Sunday, Blood and Black Lace, Bay of Blood.
  13. Lucio FulciItalian gore auteur behind Zombi 2, City of the Living Dead and The Beyond.
  14. James WhaleGave Universal Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein and The Invisible Man, with wit and style.
  15. Terence FisherHammer Films' defining director, who revived Dracula and Frankenstein in lurid color.
  16. Tod BrowningDirected the 1931 Dracula and the notorious Freaks.
  17. Jacques TourneurMaster of suggestion: Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie and Night of the Demon.
  18. Stuart GordonRe-Animator, From Beyond and Dagon: Lovecraft with gore and gallows humor.
  19. Larry CohenProlific B-movie provocateur behind It's Alive, Q: The Winged Serpent and The Stuff.
  20. Joe DanteGremlins and The Howling: horror with a mischievous, movie-literate streak.
  21. John LandisAn American Werewolf in London blended terror and comedy perfectly.
  22. Clive BarkerThe author who directed Hellraiser and Nightbreed, with a vision of pain and pleasure.
  23. Jordan PeeleGet Out, Us and Nope: social horror with blockbuster ambition.
  24. Ari AsterHereditary and Midsommar made family trauma and daylight horror a modern signature.
  25. Mike FlanaganOculus, Hush and Doctor Sleep: humane, character-first horror.
  26. James WanSaw, Insidious and The Conjuring launched modern horror franchises.
  27. Guillermo del ToroPan's Labyrinth, The Devil's Backbone and Crimson Peak: monsters with a beating heart.
  28. Eli RothCabin Fever and Hostel led the 2000s wave of extreme horror.
  29. Rob ZombieHouse of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects: grindhouse grit and shock.
  30. Ti WestThe House of the Devil, X and Pearl: retro craft and slow burns.
  31. Leigh WhannellCo-created Saw, then directed Upgrade and The Invisible Man.
  32. Adam WingardYou're Next, The Guest and Blair Witch: lean, mean genre play.
  33. Alexandre AjaHigh Tension, The Hills Have Eyes and Crawl: relentless, high-voltage horror.
  34. Pascal LaugierMartyrs (2008) is among the most punishing films in the genre.
  35. Hideo NakataRingu (1998) launched the J-horror boom.
  36. Takashi MiikeAudition and Ichi the Killer: one of Japan's most prolific and provocative directors.
  37. Kiyoshi KurosawaCure and Pulse: quiet, deeply unnerving Japanese horror.
  38. Neil MarshallThe Descent and Dog Soldiers: tough, claustrophobic British genre filmmaking.
  39. Fede ÁlvarezEvil Dead (2013), Don't Breathe and Alien: Romulus.
  40. Oz PerkinsThe Blackcoat's Daughter, Longlegs and The Monkey: atmospheric and eerie.