Even though some movie genres seem to be suffering from a lack of inspiration and originality these days, there is one that continues to push the envelop and surpass expectations for mainstream appeal: horror. This decade has welcomed films from a cadre of interesting and terrifying new voices, from Ari Aster to Jordan Peele to Robert Eggers.
There are many films that have revitalized the horror genre and received critical acclaim. This list seeks to give attention to several contemporary directors, in horror, whose work you should definitely seek out. You might recognize some names, but their body of work is still worth looking at beyond their crossing over to the mainstream.
Ti West
American Ti West began his career making low-budget and terrifying horror films. His first feature, The Roost, came out in 2005. He has since released some of the best independent horror films of the 21st century: The House of the Devil, The Innkeepers, and The Sacrament. With his slow burn, atmospheric style undercut by moments of extreme horror and violence, Ti West caught the attention of many genre fans.
He has since turned to television, putting his directorial skills to use on shows like Scream, Wayward Pines, and The Exorcist. He’s considered part of the underground horror movement known as mumblegore. Filmmakers who don this label rely on understatement, realism, and non-professional actors.
Michael Haneke
This Austrian filmmaker’s output doesn’t all classify as horror, but Michael Haneke has made some of the most horrific movies to date that defy genres and expectations. He blew the lid off exploitative violence in movies with his 1997 German-language film Funny Games, about a pair of young men who decide to torture and kill a family for no obvious reason.
A consistent theme throughout Haneke’s movies is the cruelty and brutality that define modern existence. Over his decades-spanning career, he’s made other terror-inducing films, including Benny’s Video and Time of the Wolf.
Anna Biller
Filmmaker Anna Biller has made a name for herself as the John Waters of horror with her second feature The Love Witch. Campy, excessive, and full of beautifully-contrived sequences, The Love Witch is a fun, feminist masterpiece.
Biller’s only other directorial credit is for the 2007 film Viva. Though not a horror movie, its style sets the tone for the staged and performative nature of Biller’s work. The Love Witch tells the story of a witch named Elaine who uses magic and spell-casting to force men to fall in love with her. The Love Witch is stylized like a 1970s Italian horror film, and it’s full of dazzling, visual displays of conjuring.
Jeremy Saulnier
Cinematographer Jeremy Saulnier ventured into directing territory with the 2007 horror-comedy Murder Party. A dark satire about the art world, the film features a group of deranged art students who plan the ultimate performance: a real murder. Saulnier’s next film established his gritty and gothic tone, 2013’s Blue Ruin. Minimal and gruesome, it’s a revenge story about a man named Dwight who returns to his hometown in Virginia after living for years as a vagrant.
Saulnier’s best-known film is 2015’s Neo-Nazi gorefest, Green Room. About a punk band desperate for money who decides to play a show at a private lodge for a bunch of fascists, it includes harrowing performances from Patrick Stewart and Anton Yelchin.
Ana Lily Amirpour
English-born American-Iranian director Ana Lily Amirpour made a name for herself with the 2014 vampire flick A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night. This Arabic language directorial debut from Amirpour stars a hipster vampire who loves 1980s music and misty dance parties.
The film traces the burgeoning, bloody love affair between the mysterious female vampire and a man named Arash. Filmed in black-and-white, A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night has been coined an Iranian vampire spaghetti western. Amirpour’s second film, The Bad Batch, didn’t receive the same level of critical acclaim, and she has since tried her hand at directing episodes of TV shows like Legion, Castle Rock, and The Twilight Zone.
Adam Wingard
Another member of the mumblegore horror community, Adam Wingard made his debut in 2007 with the bloody horror film Home-Sick. Since then, he’s put out some of the most stylish and refreshing underground horror films to date: The Guest, You’re Next, and A Horrible Way to Die. These films rely on mood, well-placed jump-scares, and experimental camera work to tell their stories.
Wingard crossed over into the mainstream with his 2016 Blair Witch, and now it looks like he’s tackling big-budget monster flicks. He’s set to direct 2020’s upcoming Godzilla vs. Kong.
Panos Cosmatos
Blurring the lines between horror and science fiction, Panos Cosmatos has been on many peoples’ radar since releasing Beyond The Black Rainbow in 2010. He waited eight years to release his next gem, 2018’s psychedelic and terrifying Mandy. Both films pay homage to 1980s cinema, employing mind-altering imagery, drug use, and psychotic characters to push their narratives.
Beyond the Black Rainbow tells the story of a psychic institute, while Mandy stars Nicholas Cage as a man waging war against a crazed cult after they kidnap and kill his girlfriend. It seems filmmaking is in Cosmatos’s blood. His father is George P. Cosmatos, known for horror films like Of Unknown Origins and Leviathan.
Karyn Kusama
Karyn Kusama may be the most interesting current director no one knows about. He made her debut in 2000 with the sports drama Girlfight, launching into horror with 2009’s Jennifer’s Body, starring Megan Fox as a demonically possessed high school student who goes on a rampage against her male classmates.
Since them, Kusama has put out genre gems like The Invitation, XX, and the recent thriller The Destroyer, which stars Nicole Kidman. Kusama describes herself as unapologetically feminist, and her films don’t hold back from forging a new path within a male-dominated industry.
Peter Strickland
Peter Strickland makes high art out of horror films. This British auteur has released three one of the most compelling, mystifying horror films in recent history: Berberian Sound Studio, The Duke of Burgundy, and In Fabric. All have received critical acclaim, appearing in multiple “best of” lists the years they were released.
Strickland relies on abstract, emotional storytelling to make his movies, digging deep into psychological terror. For those who want horror films to be non-stop blood baths, Strickland isn’t your kind of movie-maker. For those who like more nuance and refinement, Strickland is your man.
Ben Wheatley
British director Ben Wheatley first released the shocking and radical Down Terrace, a fresh take on the mob family drama imbued with elements of horror. Wheatley perfected his take on the genre with his subsequent films, including the critically-acclaimed Kill List, the dark and comedic Sightseers, and the hallucinatory A Field In England.
He’s another director who seems to defy labels, though, proven by his adaptation of J.G. Ballard’s High-Rise, which was followed by the heist thriller Free Fire. He’s set to direct the sequel to 2018’s Tomb Raider revamp, as well as a remake of an Alfred Hitchcock classic, Rebecca.
