The twisted minds behind the camera — the auteurs who taught us to fear the dark.
Adam Wingard
Adam Wingard rose from V/H/S segments to You're Next and The Guest, then directed Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong. His films, mapped.
Alexandre Aja
Alexandre Aja broke out with the extreme French horror High Tension, then made The Hills Have Eyes (2006), Piranha 3D and Crawl. His films, ranked.
Alfred Hitchcock
With Psycho (1960), Alfred Hitchcock redefined horror and the thriller. Plus Vertigo, Rear Window, North by Northwest and his famous cameos.
Andy Muschietti
Andy Muschietti went from Mama to It (2017), one of the highest-grossing horror films ever, then It Chapter Two and The Flash. His career, profiled.
Anthony Hickox
Anthony Hickox directed the cult horror-comedy Waxwork and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, which pushed Pinhead toward action. His films, profiled.
Ari Aster
Ari Aster went from the grief horror of Hereditary to Midsommar's daylight folk horror and the surreal Beau Is Afraid. The director's career, mapped.
Axelle Carolyn
From acting in Centurion to directing horror: Axelle Carolyn made Soulmate and The Manor and a segment of Tales of Halloween. Her career and credits.
Bernard Rose
Clive Barker's The Forbidden moved to Chicago when Bernard Rose directed Candyman (1992). Plus Paperhouse, Immortal Beloved and the rest of his films.
Bill Condon
Bill Condon won an Oscar for the Gods and Monsters screenplay, about Frankenstein director James Whale, and directed the last two Twilight films.
Bill Paxton
Bill Paxton was in Aliens, Twister and Titanic, then directed and starred in Frailty (2001), a psychological horror film. His career and credits.
Brandon Cronenberg
Body horror in the family: Brandon Cronenberg debuted at Cannes with Antiviral, then made Possessor and Infinity Pool. The Canadian director, profiled.
Cary Joji Fukunaga
Cary Joji Fukunaga directed True Detective and was originally attached to It.
Catherine Hardwicke
Catherine Hardwicke debuted with Thirteen, co-written with Nikki Reed, then made Lords of Dogtown and the first Twilight. Her career, profiled.
Charles Dance
Charles Dance appeared in Alien 3, played Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones and directed Ladies in Lavender. The British actor's career at a glance.
Clive Barker
Clive Barker dragged British horror into the body: Books of Blood, Hellraiser and Pinhead, and the story behind Candyman. The writer-director's career.
Damien Leone
After the shorts and All Hallows' Eve, Damien Leone wrote and directed Terrifier, Terrifier 2 and Terrifier 3. Art the Clown's creator, profiled.
Dan O’Bannon
Dan O'Bannon wrote Alien from a story developed with Ronald Shusett, co-wrote and starred in Dark Star, and directed The Return of the Living Dead (1985).
Dario Argento
Dario Argento turned murder into set pieces and color into plot. Deep Red, Suspiria, Goblin's scores and the Italian director's career from critic onward.
Darren Lynn Bousman
Darren Lynn Bousman directed Saw II, Saw III and Saw IV, the rock-opera horror Repo! The Genetic Opera and Spiral with Chris Rock. His career.
David Blue Garcia
Netflix's Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022), a direct sequel to Tobe Hooper's 1974 original, was directed by David Blue Garcia. The film and his career.
David Bruckner
After V/H/S and The Signal, David Bruckner directed The Ritual, The Night House and the 2022 Hellraiser with Jamie Clayton. His horror career.
David Cronenberg
The central figure of body horror, David Cronenberg made Shivers, Rabid, Videodrome, The Fly and Dead Ringers, then Crimes of the Future.
David F. Sandberg
David F. Sandberg turned his short into Lights Out, directed Annabelle: Creation for the Conjuring universe and both Shazam! films. His career.
David Fincher
A troubled debut on Alien 3 (1992), then Se7en, Fight Club and Zodiac: David Fincher defined the modern dark thriller. His films and career, profiled.
David Gordon Green
Jamie Lee Curtis returned in Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, all by David Gordon Green, who then made The Exorcist: Believer.
David S. Goyer
David S. Goyer wrote Blade (1998), co-wrote the Dark Knight trilogy with Christopher Nolan and wrote Man of Steel. Plus Foundation and his career.
Eli Roth
Eli Roth became a face of 2000s extreme horror with Cabin Fever and Hostel. Plus The Green Inferno, his Inglourious Basterds role and his career.
F. Javier Gutierrez
The third American Ring film, Rings (2017) with Matilda Lutz, was directed by F. Javier Gutierrez. The Spanish director's path from Before the Fall on.
F. W. Murnau
The first major Dracula adaptation, Nosferatu (1922), came from F. W. Murnau, who also made Sunrise and The Last Laugh. The German master's career.
Fede Alvarez
Intense, practical-effects horror: Fede Alvarez directed the 2013 Evil Dead remake, Don't Breathe and Alien: Romulus (2024). His career, profiled.
Francis Ford Coppola
After The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola directed Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), a lavish gothic film with Gary Oldman and Winona Ryder. Profile.
Frank Darabont
The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile and The Mist with its bleak ending: Frank Darabont adapted King three times. Plus The Walking Dead.
Gary Dauberman
Gary Dauberman wrote Annabelle, Annabelle: Creation and The Nun, co-wrote It and It Chapter Two and directed Annabelle Comes Home. His career.
George A. Romero
George A. Romero made the modern zombie: slow, hungry and contagious. Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead and his whole career.
George Iida
Released alongside Ringu in 1998, Spiral (Rasen) adapts Koji Suzuki's second novel, and George Iida directed it. His career and credits, profiled.
Gore Verbinski
A major horror hit, The Ring (2002), came before Gore Verbinski's first three Pirates of the Caribbean films and the Oscar-winning Rango. His career.
Guillermo del Toro
Cronos, The Devil's Backbone, Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy and Best Picture winner The Shape of Water: Guillermo del Toro's monster cinema, mapped.
Gus Van Sant
Between Good Will Hunting and Milk, Gus Van Sant directed the 1998 Psycho remake, a near shot-for-shot recreation of Hitchcock. His career.
Henrik Galeen
Henrik Galeen wrote Murnau's Nosferatu (1922), an unauthorized Dracula with new names, and worked on The Golem and The Student of Prague. His career.
Hideo Nakata
Ringu (1998) launched the J-horror wave. Hideo Nakata followed with Ringu 2, Dark Water and The Ring Two. The Japanese horror master's career, mapped.
James Cameron
The Terminator launched him, then James Cameron turned Alien into the action-horror of Aliens (1986). Plus Titanic, Avatar and the rest of his career.
James Wan
James Wan turned one trap room into Saw, then did it again with Insidious and The Conjuring. The Malaysian-born director's career, films and franchises.
James Whale
Frankenstein (1931) made Boris Karloff a star, and James Whale directed it, then Bride of Frankenstein, The Invisible Man and The Old Dark House.
Jaume Balaguero
Jaume Balaguero co-directed REC, the 2007 found-footage hit, with Paco Plaza. His career, from The Nameless to Sleep Tight, profiled and mapped.
Jean-Pierre Jeunet
After Delicatessen and The City of Lost Children, Jean-Pierre Jeunet made Alien: Resurrection (1997), his Hollywood debut, then came Amelie.
Jennifer Kent
The Babadook (2014) made Jennifer Kent a name in psychological horror, and The Nightingale followed. The Australian director's career, film by film.
Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster won her second Oscar as Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), after The Accused and Taxi Driver as a teen. Her career.
Joe Lynch
Steven Yeun in Mayhem, Lovecraft in Suitable Flesh, and Wrong Turn 2: Dead End: Joe Lynch's genre career, from early cult sequel to office bloodbath.
John Boorman
Deliverance made him, then John Boorman directed Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), a troubled sequel. Plus Excalibur, Hope and Glory and his career.
John Carpenter
John Carpenter directed Halloween and The Thing and wrote the piano theme that still means Michael Myers. His horror films, synth scores and career.
Jonathan Demme
The Silence of the Lambs won five Oscars, Best Picture among them, under Jonathan Demme. Plus Stop Making Sense, Philadelphia and his career.
Jordan Peele
A comedian turned defining horror director: Jordan Peele won a screenplay Oscar for Get Out, made Us and Nope and produced Candyman (2021).
Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon created Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel, which redefined TV horror-comedy, then made Firefly and The Avengers. His career.
Julia Ducournau
Julia Ducournau won the Palme d'Or with Titane after her Cannes body-horror debut, Raw. Why the French director's visceral films hit so hard, profiled.
Karl Freund
Karl Freund shot Metropolis and Universal's Dracula (1931), directed Boris Karloff in The Mummy (1932) and later pioneered multi-camera I Love Lucy.
Karyn Kusama
Girlfight won at Sundance, then Karyn Kusama directed Jennifer's Body, the Diablo Cody cult favorite, and the dinner-party thriller The Invitation.
Kenneth Branagh
After Henry V, Kenneth Branagh directed and starred as Victor in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) opposite Robert De Niro. Plus his Poirot films.
Kevin Greutert
Kevin Greutert edited the early Saw films, then directed Saw VI, Saw 3D and the fan-favorite Saw X. Plus Jessabelle and his horror career.
Kimberly Peirce
Boys Don't Cry won two Oscars before Kimberly Peirce remade Carrie in 2013 with Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore. Plus Stop-Loss. Her career.
Leigh Whannell
He co-created Saw with James Wan and played Adam, then wrote Insidious. Leigh Whannell later directed Insidious: Chapter 3, Upgrade, The Invisible Man.
Lucio Fulci
Italian gore's master, Lucio Fulci, made Zombie and the Gates of Hell trilogy: City of the Living Dead, The Beyond and The House by the Cemetery.
Marcus Nispel
Marcus Nispel's 2003 Texas Chainsaw Massacre launched a wave of horror remakes, and he followed it with the 2009 Friday the 13th reboot. Profile.
Mario Bava
Black Sunday, Blood and Black Lace, which helped define the giallo, and A Bay of Blood, a slasher blueprint: Mario Bava, Italian horror's pioneer.
Mary Harron
Christian Bale's Patrick Bateman came to the screen through Mary Harron, who directed American Psycho (2000) after I Shot Andy Warhol. Her career.
Michael Bay
Platinum Dunes, the company Michael Bay co-founded, produced the 2003 Texas Chainsaw Massacre and other 2000s remakes. Plus Transformers and Armageddon.
Michael Chaves
The Curse of La Llorona, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It and The Nun II: Michael Chaves has made all three inside the Conjuring universe.
Michael Mann
Brian Cox played Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter (1986), the first Lecter film, directed by Michael Mann. Plus Heat, The Insider, Collateral and Miami Vice.
Mike Flanagan
Mike Flanagan directed Oculus and Doctor Sleep and created The Haunting of Hill House, Bly Manor, Midnight Mass and The Fall of the House of Usher.
Neil Marshall
Neil Marshall made Dog Soldiers, a werewolf siege film, and The Descent, women cavers versus creatures underground. Plus Doomsday and his career.
Nia DaCosta
Nia DaCosta followed her Tribeca debut Little Woods with Candyman (2021), the Jordan Peele-produced sequel, then directed The Marvels. Her career.
Oz Perkins
Anthony Perkins' son, Oz Perkins, directed The Blackcoat's Daughter and Gretel and Hansel before Longlegs (2024) with Nicolas Cage broke him out.
Paco Plaza
After co-directing REC with Jaume Balaguero, Paco Plaza made REC 3: Genesis, Veronica and Sister Death. The Spanish horror director's films.
Paul W. S. Anderson
The cult sci-fi horror Event Horizon, the Resident Evil films with Milla Jovovich and Alien vs. Predator: Paul W. S. Anderson's career, profiled.
Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Fiennes played the chef in the dark satire The Menu (2022) and Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter, after Schindler's List and The English Patient.
Richard Franklin
Richard Franklin continued the Bates story in Psycho II (1983) after his Hitchcock-flavored Roadgames with Jamie Lee Curtis. The director, profiled.
Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott directed Alien in 1979, then returned decades later for Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. The director's horror films, career and the Xenomorph.
Rob Reiner
Rob Reiner directed Misery (1990), his Stephen King thriller, plus This Is Spinal Tap, Stand by Me and The Princess Bride. His career, mapped.
Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie went from fronting White Zombie to directing House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects, Halloween (2007) and Halloween II. His career.
Robert Eggers
Folk horror breakout The Witch, then The Lighthouse, The Northman and Nosferatu (2024) with Bill Skarsgard: Robert Eggers's films, one by one.
Roger Corman
House of Usher and The Pit and the Pendulum with Vincent Price, plus hundreds of productions that launched Coppola and Scorsese: Roger Corman.
Rose Glass
A devout nurse and a dangerous faith: Rose Glass debuted with Saint Maud (2019), then made Love Lies Bleeding with Kristen Stewart. Her films, profiled.
Rowland V. Lee
Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi's Ygor meet in Son of Frankenstein (1939), the third Universal Frankenstein film by Rowland V. Lee.
Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi made The Evil Dead with friends, a cabin and a camera that would not sit still. Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness, Drag Me to Hell and his career.
Scott Derrickson
Scott Derrickson made The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Sinister, went to Doctor Strange, then returned to horror with The Black Phone and its sequel.
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick adapted Stephen King for The Shining (1980), his major horror film, alongside 2001, A Clockwork Orange and Dr. Strangelove. Profile.
Terence Fisher
Terence Fisher launched Hammer's color horror with The Curse of Frankenstein and Horror of Dracula, and made Cushing and Lee stars. His career.
The Spierig Brothers
Australian twins Michael and Peter, The Spierig Brothers, made Undead, Daybreakers, Predestination, Jigsaw (2017) and Winchester. Their films.
Ti West
From The Roost and The House of the Devil to X, Pearl and MaXXXine with Mia Goth: Ti West's indie horror career, film by film, profiled and mapped.
Tobe Hooper
Tobe Hooper made The Texas Chain Saw Massacre for under $150,000 and it played like news footage. Plus Salem's Lot, The Funhouse, Poltergeist and more.
Tod Browning
Tod Browning ran away to the circus, made silent chillers with Lon Chaney, then directed Dracula (1931) with Bela Lugosi and the notorious Freaks (1932).
Tom Holland
Not the Spider-Man actor: this Tom Holland directed Fright Night (1985) and Child's Play (1988), introducing Chucky. The horror director's films.
Tom Noonan
Restrained and unsettling, Tom Noonan's Francis Dollarhyde anchors Manhunter (1986). Plus Heat, The House of the Devil and his work as a playwright.
Tony Randel
Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) brought Kirsty back to the Cenobites, and Tony Randel directed it. Plus the creature film Ticks and the rest of his work.
Turi Meyer
Turi Meyer directed Candyman: Day of the Dead (1999), which he co-wrote with Al Septien. The third film moves the legend to Los Angeles. His career.
Werner Herzog
Klaus Kinski, his star in Aguirre and Fitzcarraldo, led Werner Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979), a remake of Murnau. Plus Grizzly Man.
Wes Craven
Wes Craven put Freddy Krueger in your dreams and made Scream for people who had seen every slasher. The former professor's career, films and legacy.
William Castle
William Castle sold Macabre, House on Haunted Hill and The Tingler with fright insurance, skeletons and buzzing seats, then produced Rosemary's Baby.
William Friedkin
After The French Connection won him Best Director, William Friedkin made The Exorcist (1973), the first horror film nominated for Best Picture. Profile.
William Peter Blatty
William Peter Blatty wrote The Exorcist novel (1971), then won an Oscar for the film's script he wrote and produced, and directed The Exorcist III.
