Coursework: Iconic horror directors

Horror is a special type of genre as the director needs to be able to lead the audience into a false sense of security, then destroy their equilibrium in such a way that it gives the audience a physical and an emotional reaction.

James Wan

• Director of Saw, The Conjuring, Insidious
• James Wan has three 'trade marks', according to IMDb, those being: Ventriloquist dolls, backwards tracking shots and for frequently working with Leigh Whannel
• His inspiration: David Lynch, Dario Argento

Quote from Wan: "We think craft is important, and the irony has always been that horror may be disregarded by critics, but often they are the best-made movies you're going to find in terms of craft. You can't scare people if they see the seams."

Wes Craven

• Director of Scream, A Nightmare On Elm Street, The Last House On The Left
• Craven was known for his deformed and disfigured villains and his sadistically brutal killers
• Often used strong female characters, and his protagonists were usually normal people caught in the wrong place in the wrong time

Quote from Craven: "Horror films don't create fear. They release it."

• Director of the first ever zombie films, Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, The Crazies, Creepshow 
• Most known for introducing the genre of zombies into the mainstream, starting a sub-genre within horror that would influence culture for decades, and continues to do so 
• Like, Craven, Romero's protagonists were usually normal people caught in the situation that they found themselves in.

 Quote from Romero: "Reality is much worse than any stories about ghosts, zombies or aliens."

http://www.popmatters.com/post/176112-the-13-greatest-horror-directors-of-all-time/

http://www.imdb.com/list/ls051539272/

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1490123/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

Research done by Adam Cutler and Maddie Davies