Yet another example of someone who adheres to the philosophy that its better to burn out than fade away. Before he was even 40 years old, JC had given the world Halloween, Escape from New York, The Thing, Assault on Precinct 13 and Big Little Trouble in Little China. Since then, rather than giving up and resting on his laurels - which he has every right to do - he has attempted to replicate the huge success he once had in his youth. His class has declined dramatically since he rode high in the early 70s and all of the 80s and, like so many on this list, he is a disappointing inclusion that is a victim of timing. His most recent horror effort The Ward only shows that his methods have become contrived, old fashioned and rehashed from ideas he once helped to implement with Halloween. You can almost see his career coming full circle. Now that he seems to be void of the freshness that once made him great, it might be an ideal time for him to stop directing and focus on producing. Best Film: The Thing (1982) Most RecentTravesty: Ghost of Mars (2001)