10 Directors Who Need To Make A Horror Movie

1. Christopher Nolan

When Danny Boyle, whose credentials were edgy dramas, made 28 Days Later, he introduced a new level of terror in a zombie flick: they ran. These blood-thirsty creatures were suddenly ten times more threatening and terrifying than any slow-moving monster of the undead. Boyle breathed new life into the zombie world and changed the conversation being had about them.

That's how I envision Nolan taking on a horror flick. He revived and brought respect back to the Batman series that had, quite frankly, become a parody of itself. Now, I'm not a comic book reader, I'm not an expert on Marvel, and I don't claim to be either of those things. But I do know that what Nolan brought to the superhero genre was character depth, an honest portrayal of the superhero psyche in mass culture, and nearly perfect cinematic direction. His earlier work (The Prestige, Memento) built the foundation for his trilogy: it's highly intelligent, suspenseful and dark. His stories are tricky, too, because they challenge how you view and absorb the material.

His work provides the perfect recipe for a horror movie. Nolan manages to stay five steps ahead of the story and refuses to let you feel like you know exactly what will happen next. It's a thrill ride every time you view his films. They're calculated, discreet, subtle and moving. A major trademark of his is also the amount of ambiguity he leaves at the end: rarely will you watch the conclusion of his films and have the same interpretation as the person sitting next to you. You'll keep guessing and keep toiling away at the layered story you just experienced, and that's something that very few directors can achieve.

Nolan would master this genre, and he's got the suspenseful, shocking, believable, skilled storytelling chops to prove it.