10 Greatest Directorial Debut Horror Movies

The Witch, also known as The VVitch, also also known as The Witch: A New England Folktale, is an extraordinarily bold movie for a first time director. Robert Eggers' film is a period supernatural horror set in 1630s New England, about a Puritan family haunted by the witch of the nearby woods.

Eggers stressed an exceptional attention to detail which included shooting only with natural light (often using only candles), banning the use of any electronic instruments from the score, and even using Jacobean era texts for the spelling of the film's title using two V instead of a W. All this led to a masterfully immersive film brimming with frightening moments. Although the film was well-liked by critics, some general audiences struggled to breach the language barrier due to the script's insistence on Old English. For first-time director Robert Eggers however, the film was a masterclass in his abilities and is a real contemporary gem in the horror genre.

Eggers followed up The Witch with the equally brave and impressive horror, The Lighthouse. Intriguingly, Eggers' next project looks to be a take on the gothic-vampire classic, Nosferatu. Eggers' filmmaking style and attention to detail coupled with the character Orlok is a mouth-watering prospect.