10 Greatest Directorial Debut Horror Movies

After catching the eye of film production company A24 after a series of short films, Ari Aster pitched his idea for a family tragedy dipped in nightmarish horror, and hence Hereditary was born. The film debut of the director contains a knock-out performance from Toni Collette who plays the mother of a family dealing with grief and loss. A twisted truth eventually unfurls around the family as the movie races to a terrifying conclusion.

Hereditary earned an impressive critical reception and was especially well-received amongst fans of the horror genre, many of who named it their best of the year. As mentioned, Toni Collette delivers perhaps the performance of her career, leading to a particularly vocal call for an Academy Award nomination that was never received. Director Aster displayed his talent of intelligent writing and tense set pieces.

Like several of the directors on this list, after the success with his debut, Aster continued to explore the horror genre and delivered his next movie only a year later in 2019 with Midsommar. The film was highly praised once again for its gorgeous visuals and impressive writing. Whatever the future holds for Aster, the horror fans and cinema-goers are eagerly keeping a close eye.