Most Exciting New Directors

Credits: "Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench" & "Whiplash" I haven't seen his first feature, but Whiplash was a near perfect film. I have nothing else much to say than I am so pumped that we might be getting more movies from this guy.

Credits: "Evil Dead (2013)" An unpopular opinion of mine is that I love the recent Evil Dead film. I loved how fearless it was, it never held back from anything. The horror was cranked up to 10, especially in the last 10 minutes and it was so hardcore and awesome. Fede handled the violence very well, and I never felt like it went too far. It surprised me how good some of the acting in the film was as well (specifically Jane Levy), which is always a good sign. I'm dying to know what else this dude has in store. I'll be first in line to see his next film.

Credits: "Footsteps" "Merantau" "The Raid 1 & 2" Boasting more credits than most of the people on this list is Gareth Evans. A Welsh director who knows how to handle action and blood more than most directors who have been around for decades. His action choreography is incredible, and what's also incredible is that he knows how to build up these scenes which is something that few people know how to do well. He's shown range in a lot of areas of action and even some horror, which shows he can keep things fresh with his career. Gareth is another guy where I'll be there on opening day for his next film.

Credits: "Beasts of the Southern Wild" Although Beasts of the Southern Wild was a extremely bizarre film you would be hard pressed to find someone who didn't at least find it interesting. Benh's involvement with that film was exponential, very few films have had so much commitment from one person. It apparently took him years to cast the right lead, get the right sets & environment, and everything else that went into it he was always there. That is passion at it's greatest, and thankfully this film was recognized for it. At the moment there's no film of his in development, but if he ever directs again he has my support.

Credits: "Nightcrawler" Being apart of the Gilroy family Dan has been working in Hollywood for years as a screenwriter. He just directed his first feature last year with Nightcrawler. While I felt the acting & screenwriting were superior to his direction I still think this guy has a really interesting future as a director.

Credits: "Monsters" & "Godzilla" Edwards already has a bright future ahead of him. He'll be directing Star Wars: Rogue One and Godzilla 2. Which is awesome, because this guy has a great eye. Godzilla had that big feel that has been missing from a lot of movies lately, and Monsters was a great character movie with an incredible setting. Love his work so far, and I'm glad that he's getting needed attention.

Credits: "Short Term 12" No film is perfect, but films like Short Term 12 make me question that. Beautifully done film with some of the most real writing and performances I've seen from a film in years. His passion is huge, and I believe that we'll be seeing great things from him.

Credits: "The Babadook" The 2010's have been a very good decade for horror, and already one of the best is The Babadook. In my opinion it's not as scary as some of the films that have come out, but it utilizes horror elements better than most in the genre. This movie is about a grieving single mother with a child, and Kent incorporated the supernatural to the story beautifully. She also got an amazing performance out of her good friend Essie Davis, so it's clear she can work on a lot of levels as a director. I love seeing good horror films, and I love it when a woman gets the rare opportunity to direct a film period. So I am definitely championing her to do more work.

Credits: "Housebound" Gerard has already proved himself with Housebound. A funny, scary, and at times touching film about a girl in house arrest. I don't want to talk about the film too much, because like all horror films it's best to go in knowing as little as possible. However, know that Gerard is definitely a name to look out for in the future.

Credits: "Locke" & "Redemption" Knight is a very competent screenwriter who showed a lot of potential with Locke. Not only was he on his A-Game with the writing, but his direction along with Tom Hardy's incredible performance made me completely enthralled the whole time. I would love to see him take on some more films as a director.