Not too long ago, horror fans had their interest piqued when genre powerhouse Blumhouse announced they would be rebooting The Invisible Man from Universal. The big question immediately became whether or not in the coming years Blumhouse would be recreating more of the Universal Monster Movies, like Dracula, The Wolfman, and Frankenstein.
Now, with The Invisible Man having come out to both critical and financial success, it has been confirmed that this is the direction the horror company is going. The first choice has already been made with director Karyn Kusama being signed on for Dracula, but past that, the future is still vague, but bright considering the company's track record. Here are five directors Blumhouse should bring on to direct Universal Monster films, and five they should avoid.
SHOULDN'T: Stephen Sommers
It's time to let the previous iterations of the famous batch of monsters go, and build a new world for modern horror fans to latch onto. While some people would argue Sommers made one of the worst movies of all-time with his 2004 take on Van Helsing, many other people would agree, or say that they haven't seen it.
Sommers iteration of The Mummy is a beloved film and was a fine take on the creature for the time it was made, but as this universe seemingly returns to horror, the adventure-horror style of Sommers just won't work. Plus, Sommers has already achieved quite the feat when he was given an opportunity to utilize Van Helsing, The Wolfman, Frankenstein, and Dracula and managed to botch all of them horribly in one movie.
SHOULD: Anna Biller
One of the most unique genre films of the last decade is Anna Biller's 2016 campy horror homage The Love Witch. The film follows a young witch as she uses dark magic to try to secure the man of her dreams.
Biller's vision is vibrant and impeccably designed, made all the more impressive knowing that she did the costuming herself. She has a self-described obsession with films of the past and the styles of foreign films. All of these qualities make her an interesting choice to adapt any of the films from Universal's 1930s line of horror films. While the film might not deliver on horror in the ways that Blumhouse films typically do, it would likely respect the source material a great deal.
SHOULDN'T: Paul W.S. Anderson
Paul W.S. Anderson has already had a film career that is both prolific and divisive, especially in the horror community, and while he has been a go-to choice for video game adaptations for over a decade now, he is not the choice to adapt classic horror.
It would be a blatant lie to say that the writer and director of the popular Resident Evil franchise doesn't have style, however, the action-oriented take on horror he tends to utilize in his films wouldn't work with the dark tone that the reboot films will likely have going forward.
SHOULD: David Bruckner
David Bruckner made a name for himself in horror as a producer before slowly showing his writing and directing ability. After doing segments in notable anthology films, Bruckner directed the Netflix exclusive The Ritual. The film is terrifying, well-paced, engrossing, and most notably features a creature design that will stay with you for a long time due to both coolness and terror.
Seeing the independent director take on a famous creature like Frankenstein, The Mummy, or The Wolfman would likely lead to a tense horror film with innovative monster design, even on creatures so well-known. Bruckner is a director that could breakout with one big film and has more than proved he deserves the opportunity.
SHOULDN'T: M. Night Shyamalan
Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan has had a back and forth career of hits and flops, but in the last few years, he seems to have found a groove in making lower budgeted genre films with Blumhouse. His first venture with the studio, The Visit, was a success, which led to the pair partnering again for Split. Then Split's massive success, of course, led to last year's Glass.
Shyamalan is doing fine work without tackling an established property, and even with the goodwill he's built up over his last few films, no one is clamoring for him to jump into a franchise that is just getting started.
SHOULD: Beck And Woods
The duo of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods launched onto the scene as big-time writers when they wrote the 2018 smash hit A Quiet Place. Then, last October they released the Shudder original Haunt, which they both wrote and directed as a pair. Haunt instantly proved that they have as much to offer behind the camera as they as writers.
The team is primed for their next big project and has proved they can make a monster movie that both delivers on tense terror and human drama, so giving them the reigns of a Universal creature would likely be a match made in heaven.
SHOULDN'T: James Wan
For a stretch of the 2010s, James Wan was the king of horror films. Having worked on Saw, Insidious, and The Conjuring, Wan has had a massive impact on the horror genre both as a director and a producer. This all makes it less surprising that Wan basically became an overnight blockbuster director with Aquaman and Furious 7.
Wan is already attached as a producer for an unannounced Universal Monster film and that is a great place for him to be. His impact will surely help any film succeed, but the opportunity of directing should be saved for someone who could devote all their time to it, and potentially further their careers.
SHOULD: Jennifer Kent
Australian director Jennifer Kent has only made two feature films but has showcased a level of talent that proves that number being so low is a travesty. Her first film, The Babadook, is a brilliant independent horror film about a single mother struggling to protect herself and her son from a maniacal being that manifests itself through a children's book.
Her second film, The Nightingale, deviates from horror and instead tells a gritty, relentless, tale about race, revenge, and survival in the 19th-century Tasmanian wilderness. Kent returning to true horror through any of the famous gothic horrors would be a dream come true.
SHOULDN'T: Jordan Peele
Much akin to James Wan, Jordan Peele has established himself as a megastar director and impressively done so in only two films. As a producer, Peele has championed projects like The Twilight Zone, Candyman, and Blumhouse's Black Kkklansman.
Having Peele as a producer would be a fantastic choice, and while his writing or directing of a famous property would likely get everyone's attention, it would be robbing us of whatever his next unique vision is. This one makes the list selfishly, but Peele is creating his own filmography of original stories and ideas, which is tough to do today with remakes being commonplace. To see him be roped into rebooting something would be disappointing.
SHOULD: Fede Alvarez
One of the most unsung horror directors of the last decade was Fede Alvarez. Having only directed three films, only two of which were horror, Alvarez has still established that he has a knack for tone and creating terror. His 2013 remake of The Evil Dead was a gore-filled sprint through Hell that remains undefeated in creating a mixture of tones to create a scary, fun, and vicious movie.
Then, his second feature Don't Breathe, while still ultra-violent in parts, dropped the chaotic romp style and instead opted for a claustrophobic tension builder. Alvarez has shown he can do whatever is needed, and it would be a joy to see him tackle a violent scary monster film featuring one of the classics.
