Not many directors are responsible for a single massive horror franchise. James Wan has three under his belt. Since his 2004 feature debut “Saw,” the Australian filmmaker and founder of the Atomic Monster production company has had a hand in creating some of the most influential horror movies of the 21st century. He’s shown no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Born in Malaysia and raised in Australia since age 7, Wan graduated with a degree in Media from RMIT University in 1999. In 2004, he headed to Hollywood with his friend Leigh Whannell, directing Whannell’s nasty script about a killer who uses deadly games to torment those he deems necessary to punish. Released by Lionsgate, the first “Saw” movie was a ridiculously profitable success, grossing over $103 million on a $1 million budget. It spawned a franchise with a truly intense, labyrinthine mythology and a dedicated fanbase. Although he’s never directed or written a followup, Wan remains an executive producer on every film up to the 10th.
Following that mic drop of a directorial debut, the remainder of Wan’s aughts were quiet, releasing two underperforming films in “Dead Silence” and “Death Sentence” — both in 2007. But the next decade saw Wan strike again with two major horror hits, first via 2010’s “Insidious”: his first collaboration with his frequent scream king Patrick Wilson. A lean film about a young boy who becomes a vessel for demons, the movie repeated the original “Saw’s” remarkable profitability by managing $100 million on a $1.5 million budget, and has since spawned five movies.
Even more successful was Wan’s re-team with Wilson in 2013, “The Conjuring.” Starring Wilson and Vera Farmiga as paranormal investigators, the movie is one of the highest-grossing horror films ever, making $319.5 million globally. It has since spawned two sequels, and a variety of side spinoff films, including “The Nun” and “Annabelle,” with Wan producing each and every single one. Consider that between “Saw X,” “The Nun II,” and “Insidious: The Red Door,” all of Wan’s horror franchises have released an installment in 2023.
Since he gained three highly successful franchises as lucrative nest eggs, Wan has been free to pursue his passion as a horror director, with frequently interesting results. He’s produced some interesting underdog works, like “Lights Out” or 2023’s viral hit “M3gan.” In 2021, he made the wildest movie of his career when he helmed “Malignant,” a psychological thriller and giallo throwback that went to truly weird, twisted places over the course of its runtime. And he’s branched out of horror and gone into directing mainstream action juggernauts, like the seventh “Fast and the Furious” film and the first “Aquaman.” His sequel to that 2018 DC blockbuster, “The Lost Kingdom,” is slated for release this December.
With such a huge track record in the horror space, it’s no surprise that Wan is a massive buff and fan of the genre. His influences range from cult classics like “The Frighteners,” foreign cinema like the original “Ring,” and mainstream studio horror like “Poltergeist.” And of course, he has favorite films he loves that don’t fit into his preferred genre, including a surprising appreciation for the Disney animated canon. In celebration of Halloween, we combed through Wan’s interviews over the years to find the movies that the director most feverishly recommends. Read on for a list of Wan’s 10 favorite movies, listed in no particular order.
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“The Others” (2001)
Image Credit: ©Dimension Films/Courtesy Everett Collection In 2016, Wan revealed his list of his five favorite horror movies of all time in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. One of the five films was “The Others,” the 2001 horror film about a woman who experiences ghost sightings in her Jersey home.
“Alejandro Amenabar’s movie with Nicole Kidman is exquisitely photographed, crafted and oldschool. It’s truly one of the finest ‘bump in the night’ Victorian ghost stories ever committed to film,” Wan told THR.
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“Poltergeist” (1982)
Image Credit: ©MGM/Courtesy Everett Collection One of the most popular horror movies of the ’80s, Tobe Hooper’s “Poltergeist” focuses on an ordinary family whose home is invaded by vengeful spirits that kidnap the daughter. Wan listed the film as another of his favorite scary movies in a THR interview.
“It’s the movie that scarred me as a child and sent me down my obsessive path toward all things evil-doll/puppet-related. It has terrific sound design, too,” he said.
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“Lost Highway” (1997)
Image Credit: ©October Films/Courtesy Everett Collection One of David Lynch’s most confusing films in a very confusing ouevre, “Lost Highway” stars Bill Pullman as a musician accused of murdering his wife (Patricia Arquette), who abruptly transforms into a different, younger man. Wan listed the film as another of his favorite scary movies.
“This is the scariest non-horror film: fragmented narrative, noirish atmosphere, insidious soundscape, moody photography. It all adds up to a classic David Lynch experience,” Wan told THR.
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“Jaws” (1975)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection One of Steven Spielberg’s most popular films, “Jaws” and its story of a coastal town terroized by a killer shark helped pioneer the modern summer blockbuster release strategy. The movie was another Wan listed as one of his favorite speaking with THR.
““It’s the movie that made me terrified of the great, watery unknown. It educated me on the power of suspense filmmaking (along with every other movie by Steven Spielberg) through camerawork, editing, music, and mise en scene,” Wan told THR.
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“Ringu” (1998)
Image Credit: Screenshot Before the 2002 American horror film “The Ring,” there was “Ringu,” a Japanese horror film from director Hideo Nakata that told the same story of a reporter investigating a cursed video tape. The movie was the last Wan listed in his Hollywood Reporter list of favorite scary films.
“This movie reintroduced me to my love for the Asian horror stories that I grew up with,” Wan told THR.
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“Chopping Mall” (1986)
Image Credit: ©Concorde Pictures / Everett Collection In a 2022 interview with The New York Times, Wan described the 1986 film “Chopping Mall” as one of his favorite films to watch during the Halloween season. Jim Wynorski’s cult classic focuses on teenage shopping mall employees forced to fend for their lives when high-tech security robots malfunction and go on a killing spree.
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“The Frighteners” (1996)
Image Credit: ©MCA/Courtesy Everett Collection Also in his New York Times interview, Wan praised the early horror films of Peter Jackson, including “Dead Alive” and “Bad Taste.” Wan particularly praised “The Frighteners,” a horror comedy starring Michael J. Fox as a man with the ability to communicate with ghosts who hunts down the spirit of a mass murderer attacking the living and the dead.
“Sadly, most people today know him from his ‘Lord of the Rings’ films, but for hardcore fans we all grew up with ‘Dead Alive,’ ‘Bad Taste,’ and ‘Meet The Feebles,’” Wan said. “In his gory horror comedies, his horror set pieces are so over the top — blood spraying everywhere — it’s just hilarious. And that’s what I see in ‘The Frighteners,’ a little bit of that cheekiness peppered throughout.”
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“Razorback” (1984)
Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection In 2011, Wan and Leigh Whannell, who he worked with on the first “Insidious” movie, spoke about “guilty pleasure” films for a story by Film at Lincoln Center. In the story, Wan praises “Razorback,” a 1984 Australian horror film about a giant wild boar terrorizing the Outback.
“I’m a big Russell Mulcahy fan and I think he’s one of the most talented visual directors out there. This was the first movie he made that showed he had such a great style,” Wan said. “The Eighties music video and commercial scene would not be remembered for what it was today if it weren’t for Russell Mulcahy and Ridley Scott.”
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“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937)
Image Credit: ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection In addition to his obvious love of horror, Wan also has a ton of love for animated films, and particularly the canon of Disney films. In his Lincoln Center interview, he discussed how “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” the first full-length animated feature from the studio, had a massive impact on him growing up.
“I remember how much it made me love film, but at the same time how completely frightened I was of the creepy witch,” Wan said.
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“Tangled” (2010)
Image Credit: ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection In a 2013 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Wan revealed that his favorite film from the last three years is “Tangled,” Disney’s 2010 animated adaptation of the classic fairy tale.
“I love romantic comedies, and people always think I’m joking when I say that, but I’m not. I truly love the romantic comedy genre. I can tell you this: My favorite movie of the last three years is ‘Tangled,’” Wan told THR. “I love that film. People always think I make dark, scary, disturbing movies. People are always surprised when they talk to me or meet me that I am nothing like the movies I make. Which is a good thing because I always say that I do not want to live in the world of my films.”
