Masters of Horror was an anthology series that originally aired from 2005 to 2007. It was created by Director Mick Garris (The Stand miniseries) and consisted of hour long episodes that were mini films.
It featured directors such as Dario Argento, John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, Stuart Gordon and John Landis to name just a few, and featured Special Effects from Greg Nicotero. The show was later rebranded as Fear Itself and ran for one more season, before being cancelled.
Masters of Horror was ahead of it’s time when it originally ran and my appreciation for the series has only grown over the years. The series offered something for all horror lovers to enjoy. From slashers, and the paranormal, to mind bending Lovecraftian horror. Viewers of all kinds were treated to deliciously macabre tales.
Often times, horror fans can see the ending of some stories a mile away, but Masters seemed to be written with the horror fan in mind. Many stories seemed to be going down a familiar path, only to take you on an unexpected detour before the end. With classic TV shows like The Twilight Zone getting a revival on CBS, the time feels ripe for a new generation of Masters of Horror.
Here are five directors that could bring fans an updated Masters of Horror to life, with an episode of similar style to each director mentioned:
[Related] ‘Unsolved Mysteries’: Netflix Announces More Episodes Coming this October
Mike Flanagan and his The Haunting of Hill House adaptation for Netflix has earned much praise and rave reviews. Flanagan is a director that likes to tell tales that seemingly bend time and space. Alternately telling stories with information from the past and present in a manner that all makes sense in the end. Mike Flanagan would be amazing at the types of Lovecraft stories Masters of Horror produced. I’d be excited to see what kind of head scrambling horror he’d direct in 60 minutes. See Episode: Dreams in the Witch-House
Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us) successfully went from TV funny man to Horror Director/Producer in what seems like just a few years. He loves to take horror stories and examine them from a new angle giving us something both familiar and fresh. His films also like to tackle large societal issues and how everyday people would handle them. He would definitely bring these traits to the table and could create something pretty terrifying in a short form. See Episode: The Screwfly Solution
Issa Lopez (Tigers Are Not Afraid) has come onto the horror scene and made herself known. Tigers Are Not Afraid is a gritty, dark film that blends realism and horror perfectly. Both Stephen King and Guillermo Del Toro have sang the praises of her film. In fact, Del Toro recently began producing her work. She’s able to mix real world anguish with horror elements to create terrifying tales. She would do an amazing job in a shorter form such as Masters and could successfully craft real horror with terrifying implications. See Episode: Incident On and Off a Mountain Road
Rob Zombie (Devil’s Rejects) is a rock musician turned horror director. Even though I am not a fan of many of his films, he would thrive in a shorter form series like Masters of Horror. He loves backstory and gore, which would make for very fun TV. Imagine a tale of lawlessness, violence and gore wrapped with backstory and death. See Episode: Dance of the Dead
James Wan (Insidious, The Conjuring) is a horror director and producer of several well known films. He would make a great addition to an updated Masters series with what he has to offer. He seems to have found a knack in telling tales of the supernatural and the effect it has on people and their everyday lives. A story about a mysterious malevolent force and unsuspecting victims with a surprise twist is not only a trademark of Wan, but also fits in perfectly with Masters of Horror. See Episode: Valerie on the Stairs
You can currently find the complete series of Masters of Horror streaming for free on TubiTV. Would you watch a revival of Masters of Horror and which directors would you like to see in an anthology series? Leave us a comment below and as always be sure to follow ScaryNerd for more fo all things horror.
