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4 Actors Who’ve Directed Horror

News
18 January 2019
Four actors turn to terror as they get behind the camera.
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You watched him for years in The Office. You may have spotted him in CSI and Arrested Development way back when. His marriage to Emily Blunt is #relationshipgoals. But did you know John Krasinski is also a director? He’s in front of and behind the camera for your M-Net Sunday night movie, A Quiet Place – a chilling horror about not making a sound, or else …

But before we keep quiet for A Quiet Place, let’s take a closer look at Krasinski and three other actors who’ve directed horrors.

Joel Edgerton, The Gift

After directing a few shorts, the Zero Dark Thirty actor made his feature debut with The Gift. Not only did he direct this creepy thriller, he also wrote it and starred in it alongside Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall. However, for his next directing project he switched to drama, for last year’s Boy Erased. With several non-horror acting and writing projects lined up, don’t expect him back in the scare chair too soon.

John Krasinski, A Quiet Place

The television luminary made his directing debut with Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, ten years ago. It was only after directing a few episodes of The Office and the dramedy The Hollars that he turned to horror with A Quiet Place. He also helped write the screenplay and starred alongside real-life wife Emily Blunt for this terrifying tale of sound-sensitive beasties. Apparently there’s a sequel in the works. If there is, let’s hope Krasinski’s back in the directing seat.

Jordan Peele, Get Out

Peele is better known as a comedy actor and comedian, so it was surprising when he turned to horror for his directorial debut, but we’re so happy he did. He astounded with Get Out, a searing social commentary cloaked as a bone-chilling horror, which won him a Best Original Screenplay Oscar, and became one of only six horror movies to ever be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. Peele is back in the writing and directing chair this year for his new horror, Us, and all we can say is: be prepared to be scared.

Rob Reiner, Misery

Reiner was acting for years before he made his feature directing debut with This is Spinal Tap. He followed with more classics such as The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally, but then turned to horror with the adaptation of Stephen King’s crazy-fan horror Misery. Despite the film’s success, Reiner returned to directing more family-friendly fare and it’s unlikely we’ll see him return to terror.

Shhhh! Don’t make a sound for your #SundayNightMovie, A Quiet Place, on 20 January at 20:05 on M-Net channel 101.