When it comes to filmmaking, age really is just a number, it seems. Japanese filmmaker Takeo Kimura helmed his first feature at 90 years old, for example, while Orson Welles was 26 when his Oscar-winning feature debut, Citizen Kane, was released in theaters.
Yet for A24’s buzzy Backrooms, age seems to be a sticking point. Much has been publicized about then 19-year-old Kane Parsons as the youngest to helm an A24 title, even sparking debate online as to how involved the director was on his own project. But cinema, and horror in particular, has a sturdy track record filled with maverick young filmmakers forging new ground in the genre.
So much so that Kane Parsons isn’t the first teen horror filmmaker, nor the youngest.
It’s not remotely atypical or unconventional for filmmakers to develop their love of film from a very early age, where they hone their craft on home video, but some prove their ambitions remarkably early.
Such is the case with the horror movies on this list; these seven horror movies hail from directors who made them before reaching the age of 25. Moreover, these films marked the start of ongoing careers.
So Vam – Alice Maio Mackay
Australian filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay was just 16 during production on her feature debut, a scrappy coming-of-age horror story that sees an outcast join rebellious vampires who feed on bigots and abusers. So Vam was released by Shudder after a successful festival run, but Maio Mackay was already hard at work on her next project and doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. The now 21-year-old has since directed five additional features, including this year’s The Serpent’s Skin.
Hell of a Summer – Billy Bryk & Finn Wolfhard
This slasher comedy centers around a twenty-something camp counselor who feels deeply out of touch with his younger colleagues when a masked killer arrives to pick them off one by one. It’s co-written, co-directed, and co-stars Billy Bryk and Finn Wolfhard, who were 22 and 19, respectively, during the film’s 2022 production. The pair met and quickly bonded on set of Ghostbusters: Afterlife over their love of comedy and horror films, channeling that into their debut project that initially struggled to secure financing due to Wolfhard’s young age.
Pathogen – Emily Hagens
Pathogen gives a unique spin on the zombie subgenre, centered around a 14-year-old and her middle school peers. The film’s writer/director/producer, Emily Hagens (Sorry About the Demon), was only 12 when she made it, even despite grownups trying to convince her to condense her script into a more manageable short film format. The Austin-based film premiered in 2006 at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and eventually received a Vinegar Syndrome release in 2022, while Hagens has kept busy in horror over the years.
The Evil Dead – Sam Raimi
Legendary director Sam Raimi might be a household name now, but he wasn’t even 20 when he shot the short film “Within the Woods” as proof of concept to secure financing for The Evil Dead. He succeeded and turned 20 just before production began. And production on this ambitiously scrappy project ran long, with the young filmmaker working around various production delays, from weather to funding. Its eventual release, itself a winding road, would solidify The Evil Dead as an enduring horror classic and its director a horror master.
Phantasm – Don Coscarelli
The cult classic that follows an orphaned teen as he faces off against the otherworldly Tall Man and his bizarre arsenal of weaponry was inspired by writer/director Don Coscarelli’s nightmares as a teen himself. Filming began in 1977, when Coscarelli was 23. Much like The Evil Dead, financing and production proved tricky and stretched on for a long while. His feature directorial debut, Jim the World’s Greatest, was made with co-director Craig Mitchell when they were 18.
Bad Taste – Peter Jackson
Like Sam Raimi and Don Coscarelli, Peter Jackson’s first feature was a DIY effort shot over multiple years thanks to production starts and stops. Bad Taste began as a 20-minute short film called Roast of the Day before Jackson’s ambitions ballooned the project into a practical effects showcase of a splatter film. He completed and sold the film, shot over roughly four years and primarily on weekends, at the age of 25, marking the start of his splatter era. The rest, as they say, is history.
Duel – Steven Spielberg
Four years before forever changing the summer blockbuster with Jaws, Steven Spielberg made his feature debut with a 1971 adaptation of Richard Matheson’s road thriller that sees a motorist terrorized by a road-raged tanker in the California desert. Not only is Duel considered one of the greatest television movies of all time, but it honed Spielberg’s craft as a precursor to Jaws. He was only 25 when the film made its debut.