Director: James Wan

James Wan made Saw for around a million dollars and it launched a franchise, though the film itself is closer to a locked-room thriller than to the gore its sequels became known for. His actual strength is patience: long slow camera moves toward a space where something might be.

Insidious and The Conjuring built two more franchises on the same principle, using period detail, practical staging and very few jump cuts. The Conjuring in particular is old-fashioned in construction, which is why it works.

He also directs large-scale action, Furious 7 and Aquaman, and moves between the two modes without appearing to change gear.