Friday, October 30, 2015

13 Films Credited to the Wrong Director

Article By: Tyler Doupe
Most genre film enthusiasts can recite the directors of their favorite films from memory. But on occasion, the identity of a film’s actual director is confused with another for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, a producer will be mistaken for being at the helm or in other instances, the visual aesthetic of a visionary director may be emulated in such a way that said director ends up being credited for the finished product in the public consciousness. Regardless of what leads to the confusion, the following represent 13 movies that are frequently credited to the wrong director. Read on as we set the record straight.
1. Tim Burton - The Nightmare Before Christmas
This one comes as a shock to almost everyone the first time they hear it: Tim Burton did not direct The Nightmare Before Christmas. He was heavily involved with the project and he did write and produce. It’s even billed as Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas but in spite of all that, the famed director was not at the helm. Henry Selick actually directed the project. The picture reportedly went into production at the same time as Batman Returns and Burton was unable to do double duty. Henry Selick is also responsible for James and the Giant Peach and Coraline, two other films with Burton is frequently credited for helming.
2. Wes Craven - Wishmaster
Wes Craven has admitted that he had very limited involvement with Wishmaster. But with his named over the title, a lot of fans, understandably, mistakenly believed that the legendary director had directed the film. In fact, he was actually just an executive producer and effects master Robert Kurtzman directed the film.
3. Steven Spielberg - Poltergeist
Who exactly directed Poltergeist has long been the subject of heated debate. Tobe Hooper is officially credited as directing the picture but Spielberg is reported to have been very involved behind the scenes. Perhaps due to that confusion or maybe that fact that Spielberg is a more recognizable name than Tobe Hooper, people still mistakenly hold the assertion that Spielberg helmed the picture.
4. Tim Burton - The Addams Family
A feature film adaptation of The Addams Family seems to be a project that was tailor made for Tim Burton. In spite of that, he was not at the helm of the project. In reality, Barry Sonnenfeld directed the film. But to this day, people still swear that Burton directed the big screen adaptation that tells the story of the spooky television family.
5. M. Night Shyamalan - Devil
Once upon a time, M. Night Shyamalan’s involvement with a project meant a sure box office draw. In the hopes of delivering big results for the film’s opening, the decision to attach his moniker to Devil was made. That led to audience confusion and the widespread belief that Shyamalan had, in fact, directed the project. While Shyamalan did produce and co-pen the screenplay, the picture was actually helmed by John Erick Dowdle (The Poughkeepsie Tapes).
6. Quentin Tarantino - Hostel
Die-hard (or even casual) horror fans typically realize that Hostel was merely presented by Quentin Tarantino but there is still a misconception amongst some mainstream moviegoers that Tarantino was at the helm of the project. His name was used heavily in the film’s marketing campaign and with it appearing above the title, people jumped to the conclusion that the Pulp Fiction director was responsible for Eli Roth’s 2005 torture porn opus.
7. Wes Craven - They
Even though They had Robert Harmon (The Hitcher 1986) at the helm, the studio wanted to appeal to fans of Wes Craven’s slasher revival, Scream. The cover art says Wes Craven in big white letters over the title and then in smaller, faint lettering, says the word ‘presents’. Naturally, people that were not paying close attention were led to believe that Craven was responsible for directing the film.
8. V for Vendetta - The Wachowskis
The Wachowski siblings were a hot commodity in the ‘90s and the ‘00s. They were responsible for The Matrix, one of the top grossing action films of all time. Thus, it makes sense that the producers of V for Vendetta wanted to market the siblings’ involvement with the film. As per usual, that translated to confusion regarding who was actually at the helm. While the Wachowski siblings did co-write the script, it was actually their frequent collaborator James McTeigue (Ninja Assassin) who directed.
9. Charade - Alfred Hitchcock
This film has come to be known as, “The Best Hitchcock film Hitchcock did not make.” But somewhere along the line, the public has mistakenly come to the conclusion that Hitchcock did direct this 1963 picture. The film has plenty of Hitchcockian elements, including mistaken identity and murder. Also, it stars frequent Hitchcock collaborator Cary Grant. In actuality, Stanley Donen directs Charade.
10. Gremlins - Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg was a hot commodity in the 1980s (and still is). His name was attached to a large number of projects in a variety of capacities. His name was a more recognizable one than Joe Dante in 1984 when Gremlins came out and some people simply assumed that Spielberg had directed the picture when they saw his name prominently featured on the poster art. While most horror fans are well aware that Joe Dante was at the helm of the family friendly horror film Gremlins, a lot of mainstream moviegoers are still convinced that Spielberg directed Gremlins.
11. From Dusk Till Dawn - Quentin Tarantino
What misled some fans is that the artwork says “From Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino”. Misleading advertising aside, the macabre director did not helm From Dusk Till Dawn. His longtime collaborator and friend Robert Rodriguez did. Tarantino did, however, costar, co-write, and executive produce, the project.
12. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark - Guillermo del Toro
Not only is Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark presented by Guillermo del Toro, it has a strong helping of the director’s signature, gothic aesthetic. However, it was not actually del Toro who sat in the director’s chair during the film’s production. Troy Nixey helmed the feature in his first feature film directorial effort.
13. The Last Exorcism - Eli Roth
Daniel Stamm was at the helm of the 2010 horror feature The Last Exorcism. But that didn’t stop the studio from choosing to market Eli Roth’s involvement more so than Stamm’s. The picture was positioned as, “Eli Roth Presents The Last Exorcism” and audiences got confused and thought that Roth had directed the picture.
Tyler Doupe is a film critic and journalist. He is the managing editor at Wicked Horror and an occasional contributor to Fangoria and Rue Morgue.
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