Although the days of Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolf Man are seemingly over, the horror genre is ripe with a new world of gods and monsters, and many famous directors have made new contributions in recent years. While the medium owes a great deal to names like Whale, Castle, and Corman, the industry is also home to plenty of modern monster makers.

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While these directors might not always deal with large hulking beasts, creatures from another planet, or bloodthirsty vampires, their visions of monsters and frightening creatures have certainly kept many viewers up at night and made them household names. Classic yet contemporary, these filmmakers have breathed new life into the monster genre.

Ridley Scott

Ridley Scott Alien Covenant

Known for the iconic Alien franchise, Ridley Scott might be an older, more established name in the industry, but the director is far from finished. Along with his many epic films like Exodus: Gods and KingsScott has revisited his cosmic horrors with films like Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.

Though his dabblings back and forth from his iconic series might have the fanbase divided, Scott knows how to give his films scale as well as scares. Sometimes the monster is scarier when the audience can't fully comprehend it.

Joss Wheadon

Joss Whedon being interviewed in a featurette for Avengers: Age of Ultron

Joss Wheadon is definitely a familiar name to those versed in the horror genre, whether that's from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angelor his work with Ridley Scott's Aliens, but there's one project whose name alone wins him a spot on the list. Considered both a parody and homage of the genre, The Cabin in the Woods offers up a bounty of beasts and turns the horror movie archetype on its head.

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The movie not only brings every monster, maniac, and villain that could exist in the genre but ties them together in a plot that could link every horror movie together. It's truly a love letter to all things gruesome and gory, and fans have Whedon to thank for it.

Tim Burton

Tim Burton and his Stop Motion Characters

If one director truly understands monster movies, it's the mad genius that is Tim Burton. Known for such masterpieces as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhandsand Sleepy HollowBurton is a filmmaker that truly "gets" the genre and strives to maintain the standards of the classic creature features that came before.

The influences from Corman's Poe films, Universal's monsters, and other gothic masterpieces are keenly felt in his work. Even his modern works like Frankenweenie bear the love and adoration for the genre that helped establish the prolific director's signature style.

Robert Eggers

Robert Eggers the director of the Witch pictured on a blank wall

A relatively new talent in the horror genre, Robbert Eggers might be known for the more, art-house style horror flicks, but there's no denying that both The Witch and The Lighthouse have monstrous elements about them that set them apart from run-of-the-mill horror films.

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Every good monster film has its leads spending the plot afraid, escaping, or fighting some horrific creature. For the puritans, it's the titular witch, later the devil himself. For the two wickies, it's both the mermaid and the strange being of the light. Unconventional they might be, the films still feel like monster movies at their core.

Panos Cosmatos

Panos Cosmatos and Mandy Poster

Although that Cheddar Goblin is one nasty piece of work, it's not the only reason Panos Cosmatos earns a spot on the list. Although he only has two films currently out there, he's shaping up to be a modern John Carpenter with his knack for psychedelic sci-fi horror.

Both Beyond the Black Rainbow and Mandy are more experiences than movies, equipped with over-the-top visuals and frightening monsters and creatures beyond the vale of comprehension, including artificial lifeforms, demon motorcycle gangs, and more. Cosmatos is truly a director all horror fans should keep an eye on.

Mike Flannigan

Mike Flanagan during the Haunting of Hill House

The Haunting of Hill House might be what puts director Mike Flanagan on the map, but the man has clearly demonstrated a talent for the monster subgenre of horror films. With underrated gems like Ouija: Origin of Evil and the eerie Doctor Sleep under his belt, he's certainly cut out for the field.

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The demons of the spirit board and Rose and the True Knot are easy contenders for some of the most chilling modern monsters in recent years. Although they might bear humanoid forms, they still represent inhuman entities that horror audiences have come to both fear and admire.

Matt Reeves

Matt Reeves Waving at the viewer

While he might be a tad busy nowadays with the Caped Crusader, Matt Reeves has definitely delivered on the monster movie front as well. With credits under both Cloverfield and Let Me InReeves has shown an aptitude for creature features of varying sizes.

Cloverfield gave audiences a modern American kaiju film, with a sprinkling of body horror that would make Cronenberg proud, and Let Me In provided a tragic coming of age story wrapped around the vampire mythos. With the dark edge he appears to be providing for The Batmanfans might even see more of his gift for horror, especially with the Riddler's Zodiac Killer motif.

Andy Muschietti

Andy Muschietti Standing with Pennywise

Mama was enough to get Guillermo Del Toro's seal of approval, but Andy Muschietti's adaptation of Stephen King's It was enough to bring the creature feature back to its goofy and gory heyday with his interpretation of Derry, the Losers, and Pennywise the Dancing Clown.

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Muschietti's films are scary, no doubt about it. But It showed a sense of balance many horror films, monster movies included, have forgotten. It's the over-the-top nature mixed with the gruesome visuals that help it stand out, and this director knows how to wield the best of both worlds.

Michael Dougherty

Michael Dougherty in front of Godzilla poster

His Superman sequel might have lost him some fans, but Michael Dougherty's monster masterpieces are what put him back in the public eye. Trick r' Treat, Krampusand Godzilla: King of the Monsters are what secured him as a powerful name in the world of monster cinema.

Both Trick r' Treat and Krampus gave modern monster movies a dose of '80s flavor by relying on creatures great and small to get the job done, and his entry into the Godzilla franchise brought back Mothra and King Ghidorah to a new generation of American fans. A comeback if there ever was one.

Guillermo Del Toro

Guillermo del Toro directing

If there's one director in business today who not only reinvented the modern monster movie but treats the genre with such love and care it has garnered him several awards, it's Guillermo del Toro. Known for such masterpieces as Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinthand The Shape of WaterMonsters and creatures have practically become the del Toro's calling card.

Del Toro is a genius of the medium, and that's no exaggeration. Not only have his films made audiences root for and sympathize with the monster, but fall in love with them as well. That alone is a feat worthy of the highest recognition.

NEXT: 10 Movies That Influenced Guillermo Del Toro