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- With new fantastic film debuts premiering every single year, there's no telling which will turn out to be a director's great hit. One-hit-wonder directors don't necessarily only have one film under their belt, as there are a few notable filmmakers who manage to strike gold with their first movie, just to never achieve that level of success again.
Directing is a cutthroat business. If a director's first movie flops, it's often very difficult for them to get another project made. Several promising filmmakers have had their careers cut short because their debut feature failed at the box office. However, while not appreciated in their day, some of these films have gone on to become cult classics or critical darlings.
Over the years, there have been several one-hit-wonder directors who made a single terrific film and then never directed again. They range from actors and graphic designers to composers and playwrights. Some of these films are truly impressive given that they were made by neophyte directors. If only their creators got the chance to tell more stories...
Updated on April 12, 2023, by Hannah Saab:
With new fantastic film debuts premiering every single year, there's no telling which will turn out to be a director's great hit. One-hit-wonder directors don't necessarily only have one film under their belt, as there are a few notable filmmakers who manage to strike gold with their first movie, just to never achieve that level of success again.
12 'Jack Goes Boating' (2010) - Philip Seymour Hoffman
Jack Goes Boating is a romantic drama directed by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. Hoffman also stars in the movie as an introverted limousine driver who is set up on a date with Connie (Amy Adams), a woman dealing with her own trauma. Jack decides to learn to swim so that he can take Connie on a boat when the summer comes.
While not particularly groundbreaking, Jack Goes Boating makes for a moving character study thanks to the solid script and the terrific performances from the leads. Fans of Hoffman won't be disappointed.
11 'Phase IV' (1974) - Saul Bass
Phase IV is a sci-fi horror directed by graphic designer Saul Bass, probably most famous for creating the title sequences for several Alfred Hitchcock movies. His only project as director is an oddball story about a legion of ants that develop a collective consciousness and wreak havoc in the Arizona desert.
It was a box office flop (hence why Bass didn't direct again) but has since developed a cult following. Interestingly, the film contains the first known reference to a crop circle, prompting some to speculate that real-world sightings of crop circles owe their origins to Phase IV.
10 'Quick Change' (1990) - Bill Murray
Quick Change is a goofy crime comedy directed by Howard Franklin and Bill Murray. It follows three thieves who successfully rob a bank, but run into trouble as they attempt to escape from New York City with their ill-gotten gains.
It made a loss at the box office but received positive reviews, especially for Bill Murray's wacky performance. Hopefully, he gets into the director's chair again, because Quick Change proves he has potential.
9 'Carnival of Souls' (1962) - Herk Harvey
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Carnival of Souls is an iconic 1960s horror starring Candace Hilligoss as Mary, a woman who survives a tragic car accident and begins seeing visions of a spectral figure referred to only as 'The Man.' It was made on a shoestring budget by director Herk Harvey, who had previously worked as an actor.
The film was not a hit on release, which greatly discouraged Harvey. He attempted to direct more features, but none of the projects came to fruition. However, Carnival of Souls' reputation improved over the years, and it eventually became a cult classic. Critics have since praised it for its cinematography, sound design, and bleak tone.
8 'The Honeymoon Killers' (1970) - Leonard Kastle
A movie inspired by an unbelievable true story, this crime film centers on nurse Martha (Shirley Stoler) after she meets con man Raymond (Tony Lo Bianco), and the pair embark on a killing spree targeting single women. The film was the lone directorial effort of composer Leonard Kastle.
The Honeymoon Killers features striking, almost expressionistic black-and-white cinematography, and is shot almost like a documentary, lending it a sense of realism. It makes for a macabre but memorable story of a twisted love affair.
7 'Wanda' (1970) - Barbara Loden
Wanda stars Barbara Loden (who also directed) as an unhappy housewife in rural Pennsylvania who feels adrift in life. She divorces her husband and gets tangled up with the criminal Norman (Michael Higgins). Eventually, Norman asks Loden to keep a lookout while he commits a robbery and kidnapping.
Loden had a successful career in the theater and also in front of the camera, appearing in classics like Elia Kazan's Splendor in the Grass. She was inspired to write Wanda after reading a news story about a woman who had received 20 years in jail for taking part in a bank robbery. She merged this idea with elements from her own life. "It was sort of based on my own personality," Loden has said of Wanda. "A sort of passive, wandering around, passing from one person to another, no direction." Wanda has since been recognized as an important film in the development of independent cinema.
6 'One-Eyed Jacks' (1961) - Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando starred in some of the best movies of the 20th century, like A Streetcar Named Desire, The Godfather, and Apocalypse Now. But he also deserves recognition for his work behind the camera on this Western about three men who rob a bank, One-Eyed Jacks.
After the robbery, law enforcement officers kill one of the thieves, Doc (Hank Worden). Another thief, Dad (Karl Malden), escapes, leaving Rio (Brando) behind to be arrested. However, Rio breaks out of custody and sets off to hunt down Dad and the stolen gold. It makes for a gritty, intense Western reminiscent of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
5 'Angst' (1983) - Gerald Kargl
A fantastic horror movie that was ahead of its time, Angst tells the story of a psychopath who embraces his recent freedom from prison by staging a home invasion and tormenting the unfortunate family he targets. The killer is inspired by the real-life mass murderer Werner Kniesek, masterfully played by Erwin Leder, who gives a chilling performance as the character.
The movie was banned in numerous countries due to its graphic violence and disturbing content. Today, it's considered a must-see for fans of extreme horror, and likely would have gotten a much better reception. It is Austrian director Gerald Kargl's one-hit wonder, and one that has cemented his place among the best in horror.
4 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead' (1990) - Tom Stoppard
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is a black comedy directed by British playwright Tom Stoppard and based on his play of the same name. Gary Oldman and Tim Roth star as the title characters, two minor figures from Shakespeare's Hamlet. The film follows them during the events of Hamlet, as they bumble from one scene to the next, usually with no clue as to what is going on around them.
The film (and the play) have been compared to Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, which also centers on two characters who engage in absurd conversations, often involving long stretches of silence, and who accomplish nothing. Luckily, Roth and Oldman have the acting chops to pull off this weird premise.
3 'Nil by Mouth' (1997) - Gary Oldman
Nil by Mouth is a family drama written and directed by veteran character actor Gary Oldman. The film centers on a dysfunctional working-class family in South London. Patriarch Ray (Ray Winstone) has a fiery temper and fights with the other family members, especially his son with drug addiction Billy (Charlie Creed-Miles). The film explores his strained relationship with his pregnant wife Val (Kathy Burke) and Ray's own traumatic past.
The movie draws on Oldman's experiences growing up in public housing in South London, and it feels authentic. The cast is phenomenal too, especially Burke, who won the Best Actress award at Cannes for her performance. They are also wonderfully foulmouthed, to the point that Nil by Mouth contains over 500 swear words – that's almost four per minute.
2 'An Elephant Sitting Still' (2018) - Hu Bo
A nearly four-hour-long movie with a profound narrative and a tragic real-life story, An Elephant Sitting Still is director Hu Bo's one-hit-wonder. The film has a deceptively simple premise: it is centered on four characters, who travel north to Manzhouli city to see an elephant that allegedly sits still. Along the way, audiences learn more about their lives.
With a thick atmosphere and a bleak tone, the film is a heavy one – it's the kind of movie that inevitably creates dread in audiences. It's director Hu Bo's only feature film, as he died by suicide shortly after finishing the movie.
1 'The Night of the Hunter' (1955) - Charles Laughton
The Night of the Hunter is a noir thriller directed by British-American actor Charles Laughton, known for his roles in films like Mutiny on the Bounty and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The film revolves around serial killer Powell (Robert Mitchum) who marries a widow (Shelley Winters) with the intention of finding a stash of money stolen hidden by her ex-husband. However, the children refuse to disclose the location of the money, and the tension in the household rapidly ratchets up.
The film is shot in black-and-white and employs techniques from silent film, which set it apart from many other movies of its day. Audiences at the time didn't appreciate this, and the movie bombed at the box office. Since then, however, it has been praised by critics and filmmakers alike. Roger Ebert called it "one of the most frightening of movies, with one of the most unforgettable of villains." Directors Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, and the Coen brothers have cited it as an influence. In fact, the line "the Dude abides" from The Big Lebowski is a reference to a pivotal scene in Night of the Hunter where one character says, "They abide, and they endure."