By 
YOU’VE HEARD OF Saw. You’ve screamed your way through Insidious. You’ve laughed through Aquaman and Furious 7 had you on the edge of your seat. But how familiar are you with the man behind them?
If your answer is ‘not very’, you’re not alone. James Wan (who, aptly, goes by @creepypuppet on Instagram) may be the single most financially successful figure in Australian movie-making history, but the director has managed to stay out of the spotlight, letting his films do the talking instead. And talk they have. Only five horror franchises in history have earned more than a billion (USD) dollars at the box office, and Wan created two of them – The Conjuring universe alone has grossed over two billion USD (almost three billion AUD). A testament to his scope as a filmmaker, Wan is also part of an elite group of directors with two films that have earned over a billion dollars at the worldwide box office – and neither of them are horror – Furious 7 and Aquaman.
But Wan, who is Esquire Australia’s September digital cover star, doesn’t just engineer crowd-pleasing cash cows. His films are cerebral, surprising and, yes, terrifying; his eclectic taste honed by a journey that started in Kuching, the Malaysian state of Sarawak where Wan was born, before winding its way through Perth, Canberra and Melbourne, prior to his arrival in Hollywood, a world he’s taken by storm.
If you’re not already across Wan’s filmography, consider this your crash course in his greatest hits.
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6. Furious 7 (2015)
Where to watch: Netflix, Stan, Prime Video, Binge
There were two things going for Wan when tasked with directing the seventh instalment of the Fast & Furious franchise: was there still room for surprise with its loyal fanbase? And how do you pay tribute to Paul Walker? Furious 7 is one of Wan’s best franchise endeavours: his eye for sweeping action shots of cars falling out of planes and buses tumbling off the edges of cliffs made it one of the franchise’s most memorable. And Wiz Khalifa’s ‘See You Again’ also defined how an action flick could become a tearjerker, making it an iconic track in the mid-2010s.
5. Aquaman (2018)
Where to watch: Stan, Binge
It takes a skilled director to salvage DC’s remains from what the 2017 Justice League left in its wake. Perhaps a palette cleanser to the self-seriousness of superhero movies at the time, Wan’s Aquaman is goofy and fun, amplified by Jason Mamoa in a role he was seemingly born to play. Wan’s action scenes are elaborate and well-crafted (the fight scene in Sicily comes to mind). And with a cast made up of critically acclaimed actors, replete with all the awards that status could get you, it’s two-and-a-half hours of one of the most expansive depictions of Atlantis.
4. Malignant (2021)
Where to watch: Apple TV (to rent), Prime Video (to rent)
Wan’s clever hand at horror is his ability to bring it into a domestic space. Centring around Madison (Annabelle Wallis), a young woman living in Seattle, who has nightly visions of the murders of strangers. The warp-like visuals to depict this out of body experience are hallmarks of Wan’s style as a director, too; his original takes on skin-crawling sensations. The first original story after spending the better half of the 2010s directing sequels and franchise films, its a moment that brought the director back to his roots in the genre
3. Insidious (2010)
Where to watch: Stan
Another Wan and Leigh Whannell-penned project, Insidious marked the trend of scary children in horror films in the decade. Following the Lambert family after their son falls into a coma, it’s that mix of family drama mired in evil ghosts that grounds the film into something palpable.
2. The Conjuring (2013)
Where to watch: Netflix, Binge
Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson (who played Orm in Aquaman; every director needs their muse) are modern-day horror icons. (I think all it takes is to have a great jaw). Great performances aside, The Conjuring stands out for its production and the strength of its lore to spawn multiple spin offs and sequels, famously The Nun and Annabelle, making Wan one of the great architects of the genre.
1. Saw (2004)
Where to watch: Stan
It’s a rare feat to have a directorial debut earn the title of a “classic”. Ever. Written with to-be long-time collaborator Whannell, the script came to the pair while they were still attending film school at RMIT University in Melbourne. Its place in the horror canon comes from its originality to torture, and the ways in which gore was inflicted by Jigsaw and Billy the Puppet. Fusing horror with the limits of a survival tale, it twists the mind as much as the stomach. But out of all the sequels and spin-offs Saw spawned – indeed, Wan’s Midas touch – the original remains his best and most prolific; leaving a mark on a new generation of horror cinema-goers and, more importantly, fledgling horror directors.
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