Sadly, sometimes directors only make one incredible movie, and that’s it for them. It could be from a lack of creativity or circumstances out of their control. However, that “golden” film lives in viewers’ minds for a long time, and even though they create nothing else cinephiles consider good, they are still revered. Here are 10 of these examples.

1. Neil Blomkamp – District 9 (2009)

District 9 portrayed Neil’s directive skills, and everyone projected a promising future for him as a movie director. The movie captured xenophobia and humanity in a different light. It got lots of awards and nominations after it aired. Four years later came Elysium, which didn’t meet up to the first movie’s standard. Then came Chaplin in 2015, which people thought lacked originality. It certainly wasn’t looking suitable for the director at this point. Demonic followed in 2021 and was boring.

Now, Neil’s been hinting at District 10, and everyone is waiting to see the outcome. Will it be a blockbuster or a flop buster?

2. Herk Harvey – Carnival of Souls (1962)

Harvey created a masterpiece with a tight budget. The horror movie is typical proof that less is sometimes more. Carnival of Souls shows Mary Henry, an organist in the church who survives an accident but loses two of her friends.

After the incident, she starts a new life but is haunted by a man with a white face. She finds herself drawn to an old pavilion outside of town. Harvey never made another feature movie after this.

3. Troy Duffy – The Boondocks Saints (1999)

The filmmaker and musician directed the movie and its sequel. Duffy was a typical rags-to-riches, from being a barman to directing a film. It starts with Connor and Murphy McManus in mass and then later celebrating St. Patrick’s day. A Russian mob shows up at the pub, creating chaos but getting humiliated.

The mob seeks revenge on the brothers, and there begins their problem. Duffy only had this movie to his name, a major hit.

4. Mary Harron – American Psycho (2000)

Mary did well with the movie despite the criticism she received. There were other film projects she directed even after this, but none matched American Psycho. Although Mary got recognition for I Shot Andy Warhol (1996) and The Notorious Bettie Page, she’s famous for telling stories about outcasts and most psychopaths without condemning their actions.

5. Benh Zeitlin – Beasts of Southern Wild (2012)

Someone perfectly describes the cast and director as “An indie darling that racked up Oscar nominations, followed up eight years later by a Peter Pan movie nobody saw. Nothing since then. Come to think of it, the cast was one hit wonders as well.”

That pretty much sums up everything about the movie and the director.

6. Matthieu Kassovitz – La Haine (1995)

Translated as Hatred, the movie is quite relatable. It shows themes centered around poverty, youth, crime, and violence, which are still relevant today. The writer and director did a great one with this movie.

However, that’s about it for the director. There were other movies after this, but La Haine was incomparable.

7. Richard Kelly – Donnie Darko (2001)

The director had his big movie break at 26 with Donnie Darko. The science fiction psychological thriller was a big hit. He would go on to make other movies after this. Although, Richard couldn’t meet up to his debut despite being gifted.

8. Michael Cimino – The Deer Hunter (1978)

The movie features three soldiers who were kidnapped during the Vietnam war. They manage to escape and are forced to go separate ways, leading to many consequences. Michael portrays a dark classic that stimulates a wide range of emotions and is quite depressing. He never got to beat his initial record with the great movie before his death.

9. Drew Barrymore – Whip It (2009)

Bliss, a teenager, cares little about the pageantry while her mother wants her to win. She comes across the Hurl Scouts, and that’s how she begins skating. A lot of conflict and drama follow in the movie.

Barrymore hits it big with her debut and doesn’t direct any other film after this. Talk about a one-hit wonder and then taking a break from directing.

10. Marc Webb – 500 Days of Summer (2009)

The romantic comedy-drama follows Tom Hassen, who meets Summer Finn, a new employee at the greeting card company he works for. A romance brews between them, but it’s not the typical kind. Marc does a great job directing this movie. There’s also the famous movie The Amazing Spider-Man with a 51% rating on rotten tomatoes. It’s not up to par with the 500 Days of Summer movie rating of 85%.

This thread inspired this article.

Featured Image Credit: Lions Gate Films.

More From Wealth of Geeks – The 13 Movies So Awful They Scored Zero on Rotten Tomatoes

Receiving a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes is a sought-after accomplishment all directors and filmmakers hope to achieve. But do you ever wonder what happens when a movie is so bad that it totally tanks at the box office?

Perhaps more difficult are those movies so awful they reach a zero on the Tomatometer, meaning no critic liked a single aspect of the film. So instead, they watched each dire moment, waiting for something decent to occur, but it never did.

Here are 13 movies that achieved a perfect zero on Rotten Tomatoes.

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After being surveyed, the Internet responded with these television series that should have quit while they were ahead.

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More From Wealth of Geeks – 10 Surprising Movies That No One Cares About Anymore

Someone recently expressed they were searching for movies that exist but aren’t a big deal anymore, despite a massive appeal and success initially.

They gave these examples, “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The Bodyguard (two huge Kevin Costner films with enormous hit songs that no one has watched since 1997). The Revenant (Leo gets an Oscar, but can you remember anything besides the bear scene?). Seabiscuit. What else?” Here are the top responses.

10 Surprising Movies That No One Cares About Anymore

More From Wealth of Geeks – 10 Most Hated Characters on The Big Bang Theory

Recently someone online asked, “Who do you consider the most unlikable on the show?” Do you think you know who took the number one spot on the list?

Here are the ten top-voted responses from the show’s fans.

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More From Wealth of Geeks – 10 Awesome Obscure 80s Movies No One Seems To Remember

Are you tired of the same well-known films on every 80s movie list? You’re not alone.

An online discussion inquires, “What obscure 80s movie did you love that no one else seems to remember?” Here are the top responses.

10 Awesome Obscure 80s Movies No One Seems To Remember

This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.