Directing a film is by no means an easy feat. It is often viewed as the converging point between artistic integrity and commercial sensibility. This explains why debutant directors behind a hit, money-making project are often coveted by big studios, in a hope for them to repeat their recipe for success. While first directorial debuts carry their own set of trials and tribulations, it’s often the follow-up films that raise the levels of pressure. While some directors manage to carve out a distinct voice and style, many fail to make the cut. Here’s a look at eight debut films, that are still their director’s best movie.

8 David Slade - Hard Candy (2005)

     Vulcan Productions

When David Slade’s Hard Candy was released, it created a buzz in the cinema market. The film flipped the usual stigma around pedophilia by reversing the role between the hunter and the hunted. Slade masterfully illustrates this by centering the film around Hayley, a 14-year-old teenager who agrees on meeting Jeff, a photographer she came across on the internet. Having already sensed something off, she decides to drug him and put him through the wringer and get a confession out of him. Upon its release, Hard Candy was the talk of the town and still remains one of Slade’s best directorial works, to date.

7 Hugh Hudson - Chariots of Fire (1981)

     Allied Stars Ltd.

Chariots of Fire is nothing short of every debutant director’s dream. The film was nominated for a total of seven Academy Awards and won four, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. This naturally propelled Hugh Hudson to a status of god’s gift to mankind. Hudson followed this up with the 1984 reboot Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, despite the film being nominated for four Academy Awards, they weren’t on the same pedestal as his debut film, Chariots of Fire.

6 Josh Trank - Chronicle (2012)

     20th Century Fox

When Chronicle came out, it created waves for its gritty and realistic take on superheroes, making it one of the most exciting found footage films of the year. The film’s plot revolves around three high school friends who suddenly discover that they have superhuman powers and the eventual chaos it creates in their lives. Since Chronicle, Trank was on-boarded to helm The Fantastic Four franchise, but the results were the opposite of what was expected, and the film was a disaster at the box office.

5 Richard Kelly - Donnie Darko (2001)

     Flower Films

Donnie Darko’s cult status is undeniable. The film acted as a major catalyst in Jake Gyllenhaal’s carrier, despite it being dubbed as a teen horror movie. Upon its release, Donnie Darko wasn’t deemed a box office hit, though overtime it gained a very niche and devoted following, creating a cult status for itself. Thereby, it came as no surprise that the then 24-year-old Richard Kelly would get another bite at the cherry with Southland Tales, a film that had a laundry list of stars like Dywane Johnson, Justin Timberlake and Sean William Scott. The film got mixed reviews from critics but had nowhere near the same impact as Donnie Darko.

4 Jennifer Kent - The Babadook (2014)

     Umbrella Entertainment

The Babadook is one of the scariest films to come out of the last decade. The narrative structure is somewhat conventional, but Kent ads various layers of tension and paranoia throughout the film, making it a creepily gripping watch. Since its release Kent followed up with The Nightingale, but it didn’t have the same shock value as The Babadook.

3 Marc Webb - 500 Days of Summer (2009)

     Fox Searchlight Pictures

500 Days of Summer is more than just a film; it’s a rite of passage, which every person who’s ever been through a heartache would testify to. A beautiful tale that shows two people falling in and out of love, 500 Days of Summer goes against the grain of typical rom-coms, by painting a realistic portrait of modern day romance. In a bid to recapture the magic of his first film, Webb was signed on for the reboot of the Spider-Man franchise. After helming both The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Webb and the team fell short of recreating the emotional ethos of his first film.

2 Eduardo Sánchez - The Blair Witch Project (1999)

     Artisan Entertainment (United States) Summit Entertainment (International)

The Blair Witch Project was one of the first major films to have championed the “found footage” style of horror storytelling. The camerawork of the film mostly relied on handycam-style footage, lending it an air of realism. Another factor that really worked for the film was that it was marketed as a film that’s based on a true story, raising the overall creepiness of the entire film. Since The Blair Witch Project, Eduardo Sánchez has followed up with films such as Altered and Seventh Moon, though they haven’t even remotely come close to his debut film.

1 Neill Blomkamp - District 9 (2009)

     Sony Pictures Releasing

When District 9 was released, it was nothing short of a spectacle. A full scale movie that focused on themes of apartheid and classicism, set against the backdrop of an alien invasion. Blomkamp’s film wasn’t only successful, it was revolutionary. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for his follow-up effort Elysuim, where the South African-Canadian filmmaker was afforded the who’s who of Hollywood, but overall failed to create an impact.