You may know their bodies of work, but movie directors are often more unknown and unrecognized than the actors in front of the camera. With this series, we want to give some well-deserved recognition to the directors who helmed some of our favorite cult flicks — and to point you in the direction of some other movies they’ve personally directed. (Note that we’re not including films that they wrote, produced, or were otherwise involved in making.) Let’s get started with…

Sam Raimi

Style: Three Stooges-inspired black humor, quick cuts, first-person cam, gonzo horror, gobs of fake blood, working with Bruce Campbell and his brother Ted Raimi. Also, helming some well-respected dramas in the late ’90s.

Biggest Hits: The Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, Army of Darkness, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

B-Sides: Within the Woods, Darkman, The Quick and the Dead, Drag Me to Hell

Kevin Smith

Style: Talk-heavy indies with lots of crudity and pop culture references, a connected “View Askewniverse” of stories, appearing himself as Silent Bob, New Jersey as a setting

Biggest Hits: Clerks, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

B-Sides: Mallrats, Jersey Girl, Yoga Hosers, Clerks II

Amy Heckerling

Style: Coming-of-age teen flicks, classic ’80s comedies, comedy sequels

Biggest Hits: Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Clueless, Look Who’s Talking

B-Sides: Johnny Dangerously, National Lampoon’s European Vacation, A Night at the Roxbury, Loser

Peter Jackson

Style: Crazy awesome horror flicks (and sticking horror bits into other movies), some really great Hobbit movies, some horrible Hobbit movies

Biggest Hits: Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, Return of the King

B-Sides: Bad Taste, Meet the Feebles, Dead Alive (Braindead), The Frighteners

John Hughes

Style: Iconic ’80s teen movies with lots of memorable dialogue and outlandish events, working with the Brat Pack

Biggest Hits: Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Uncle Buck

B-Sides: Weird Science, She’s Having a Baby

Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont

Style: Genuinely funny and snarky cult comedies that have something to say. The duo also wrote a lot of other screenplays together.

Biggest Hits: Can’t Hardly Wait, Josie and the Pussycats

B-Sides: Love Life