Best Directorial Debuts Ranked

First films that announced a major talent — ranked by the audience.
Updated March 23, 2026 · ThumbScore Editorial
1
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Audience Score: 91%
2
The Witch (2016)
Audience Score: 91%
3
The 400 Blows (1959)
Audience Score: 90%
4
District 9 (2009)
Audience Score: 87%
5
Duel (1971)
Audience Score: 87%
6
Ex Machina (2015)
Audience Score: 85%
7
Evil Dead (2013)
Audience Score: 85%
8
Get Out (2017)
Audience Score: 84%
9
Eraserhead (1977)
Audience Score: 84%
10
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Audience Score: 82%
11
Play Misty for Me (1971)
Audience Score: 82%
12
Citizen Kane (1941)
Audience Score: 81%
13
American Beauty (1999)
Audience Score: 80%
14
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Audience Score: 80%
15
Breathless (1960)
Audience Score: 80%
16
Lady Bird (2017)
Audience Score: 78%
17
Badlands (1974)
Audience Score: 77%
18
Hereditary (2018)
Audience Score: 75%
19
Blood Simple (1985)
Audience Score: 75%
20
Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Audience Score: 74%
21
Easy Rider (1969)
Audience Score: 70%

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