Legend has it that those born on Halloween can communicate with the dead. Here's one famous celeb who is blessed—or cursed with this supernatural gift.

Peter Jackson
Director. Born in Wellington, New Zealand on October 31, 1961. As a young, self-taught filmmaker, Jackson’s first forays into movie making were blood-soaked horror films he produced with friends. His directorial debut, Bad Taste, was exactly that, and earned a devoted cult following. He followed the flick with two more gore-filled films, Meet the Feebles and Dead Alive.

His next effort was the award-winning Heavenly Creatures in 1994 starring Kate Winslet. Proving he could tell a story without splattering guts, the surprisingly poignant film tells the true tale of two young girls who murder one of their mothers. Jackson’s next project grabbed headlines in 1998: The film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved Lord of the Rings series. Both ambitious and visionary, the three installments, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, were an enormous success both at the box office and among critics. In 2004, Jackson won the Best Director Oscar for the final installment. That year, The Return of the King also received Academy Awards for Best Picture, Art Direction and Writing among others.

In 2005, Jackson directed a remake of the 1933 film King Kong with the help of Lord of the Rings’ screenwriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.