Filmmakers likeJordan Peele,James Wan,Andy Muschietti, andNia DaCostahave established themselves as masters of horror. Crafting the perfect blend of plot, scare execution, and invigorating “monsters,” their movies satisfy the itch of audiences to be terrified. They’ve proven that excellent filmmaking does not need to be sacrificed or take a backseat because of the genre. Films likeIt,Get Out,Candyman,andThe Conjuringleave horror fans savoring the excellence and expecting more of the genre.
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Meanwhiile, every year, dozens of low-budget and B-horror films disappoint viewers to the point where horror becomes comedy. When large release horror films debut their trailers, audiences hope to see value scares and well-crafted demons. More often than not, these films tease a terrifying experience but leave audiences feeling robbed of the proper horror experience.
Devil(2010)
Manifesting not just claustrophobia onscreen, audiences felt trapped by this horror film’s acting and low-budget quality. Five strangers in an office building are trapped in an elevator and believe that the Devil is potentially among them.
WithM. Night Shyamalan’sname attached to this project audiences expected thrills and a far better twist. To critics and audiences,Devilis as stuck as the elevator with no scares and disappointing premise. 2010 horror fans would turn to the likes ofThe CraziesandInsidiousfor a proper scare and payoff.
The Boy(2016)
With only one final twist to revitalize the viewer’s attention,The Boyis one that tried to ride the coattails of theAnnabellemovies with no success. After taking a nanny position for an English family, a young woman (Lauren Cohan) discovers that the child in need is a doll, prompting strange occurrences to plague her during her stay.
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Filled with the typical horror tropes like cinematic build-ups with no payoff to get viewers' hearts racing, there is a little directional payoff for this plot. With minimal praise from critics and fans, this 2016 release teased a potential new franchise that ended up not being worth it.
Winchester(2018)
Drawing viewers in with a name likeHelen Mirren,Winchesterlacked the necessary firepower to land viewers and critics. Heiress to the firearm fortune, Sarah Winchester (Mirren) constructs an elaborate mansion to trap evil spirits haunting her. A reasonable one-hour and thirty-nine-minute runtime and proven actors failed to revive this film.
While the plot is based on true tales and a labyrinth of a mansion in San Jose, California, audiences were disappointed with the execution of Sarah Winchester’s legend. With any film that boasts a real-life inspiration, viewers set higher expectations that were not met with this 2018 horror installment.
The Purge(2013)
An original concept with poor execution, the first installment and subsequent franchise films forThe Purgehad audiences intrigued at the start and disappointed by the end. A family struggles to fend off home invaders during the annual twelve-hour period where all crime is legal.
Falling victim to the clichés that often plague horror and statement films, this franchise has yet to find tangible success with audiences and critics for any of thefive Purge movies and one TV series. Where the original teased an intriguing plot, the successors tease a tired concept that looks so good but is ultimately so bad.
Pet Sematary(2019)
Not all remakes produce a better payoff than the original. The 2019adaptation of Stephen King’s horror novelfailed to wow audiences more than the original film from 1989. When a sudden death devastates a rural Maine family, father, Dr. Louis Creed (Jason Clarke) utilizes a mysterious burial ground creating an evil presence to terrorize his family.
The recent success ofGerald’s Game,It,andCastle Rockdid not translate toPet Sematary. The movie provides the usual jump-scares and intensity but felt stale to most critics and viewers.
A Cure for Wellness(2016)
DirectorGore Verbinski’ssecond attempt at taking the horror helm fell short with this 2016 flick. Sent to collect the CEO of his company, a young businessman discovers that the spa treatment center where his boss is residing is not what it seems, his own sanity comes into question when he is admitted.
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Lengthy with poor pacing,A Cure for Wellnessbored viewers with repetition and a bizarre ending. The visuals failed to blend with an exaggerated plot, causing a letdown for Verbinski fans expecting his high caliber of storytelling from past films likeThe Ringand thePirates of the Caribbeanfranchise. Even with established names likeJason IsaacsandDane DeHaan, the best cure for audiences was not this film.
As Above, So Below(2014)
Providing another example of a found-footage failure,As Above, So Belowexhausted viewers with clichés and limited scares. A crew of young explorers takes their cameras through the catacombs beneath Paris in search of the Philosopher’s Stone. Trying to tap into the success with critics' 1999 favoriteThe Blair Witch Project,this 2014 film lacks the scares and logistics toemulate a proper found-footage film.
Writer/directorJohn Erick Dowdle(also responsible forDevil) failed to provide proper scares as the whipping of the cameras keeps audiences from gaining any footing with visuals. Viewers were disappointed by an enticing setup with no satisfying conclusions.
Gretel & Hansel(2020)
Elevated cinematography and production design were not enough to pull this film from the clutches of bad reviews. Audiences were less than impressed with the telling of the classic fairytale. StarringSophia Lillisas Gretel,Samuel Leakeyas Hansel, andAlice Krigeas the Witch, this adaptation’s trailer bewitched audiences into watching with little payoff.
While critics favored the film for the visuals, allowing it to outweigh the poor storytelling. The quick one-hour and twenty-seven-minute runtime provides a mixed bag of horror that, to many viewers, proves there are better fantasy horror movies out there.
Shut In(2016)
Critics and audiences were unable to find any redeeming qualities inFarren Blackburn’s2016 wintry horror movie. Widowed Mary (Naomi Watts) takes in a young boy named Tom (Jacob Tremblay) to fill the void left by her husband and his now bedridden son (Charlie Heaton). When Tom goes missing in a snowstorm, Mary becomes convinced he’s returned to haunt her.
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With Oscar nominees attached like Watts and Tremblay,Shut Infailed to utilize the potential of its cast. Viewers finding the film’s scares and plot so bad, it became laughable for most through the hour and a half runtime. Watts would not meet critics' genre expectations she set with her performance inThe Ring.
Escape Room(2019)
Viewers couldn’t escape the letdown of this 2019 movie. A group of strangers gathers to compete for $10,000 by solving a series of puzzles that escalate into a game of life or death. With real-life escape rooms attracting family and friends to spend a night out working together, this film promised a horrific twist on the weekend-fun activity.
Drawing from other horror franchises likeSaw,this competitive game movie missed the mark in reaching its full potential. The mediocre response from critics and audiences didn’t deter filmmakers and cast from returning for a second installment in 2021,Escape Room: Tournament of Champions, which was better received a second time around by audiences.
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