Do You Like Scary Movies?Lists for fans addicted to horror films (and shows) and all the jump-scarin', blood-splatterin', "b*tch, get out the house!" adrenaline that goes with them.
Updated October 26, 2023 13.4K votes 2.6K voters 66.6K views
Over 2.6K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of 'Bad' Horror Movies That Are Secretly Awesome
Voting Rules
Vote up the critically derided horror movies that are way better than their reputations suggest.
Within the horror genre, a good film doesn't automatically equal box-office success. This can be attributed to many factors: Obviously, the general population's aversion to being frightened or disgusted is the first reason for this; another is that movie studios have no idea how to properly market horror to those who want to see it.
Then you have incredible movies, like Jennifer's Body, that are considered failures due to marketing based on sex appeal rather than the film's actual plot. This leads to the next kiss of death for a horror film: casting. When Ashton Kutcher fans went to see The Butterfly Effect, they seemingly weren't ready for Kelso from That '70s Show to play a man who time travels to traumatic events in his childhood.
Add to this entries in an endless series like Final Destination or the films people outright ignore (like Devil's Due) because of the oversaturation of found-footage films, and it's surprising any horror movie ever succeeds in theaters.
This 2001 remake of a 1960 film was critically panned but made back its budget - and then some - upon its release in October 2001.
Thirteen Ghosts stars Tony Shalhoub as Arthur Kritikos, a widow who lost his wife in a house fire and is living in a tiny apartment with his two children - Kathy (Shannon Elizabeth) and Bobby (Alec Roberts) - and a nanny Maggie (Rah Digga). The story begins when a lawyer visits Arthur, announcing he is the sole heir of his great uncle Cyrus, a man of great wealth - and strange interests.
They eventually learn Uncle Cyrus collected ghosts and kept them in a special glass house, the windows of which are etched with protection and entrapment spells for the spirits. Unfortunately for his nephew, the house requires one more ghost.
Matthew Lillard plays psychic Dennis, but the movie's real star is the designs of the 13 ghosts themselves.
Thirteen Ghosts is worth it just for the twisted zodiac of poor souls trapped in the house. From the First Born Son who met his end playing with guns and arrows to the pure chaotic evil that is the Juggernaut, each of the ghosts is detailed and grotesque enough to haunt anyone's dreams for months.
Event Horizon is definitely sci-fi and horror combined into one grotesque, mind-bending movie. The titular “Event Horizon” is actually a device created by Dr. William Weir (Sam Neill) that folds space and time to facilitate fast travel in outer space.
Unfortunately, audiences and most critics panned this Paul W.S. Anderson film when it premiered in 1997 due to its imagery and pace. Once the film received a DVD release and began streaming to new audiences, however, this stunning journey into madness found its audience.
Captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne) and his crew, alongside Dr. Weir, investigate a distress signal from a ship that was missing for seven years before reappearing in a decaying orbit around Neptune. Once Miller and his crew step onto the ship, the movie immediately begins the “infection” of the group and doesn't slow down until the final moments of insanity.
One by one, the crew begins experiencing hallucinations that, for some, push them toward horrific attempts at suicide, and for others, send them into full-blown madness. The Event Horizon opened up a gateway to another dimension, and the sentient machine wants to pull them all inside.
The movie ultimately becomes a fight for survival against the machine that fueled space exploration - and the people who harnessed its power lightly.
Even though the franchise spawned five more films, 2002's Resident Evil has never received critical respect. Based on a video game, writer and director Paul W.S. Anderson created a brand-new character, Alice (Milla Jovovich), to bring viewers into the zombie-filled world of Raccoon City.
Super soldier Alice awakes in a mansion that looks very familiar to anyone who's ever played any of the Resident Evil games. At some point, the dreaded T-virus was released, resulting in mass infection that requires a SWAT team to quell.
Anderson captures the essence of the video games with puzzles, chess imagery, and deadly traps around every corner.
Anderson's clear explanation of his universe's rules - not to mention the non-stop action sequences - are tons of fun to watch. Players of the Resident Evil games can appreciate the fan service, while newcomers don't have to worry about understanding the universe and can simply enjoy the carnage.
Movies based on video games are difficult for myriad reasons, usually due to the complete butchering and misunderstanding of the source material. While 2006's Silent Hill doesn't follow the hit video game series to the letter, director Christophe Gans and writer Roger Avary seemingly grasped the heart of the franchise.
Sharon (Jodelle Ferland), the adopted daughter of Rose (Radha Mitchell) and her husband Christopher (Sean Bean), keeps having nightmares about the town Silent Hill, which was abandoned after a coal fire in the 1970s. Rose runs off to find Silent Hill - and some answers - with Sharon, while Christopher attempts to track down his wife and child.
Critics disliked the film, but fans enjoyed seeing characters like Pyramid Head brought to disgusting life on the big screen. The entire movie is filled with horrible creatures who appeared in the video game series, made real with a mix of disturbing practical and CGI effects.
The deaths are nasty, the plot is bonkers, and the movie never stops alternating between world-building and abject terror for those unfamiliar with the game.
The Butterfly Effect is a lot, both emotionally and plot-wise, which may explain why many remember it as a bad movie.
Ashton Kutcher, mainly known at the time for playing the goofy Kelso on That '70s Show and stoner Jesse in the 2000 movie Dude, Where's My Car?, stars in the film, perhaps explaining its box-office success.
Evan (Kutcher) endures a terribly traumatic and scarring childhood, along with his friends Kayleigh (Amy Smart), Lenny (Elden Henson), and Tommy (William Lee Scott). While in college, Evan learns he can time travel to moments in his childhood if he watches a recording of or reads about that memory.
He uses this power to go back and change the horrific parts of his childhood; however, every change Evan attempts just creates a bleaker future for him and his friends.
If a viewer can get past the characters' vile childhood experiences, the movie is an exercise in how far someone is willing to go to save the people they love from a grim fate.
Diablo Cody was fresh off of winning her Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for 2007's Juno when she decided her follow-up would be the 2009 horror flick Jennifer's Body.
Amanda Seyfried plays Anita “Needy” Lesnicki, and Megan Fox plays her best friend, the titular Jennifer Check. Unfortunately for Diablo and her feminist horror film, the powers that be decidedd a kiss between the two leading ladies should be featured heavily in the trailer instead of the actual plot.
The ploy to pull in Megan Fox fans from the Transformers franchise wasn't wise since Diablo's movie is about female friendships, the male gaze, and female empowerment. The movie was a box-office failure upon release, but the appropriate audiences found the movie once it was available for at-home viewing.
Horror fans who gave Jennifer's Body a chance were rewarded with a much deeper film than advertised. Jennifer and Needy attend a concert at their local small-town watering hole to see the band Low Shoulder. Jennifer leaves the event with the band, who, unfortunately, sacrifice her to Satan in exchange for widespread success.
As Jennifer isn't a virgin, she instead becomes a bloodthirsty succubus who preys upon the boys at their school. Needy has to decide how to best help her friend who keeps disemboweling classmates.
Diablo and director Karyn Kusama excel at not only the film's gore and the humor, but also the interactions between Jennifer and Needy. It's clear how much Needy both adores and is terrified of her best friend, and her hero's journey will be familiar to any horror fan.
