10 Critically Reviled Horror Movies (That Weren't Actually That Bad)

3. Friday The 13th Part III

Jason Voorhees’ infamous long-running franchise was bound to make an appearance on this list, with the unending series being savaged by critics for decades despite being adored by fans both obsessive and casual as box office receipts and its massive fandom can attest.

Ever since Sean S. Cunningham directed the first, almost Jason-free instalment in 1980, the Friday the 13th films have been both hugely popular with audiences and a favourite punching bag of critics regardless of each individual flick’s actual quality.

Whilst a handful of critics begrudgingly admitted that the sixth instalment Jason Lives had its charms, the third film which saw the debut of Jason’s now-iconic hockey mask was universally derided. Despite this the movie is probably the best distillation of the franchise’s enduring appeal, with inventive kills, suspenseful pacing, some not-totally-unlikeable characters and some we’re glad to see offed, and goofy 3-D gimmicks which ensure it’s impossible to take too seriously.

Fortunately some retrospective reviews have highlighted the flick’s campy appeal, and director Steve Miner went on to such successful horror comedies as 1986’s House and fish-out-of-water rom-com/ crocodile-in-lake monster movie Lake Placid.