10 Horror Movie Flops That Are Worth Revisiting

10. The Keep

Michael Mann's The Keep had everything going against it. The special effects supervisor, Wally Veevers, died before completing his work, which led to numerous delays. Despite being intended as a three-plus hour epic, the studio chopped it down to 96 minutes, turning The Keep into a convoluted mess. As such, it wasn't a surprise when it received mixed reviews and failed to break even.

The plot (or at least what's left of it in the final cut) centres around a squad of Nazi soldiers who are forced to work with a Jewish historian after awakening a demonic power. Even though the characterisation is minute, the tremendous cast, which includes Ian McKellen, Gabriel Byrne, and Scott Glenn, elevates the campy narrative.

With almost two hours cut from the original version, the narrative has been left disjointed and clunky. However, The Keep gets away with it, since it feels like a sensory overload experience than a movie. Mann himself referred to The Keep as a "visual and sonic fairytale", and with its Tangerine Dream soundtrack and masterful set design, it's easy to see why.

Even though retrospective reviews have been more positive, The Keep has yet to develop the cult-following it deserves.