10 Awesome 2023 Horror Movies That Didn't Deserve To Flop
5. When Evil Lurks
Argentine horror When Evil Lurks has enjoyed near-universal critical acclaim ever since its Sundance premiere, enough that it seemed like IFC Films' theatrical run could generate some solid cash from word-of-mouth in the weeks before it released on Shudder.
And yet, despite having even better reviews than the year's big indie horror hit, Talk to Me, it topped out at an underwhelming $802,077 worldwide.
Moreover, even though IFC released it in a not-bad 659 cinemas in North America, its per-cinema average on release weekend was a pitiful $304.
Some horror fans chose to blame IFC for failing to sufficiently market the film given its not-insignificant theatrical rollout, where it limped along in cinemas for two weeks before being pulled.
In the very least, though, the film did pick up traction on social media once it released on Shudder, with many praising it for offering up a chilling twist on the exorcism movie in every way that The Exorcist: Believer - which depressingly made over $130 million worldwide - categorically didn't.