10 Awesome Recent Horror Movies That Didn't Deserve To Bomb

It’s incredible how many great horror movies have come out in the past five years. Filmmakers are really taking the term “elevated horror” to heart, crafting experiences that attempt to do more than just frighten audiences. Many of these flicks are critically acclaimed as well and deservedly so — there are so many new and interesting things directors and screenwriters are showcasing with their projects, and a lot of them are utter works of genius.

Unfortunately, just because a feature is critically acclaimed doesn’t mean it’ll be a success at the box office. Maybe it was because of the pandemic, maybe it was because of a lack of marketing, or maybe there just wasn’t enough word-of-mouth, but several horror offerings of the past five years have failed to turn in a profit despite being amazingly written and directed. Thankfully, great horror pictures often find themselves becoming cult classics after their digital/physical releases, but these still didn’t deserve to be box office bombs.

So, here are ten awesome horror movies from the past five years that deserved to perform so much better at the box office.

Grossing only $2.8 million against a $7 million budget, Assassination Nation didn’t get its proper due. All about how a town descends into chaos after a hacker leaks secrets about many of its residents, the feature was timely and topical; the kind of horror that was scary because of how much it tapped into current societal fears and problems.

Assassination Nation didn’t hold back with its direction — it was abrasive, confrontational, and in-your-face about its themes, but it was also stylish, energetic, and a wild ride from start to finish. The filmmakers were confident in what they were making and that confidence showed, marking the offering as one that really wanted to stick with you.

Perhaps this berserk nature is why it didn’t do too well at the box office, and yes, it’s understandable why people would be turned off by the picture from the trailers alone. It’s definitely one of the more unique horror pictures out there, what with it being part slasher and part sociopolitical commentary. However, for anyone who’s got the stomach for it, Assassination Nation is a rewarding experience, one you won’t soon forget.