10 Great Horror Movies With Terrible Concepts

Remember how terrifying the original Amityville Horror was?

Sure, the 1978 horror wasn’t able to kill off any of its characters as it was based on a pesky real life case and as such couldn’t stray too egregiously far from reality. But the film has a secret weapon which few horrors can exploit, in that it was about a family struggling with paranormal goings-on.

With little kids to protect, the pair of parents become instantly endearing figures and the stakes are obviously high.

Now imagine how bland and boring the film’s story would be if the viewer saw it from the perspective of seasoned demon hunting exorcists, the only people who have encountered this sort of thing before and are better prepared than anyone to deal with it.

No matter what way you cut it, Fast and Furious franchise salvager James Wan’s 2013 hit The Conjuring should not have worked out as well as it did, managing to terrify audiences despite the fact that its heroes are second only to the ghostbusters in terms of how well-prepared they are for supernatural encounters.