10 Horror Movie Casting Choices That Should've Worked (But Didn't)

This taught tale of religious fervour turned to violence was the sole feature directorial effort of the late Bill Paxton, and behind the lens, the actor does little wrong. He delivers a pacey tale on a small budget, with a terrific twist that re-shapes everything the viewer has just seen.

His misstep, unfortunately, is in the role he gives himself. Paxton plays Mr Meiks, a single father who suffers a mental breakdown, leading him to believe that he’s the hand of God, sent to rid the world of demons. Demons who happen to look and act like - and purport to be - regular humans.

At his best - Aliens, One False Move - Paxton is a force of nature actor. With varying degrees of likeability, he’d found a niche playing blabbermouth characters who tended to come to a sticky end. As Meiks, he’s tasked with a lot of brooding, a lot of religious chat, some killing, and not much else.

It doesn’t help that the script is remarkably functional, moving from plot point to plot point without putting much meat on the characters’ bones. By no means is Paxton bad in the role, it just doesn’t really suit him - and with his dual jobs, there’s no one to steer him in the right direction.