10 Horror Movie Flops That Are Worth Revisiting
These horror films all have a mixed to low standing, but it's high time they were reappraised.
The horror genre historically hasn't been a favourite of critics, with many firm genre favourites taking years to find their audience and being revered as the classics they are. The Thing, Jennifer's Body, and Event Horizon didn't fair well critically or commercially following their premieres, but - in time - these gems eventually found their audience, elevating them to cult-classic status.
However, there are a few frightful features that never received the recognition they deserved. The most heart-thumping flicks can sink without a trace, due to poor marketing or coming out at the wrong time.
As Halloween III: Season of the Witch proved, an entry in a recognised IP can be hated, purely because it went in a different direction. Bold decisions like these don't always pan out, but such films will always have their defenders for going against the grain. Today, the Tommy Lee Wallace-directed film is revered as one of the Halloween franchise's best entries - a status that took decades to reach.
Even when these types of criticisms are warranted, it doesn't mean these infamous horrors are without merit. Negative consensus can have an obliterative effect, causing moviegoers to forget about a given film's redeemable qualities - or consider the possibility that a film isn't worth dismissing out of pocket, as is the case with the following 10 horror films...
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.