10 Horror Movie Flops That NOBODY Saw Coming

Based on John Wyndham's novel, The Midwich Cuckoos, Village of the Damned centres around a group of alien-hybrid children who use their psychic powers to terrorise their hometown. Though the story was adapted before in 1960, the 1995 version looked like it could be even better.

Firstly, it was helmed by John Carpenter. The visionary director already showcased his talents at blending psychological and sci-fi horror with The Thing, They Live, and In The Mouth of Madness. 

This adaptation had an impressive cast, including Mark Hamill, Kirstie Alley, and the OG Superman himself, Christopher Reeve, in the lead role. Even though some of Carpenter's best films flopped, there was little reason to doubt Village of the Damned would turn a profit, considering its budget was a measly $22 million.

Against the odds, the promising remake was a huge failure. Due to the underdeveloped characters, tonal inconsistency, and dated effects, Village of the Damned is arguably Carpenter's worst work. Most damning of all, it wasn't scary at all.

Thanks to the appalling reviews and bad word-of-mouth, Village of the Damned only earned $9.4 million domestically.