10 Horror Movie Flops That NOBODY Saw Coming

Though many 1980s slashers followed the "masked maniac" formula, Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street took a cerebral approach, centring around a killer who hunted victims in their dreams. When the supernatural teen horror recouped 50 times its budget, the studio sensibly green-lit a myriad of sequels. 

Sadly, the once bone-chilling IP quickly descended into campy schlock. Although the follow-ups have a few bright spots, they couldn't compare to the original.

So, when Craven announced he was directing a new instalment called New Nightmare, it was a cause for celebration. Rather than churning out more of the same, this entry had Freddy entering the real world and tormenting the original Final Girl, Heather Langenkamp.

Despite the innovative premise, New Nightmare was (and still is) the least successful film in the entire franchise. Even though meta-horror became hugely popular (thanks to Scream, which Craven directed the following year), some moviegoers were disappointed by New Nightmare's approach, since they wanted a more traditional horror. 

It's also worth mentioning that slashers were a flagging genre during the early 1990s, so New Nightmare had an uphill battle straight off the bat.