10 Horror Movies Probably Made Out Of Spite

5. Godzilla

Halloween Remake
TriStar Pictures

While it may not be an entire movie made out of spite, 1998's Godzilla is well worthy of a spot on this list for how two characters were included solely as a way to take a jibe at a couple of critics who'd previously panned certain other Roland Emmerich pictures.

The couple of critics in question are the legendary duo of Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, with Emmerich rewriting the initial screenplay to include the characters of Mayor Ebert and his assistant Gene.

Both of these figures are idiots who make horrendous decisions at every turn, and this was all done as a way for the director to lash out at the real-life Ebert and Siskel after the duo had slammed Emmerich's Universal Soldier, Stargate and Independence Day.

What was the reaction of Ebert and Siskel to their Godzilla doppelgangers? They were disappointed that Emmerich didn't give them some grand death at the hands of the titular King of the Monsters, which was just one of many problems the pair had with the film.

At one point, Ebert famously compared watching Godzilla at the Palais of the Cannes Film Festival to attending a satanic ritual in St. Peter's Basilica.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.