10 Horror Movies Ruined By ONE Thing
These horror movies were derailed by one fatal flaw.
No movie is perfect, and most movies are far from it. Flaws are an inherent part of the filmmaking process, and great films can usually weather those nagging issues or even wear them proudly. But sometimes a film can be saddled with one problem so glaring that it ends up derailing the entire endeavour in one fell swoop. And of all genres, this is certainly true in the horror realm.
Even accepting that horror fans are an enthusiastic, even forgiving bunch, these films were all hobbled by one issue so egregious, so off-putting, that it basically sank the whole cinematic enterprise.
From ham-fisted social commentary that fell totally flat, to woeful effects, a certain character's wildly divisive death, and everything else in-between, these horror movies were all undone by one thing. No matter how well-crafted and enjoyable they were otherwise, these elements all had an irreversibly detrimental impact on how the film was viewed by audiences at large.
Even those wiling to overlook massive issues will struggle to fully accept these problems, which all sucked the air out of the room.
10. The Awful Social Commentary - Halloween Kills
Now, credit where it's due, Halloween Kills absolutely delivered on the promises of its title, serving up the highest body count of any film in the franchise.
Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney) has never looked more savagely, ferociously imposing than he does here, especially during that gorgeous opening massacre of the firefighters who show up to Laurie's (Jamie Lee Curtis) burning house.
The gory kill sequences are basically enough to compensate for the fact that Laurie spends most of the movie confined to a hospital bed, but what really sinks Halloween Kills? It's the picture's groan-worthy attempt at social commentary.
Much of the film is centered around the efforts of a vigilante mob, formed by now-adult Myers survivor Tommy Doyle (Anthony Michael Hall), to hunt down and kill The Shape. This subplot is clearly intended to note the dangers of mob mentality, but the sheer stupidity of the mob's actions - namely, chasing down an escaped convict who clearly isn't Michael - and their moronic, never-ending utterance of "Evil dies tonight!" makes it impossible to take any of it seriously.
The commentary is so bluntly on-the-nose, so lacking in nuance, and so poorly executed on the whole, that it's honestly tough to believe an adult actually wrote any of it. It's juvenile and silly in all the wrong ways, and makes it tough to consider rewatching the entire movie - especially when you can just watch a montage of all the gnarly kills on YouTube.