10 Horror Movies That Flopped Hard In 2023
Not every horror flick is a winner.
Horror movies have been knocking it out of the park in 2023, winning over critics and making a killing at the box office. Evil Dead Rise was the most successful entry in the franchise's history, while Talk to Me and Insidious: The Red Door recouped 10 times their respective budgets. M3GAN, Blumhouse's new fan-favourite entry into the creepy doll movie canon, is also shaping up to be the next big franchise.
Of course, there are an unlucky few horror movies that haven't had it quite so easy in 2023, flopping either critically, commercially, or both. Now, that's not suggesting the entries on this list looking at the biggest horror bombs of the year are awful. Even though some of these films were well-received and hyped, not enough people showed up to see them in theatres.
There are all sorts of reasons why these films tanked. If there is minimal promotion, moviegoers won't even know these features exist. If the story is a little too obscure, it could be limiting its potential audience. Also, what chance does a film have at the box office when it's forced to compete against an Avatar sequel?
Whatever the reason, the studios must have been beside themselves with frustration once they saw the ticket sales - or more specifically, the lack of.
10. Run Rabbit Run
Run Rabbit Run follows a fertility doctor called Sarah (Succession's Sarah Snook) who becomes concerned after her daughter, Mia, begins identifying as her long-lost aunt.
Daina Reid's mind-bending thriller sounds like it has potential, due to its simple but intriguing premise. And since this Netflix exclusive came out a month after Succession ended, it looked like the perfect vehicle for Sarah Snook to add momentum to her career as a film star.
Rather than do something bold and daring, Run Rabbit Run tosses in every trope imaginable. How often are horror movies going to pull off creepy kid drawings and forced jump-scares before filmmakers realise they're not scary anymore?
Such cliches would be more forgiving if the story wasn't so flimsy. There are some great themes to explore, including childhood trauma and family burdens, but the film never sinks its teeth into anything insightful - even with talents like Snook trying their best with the material given.