10 Horror Movies You Didn't Realise Secretly Bombed

Budget: $15 million

Box Office: $19.6 million

Because of its haunting atmosphere and Rob Bottin's towering visuals, John Carpenter's The Thing has surpassed its status as a cult-classic, and is now viewed as a horror masterpiece.

However, The Thing was perceived quite differently upon its initial release. Starlog called it a "cold and sterile" cash-grab which paled compared to sci-fi offerings like Blade Runner (which weirdly came out the same day).

Okay, you can't win them all. But that's just one review, right?

On the contrary, The Thing was so universally hated, you'd swear the critics were talking about something else entirely. It was seen as nihilistic, derivative, badly paced, and lacking in suspense. Although the special effects were lauded, many critics thought they were too disgusting to find them impressive. The New York Times' Vincent Canby had the audacity to refer to the SFX as "phony looking", which makes you wonder if he even saw the movie!

But if anyone is responsible for sinking The Thing, it has to be Roger Ebert. Being the world's biggest critic in his day, he carried the most clout. So, when he said The Thing had nothing new to offer, anyone who intended to check out the film immediately lost interest.