10 More Horror Movies Hated By Critics But Audiences Loved
8. The Thing (1982)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%
Though John Carpenter's incredible 1982 remake of The Thing indeed has a sturdy Tomatometer score of 84%, if Rotten Tomatoes existed back when the film was first released, it would've mustered a mere fraction of that respectable number.
Initially, The Thing endured an extremely frosty reception from critics, who drubbed it for its nihilistic tone and nauseating gore effects, with even the great Roger Ebert stating that the film didn't offer much depth outside of its impressive practical effects work.
Hell, the tide was so firmly against The Thing that Ennio Morricone's glorious synth score bafflingly received a Worst Original Score nomination from the Razzies.
Above all else, The Thing was perhaps a victim of poor timing, releasing in the same year as less-grotesque, more mainstream-skewing sci-fi films like E.T., Blade Runner, Poltergeist, and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and seeming quite unappealing by comparison.
Though it flopped at the box office, the movie was reclaimed on home video, where genre enthusiasts discovered and embraced it enough that its esteem skyrocketed throughout the 1980s and '90s. This resulted in a major critical turnaround and The Thing ultimately joining the ranks of the most acclaimed sci-fi/horror films of all time.