10 More Horror Movies Hated By Critics But Audiences Loved
2. Five Nights At Freddy's
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 32%
Over the last year, no horror film has divided critics and audiences more starkly than the long-awaited big-screen adaptation of beloved video game Five Nights at Freddy's.
Critics gave the movie a fair mauling, criticising its confusing lore, tame PG-13 rating, overlong runtime, and lack of appeal for those who haven't touched the source material. With a mega 87% audience rating, though, Five Nights went down a storm with its target demographic, who lauded it for capturing the spirit of the games even if it was fundamentally imperfect.
On a mere $20 million budget, Five Nights at Freddy's grossed almost $300 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing horror film of 2023, ensuring that a sequel was fast-tracked into development.
Honestly, it doesn't really feel like either side is "wrong" here. As a film on its own merits, Five Nights at Freddy's isn't particularly compelling for the uninitiated, but for fans who want to see the game world translated to live-action, it seemingly gets just enough right, no matter its many, many shortcomings.
Given the movie's massive success despite the critical scorn, it's fair to say that this burgeoning franchise has already established itself as totally critic-proof.