10 Most Pointless Horror Movies Ever Made
What is the point of the horror movie? Don't ask Rob Zombie, David R Ellis or Gus Van Sant.
Some horror films basically don't need, deserve or have any good reason to exist. But we don't need to tell you that.
For decades now, horror as a genre has been plagued with unworthy offerings, when directors, producers and financiers put their heads together and come up with something so inessential they might as well not make it. But make it they do. They couldn't stop making Final Destinations, they re-made Hitchcock's Psycho shot-for-shot, and they let Rob Zombie make absolutely anything he wanted.
That is not to say that some of these films aren't rather enjoyable in their own right. Hell, some of them are technically good. But there is a great, gaping chasm between what we are willing to watch and whether or not it has a point to it. Some films remake sacred properties, some end right back where they start, and others have their characters tread water like we won't notice.
And we have collected the worst offenders here for you. Yes, these are the most meaningless productions ever mounted, the 10 most pointless horror movies ever made. Don't just take our word for it...
10. Invaders From Mars (1986)
Tobe Hooper (of Poltergeist fame) brought us sci-fi horror Invaders from Mars in the mid-'80s, in which a flying saucer lands in young David Gardner's (Hunter Carson) garden, and the boy is forced to prevent the alien invaders from taking over his hometown - and possibly the world.
The action is fun, the aliens look good, and the scares are authentic, so why is this such a pointless endeavour? The reasons are twofold. First of all, Invaders From Mars is a remake of the already warmly regarded 1953 film of the same name. Like most remakes, we simply didn't need it, and not enough is changed between the two productions to justify it. Which leads onto the second reason: it is all a dream!
Suffering from the same dysfunction as the original movie, Hooper's picture ends with David awakening safe in his bed, the preceding adventure a literal nightmare. Sure, there's a modicum of doubt instilled in us when David once again sees the alien ship land in his backyard - but this only occurs after his parents have been in to reassure him, and he has lain down to sleep again. And we all know what that means.