10 Precise Moments Horror Icons Stopped Being Scary

It's fair to say that he big bads we've come to know and love don't really induce that instant vomit, crap your pants, cry until the sweet release of daylight fear that they used to. The 80s were a time of terrifying new turns in the horror genre, but since then, the legacy of slasher heroes has been dampened somewhat, priding campy sequels and illogical storylines over their original, simple, movie monster roots.

Whilst new and interesting creatures can try and fill the hole left behind, the attempts to get scarier with each new horror release only serve to remind us of what we've lost. More often than not, there's even an exacting, precise moment that can be pinpointed, where our favourite horror icons are pushed over the edge of reason and lose all sense of credibility.

Transforming from Pennywise to Ronald McDonald can happen over the course of an ill-advised sequel, or in some cases, during one unforgettably bad scene. All it takes is one slip up, and the fear is lost forever.

Looking at the history of horror and where exactly the S was taken out of slaughter then, we tip our hockey masks in respect. Rest in peace, monsters of old, as these are the moments that buried you.

The Cabin in the Woods is probably the best horror spoof movie of all time, purely for the fact that it functions perfectly well if you take the 'spoof' part out of it. Scary Movie, take some notes.

Breaking down genre tropes, cliches, and stereotypical characters, there's plenty of scenes that will stand out for their clever manipulation of horror films gone by - but only one that's just... well, a bit bizarre. Werewolves have been classic horror monsters for generations, and it's fair to say that their time is up. It's this moment that just solidified it, really.

Coming when the characters decide to play a game of truth or date, Jules, our sexy blonde lady who might as well have a target painted on her forehead, takes it upon herself to seduce a taxidermy wolf pinned to the wall. If you've ever been scared of a werewolf at any point in your life, watching her tongue punch the wall-mounts mouth is enough to eradicate any sort of fear and replace it with disgust, confusion, and a maybe some weird eroticism. Help?

Funnily enough, a werewolf appears later in the film, but is one of the least notably scary monsters on screen and relies on jump scares, potentially a reminder of the evolution of horror over the years that's forgotten our loveable hairy dog monsters. Good boys gone bad.