10 Worst PG-13 Horror Films Since 2020
2. The Unholy
Based on the 1983 James Herbert novel Shrine, The Unholy went through a whole heap of trouble just to get made. It was announced in 2018, dragged on for two years, and then finally got going only to have production halted by the pandemic.
Was this a sign that the universe didn’t want this film to come out? Perhaps…
A series of so-called “miracles” attached to a small town attracts the interest of a journalist (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) who is looking to re-energise his career after a scandal. His investigation turns up more than he bargained for, as these supposed acts of kindness are actually linked to a malevolent spirit.
Alongside the Walking Dead actor, Katie Aselton, William Sadler, and Cary Elwes also appear in the film. This wasn’t enough to save it, though, as The Unholy lived up to its name in the worst possible way.
Its drab and dreary approach to the source material is why some people think a PG-13 horror can’t work, but all this proved was that they need creativity to be frightening. The Unholy had no such spark and was more likely to bore an audience to death than to scare them.