15 Recent Horrors You Should Avoid This Halloween

1. Rob Zombie's 31

The Thing 2011
Saban Films

The Running Man meets The Devil's Rejects - what's not to love? Answer: almost everything about Rob Zombie's 31, a strong contender for the most disappointing horror film of 2016. After a while spent out of the horror filmmaking fray, Zombie returns to it with his love letter to Hillbillies and Killer Clowns - maybe the most Rob Zombie movie ever made.

What that involves is surprisingly not-fun swearing, unlikeable characters (including his wife, again), a boring story and barely coherent action. Worst of all, its clowns barely even look like clowns, being too self-consciously 'scary' looking to ever actually scare. Everything about Rob Zombie's 31 seems to be trying too hard, and, as a result, it's an abject failure.

Instead, you should go for Zombie's underrated masterpiece - The Lords of Salem - which is spooky, clever and actually, properly scary at times.

Any others to add to the list? Share your reactions below in the comments thread.

Contributor
Contributor

A film critic and professional writer of over ten years, Joel Harley has a deep and abiding love of all things horror, Batman and Nicolas Cage. He can be found writing online and in print, all over the Internet and in especially good bookstores.