20 Horror Movies That Were Way Too Cruel

It might seem odd, at first, to complain about horror movies being too cruel. After all, this genre does specialize in darker movies, so surely this cruelty is kind of the point? To an extent, absolutely, but it's arguable that there is an important balance when it comes to this. 

If a horror flick goes too far into mean-spiritedness, the whole thing becomes a lot harder to enjoy. So, how can a horror film avoid feeling too mean?

Well, it can do this in a number of ways. Perhaps the two most important things are, firstly, making sure that the tragedy of the story feels logical and earned, and secondly, allowing all of the darkness to really mean something. If an extra-dark horror film uses its morbid material to say something interesting, that makes it much easier to swallow. 

The following 20 movies are all examples of horror pictures that, in one way or another, were too cruel for their own good, and this has definitely turned many viewers off them. Had these dialled down on all the nastiness, it's likely many of them would be regarded more fondly...

Final Destination: Bloodlines is an awesome horror sequel, perhaps the best Final Destination movie ever made and easily one of the greatest horror films of the year. It's arguable that it wouldn't look too out of place in a list of the decade's best horror films so far, so this placement mustn't be misread as an attack on the overall film. Rather, it's a criticism of the ending, which was by far the worst part of a mostly strong narrative. 

Four out of the other five Final Destination movies concluded with everyone dying in some form, and to end the film with another 'Gotcha!' moment where the last survivors die after all was so predictable, not to mention outright aggravating in this particular instance. 

First up, this was a poorly done twist. Siblings Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) and Charlie (Teo Briones) thought that they were safe because she'd supposedly drowned and he'd revived her via CPR. As anyone with any basic medical knowledge would've been able to work out immediately, Stefani didn't actually die.

Secondly, this was particularly frustrating because these two siblings were genuinely likable, well-played characters who'd been through absolute hell, as they'd lost so many members of their family. They deserved a happy ending, and this end just felt a bit too mean. It was a bum note to conclude an otherwise triumphant return for one of horror's greatest franchises.