20 Hit Horror Movies NOBODY Saw Coming
9. One Cut of the Dead
Japanese found-footage film One Cut of the Dead is absolutely a movie that could've flopped on theatrical release and only been discovered by genre enthusiasts months or even years later on streaming.
This ingenious meta horror-comedy, seemingly centred around the crew of a low-budget horror film as they're waylaid by zombies, was produced for just $25,000, with producers simply hoping to break even during its theatrical run.
However, One Cut of the Dead picked up international attention following a screening at Italy's Far East Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award.
And so, the film was given an extended release in three Tokyo cinemas, where word of mouth led it to eventually screen in 200 venues around Japan.
By the end of its run, One Cut of the Dead had grossed $27.5 million in Japan alone, with other releases around the world bringing its total to $31.2 million - a staggering return on its meagre budget.
Since then the movie has endured as one of the most creative and unexpected horror films of the 2010s, as well as receiving French and Vietnamese-language remakes.