20 Recent Horror Movies That Made ONE Huge Mistake

14. Too Many Jump Scares - Passenger

passenger
Paramount Pictures

Passenger, the new supernatural horror film from Troll Hunter filmmaker André Øvredal, was a watchable but ultimately forgettable romp that most are likely to remember for one thing above all else - those damn, dirty jump scares.

Though there's nothing inherently wrong with jump scares, they're far too often used as a crutch by filmmakers who perhaps lack confidence in what they're doing and feel the need to cheaply jolt the audience.

And Passenger's jump scares are certainly of the desperate, lazy variety - the film's absolutely chock full of them, and they're largely just repeating the same tired formula ad nauseum.

There's little genuine suspense or tension to be found elsewhere, and so it's painfully clear that these moments were all gassed-up in post-production in a last ditch attempt to give the film more visceral impact.

Again, not the worst film you've ever seen, but a disappointingly by-the-numbers effort coming from a skilled genre craftsman.

 
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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.