EJ Moreno looks at poorly received horror movies worth revisiting…
As horror fans, we often accept that some of our favorite movies may not be loved by everyone else. This comes with the territory, as the genre can really polarize viewers with everything from tone to gore to the director to a franchise’s legacy.
Focusing on Rotten Tomatoes scores, we will spotlight seven films that deserve a second glance. Our journey took us through many decades and sub-genres, all capturing the unique magic of a horror film that you may love and need a little extra appreciation for.
Honorable Mentions:
- Saw (50%)
– As one of the most famous franchises today, it’s wild to think Saw had such humble beginnings with an underappreciated indie. - Frogs (26%)
– It’s bad when looked at as a Jaws-era rip-off, but Frogs on its own as a smart and weird little creature film starring Sam Elliot.
Two Thousand Maniacs! (45%)
Going all the way back to 1964, Two Thousand Maniacs! is an early example of people being resistant to something, even if it became the standard not too far after.
The extreme gore throughout this Herschell Gordon Lewis showcase shocked and disgusted its viewers when it initially dropped, and it took some time for it to find its audience. When it did, many understood that Two Thousand Maniacs! is an excellent mix of gory fun and legit horror. We’d see this used for decades throughout, especially during the 00s ‘torture porn’ era.
Not without its flaws, mainly the dated effects, you can’t help but fall for this gnarly little slasher. It would even see a remake in 2005 with Robert Englund, which shows the lasting power of this underrated romp.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (50%)
Season of the Witch could’ve worked better if the film had any other title, something like Silver Shamrock, but the Halloween title sets expectations. You want Michael Myers, and he’s nowhere to be seen.
Looking at this film as its own thing, an intended anthology entry about the horrors of the spooky season, it’s pretty deliciously dark. Tom Atkins is eating up this film, playing a doctor on a mission to unearth the horrors of the Silver Shamrock Novelties factory. Add in some wild mythos and some iconic masks, and you’ll grow to see how this bizarre film makes for great fun. Also, plan to have this haunted jingle in your head for days.
John Carpenter had no plans to make Michael Myers the centerpiece of the Halloween franchise and wanted filmmakers to explore how scary this time of year could be.
Idle Hands (16%)
If anyone knows my tastes, a sleazy Satanic teen film from 1999 would easily win me over. It’s not hard to craft something so perfect, akin to what I love in my horror, but Idle Hands struggled with others.
As the lowest-rated film on this list, you would think this film would be a god-awful disaster, but it’s the typical teen schlock you’d find all over this year. Idle Hands works because it knows precisely its tone, style, and point of view. Is it a bit too hormonal, teen boy? Sure, but that’s par for what everything in 1999 was. Products of their time deserve love, and this is a loveable romp.
Ironically enough, one year later, star Devon Sawa would star in another Rotten-scoring horror film that deserves another look: the underrated Final Destination. Sawa owned campy 90s horror!
Scream 3 (40%)
I don’t think any Scream movie should be labeled bad, especially regarding Wes Craven’s iconic original trilogy. Is Scream 3 as strong as the first film? No, but not many films can hit that level of brilliance.
2000’s Scream 3 suffers from a problem most of these first few had: script rewrites that throw off the film’s flow. The films, especially this third film, struggle to find their groove in the story department. That said, what does work here is terrific, including two Gale Weathers, Craven mocking Harvey Weinstein to his face, and great meta moments. Craven rarely missed, and it’s wild to think this would be considered one.
Given our two recent Wes Craven-less Scream sequels have struggled to find their foot with diehard fans, Scream 3 is a perfect film to give a revisit. The tone is wild, but there’s no denying the fun here.
The Devil’s Rejects (54%)
Rob Zombie is one of the most polarizing horror filmmakers. If it’s his hell-billy style or shocking remakes, Zombie can piss anyone off. But that shouldn’t detract from how good The Devil’s Rejects is.
The sequel to his bombastic debut, House of 1000 Corpses, this 2005 upped the ante and showed Zombie operating at another level. Gone is the heavy music video style editing and campy tone, and in his place is one of the most hard-hitting 70s-style exploitation films. Wildly enough, it feels like a sleazier Quentin Tarantino film, and I think if you slapped Tarantino’s name on this exact film, people would love it.
The Devil’s Rejects has a polish that few Rob Zombie movies have. It feels like a strong vision from start to finish. And speaking of a finish, this could have one of the best horror endings.
Jennifer’s Body (46%)
By now, it feels passe to sing the praises of Jennifer’s Body; the once-hated and now-re-evaluated horror film has its fair share of discourse. As someone who was there in 2009, I’ll never forgive those who hated it.
We had one of Diablo Cody’s best scripts with Karyn Kusama at the helm, and you’re telling me we let this slip past us? That’s not even adding in the wonderful performances of Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried, who eat this up. It was a perfect storm to craft one of the best “coming-of-rage” movies, and the mainstream hated it for far too long. It was stuck as an overlooked nostalgic gem when people finally came around.
This is a reminder to appreciate those gnarly little horrors now, not later. Jennifer’s Body is a lot of fun and aged even better with the modern focus on female stories within horror.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (42%)
Outside of Minus One from last year, I can’t think of another modern Godzilla movie that captures the magic of being a kaiju fan like Michael Dougherty’s King of the Monsters from 2019.
The MonsterVerse has its highs and lows, but it’s obscene to think this monster brawl is one of the bad ones. Godzilla: King of the Monsters gives you plenty to sink your teeth into, especially if you love the most iconic kaiju in Godzilla’s line-up. The human story struggles, which is the case for even some of the best movies in this franchise, but it gets made up for seeing King Ghidorah fight Nuclear Godzilla.
Getting Rodan, Mothra, Ghidorah, and one of the best takes on Godzilla should never be considered terrible, but it does speak to how hard it is to sell kaiju madness to everyone.
What other horror movies deserve a second chance? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth and check out our FREE Patreon for more exclusive content…
EJ Moreno