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Top 20 Worst Horror Movies Of The Century (So Far)

Top 20 Worst Horror Movies Of The Century (So Far)
VOICE OVER: Andrew Tejada WRITTEN BY: George Pacheco
The horror genre has a tough time! For this list, we'll be ranking the most critically panned, commercially unsuccessful or otherwise poor horror movies to be released from the year 2000 until the present day. Our countdown includes "Truth or Dare", "Ouija", "Slender Man" and more!

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 20 Worst Horror Movies of the Century So Far. For this list, we’ll be ranking the most critically panned, commercially unsuccessful or otherwise poor horror movies to be released from the year 2000 until the present day. To even the playing field, we will be omitting any made-for-TV or direct-to-DVD outings. Have you seen any of these films? Feel like defending them? Let us know, and sound off in the comments!

#20: “Truth or Dare” (2018)


Many of us remember playing “truth or dare” as children, but will horror fans recall the 2018 film of the same name with a similar fondness? It’s highly doubtful, since both critical and fan reactions to “Truth or Dare” were profoundly negative, right from the jump. The movie was a commercial success, of course, as many Blumhouse-produced horror films usually are, but “Truth or Dare” also possessed a messy script with too many writing hands in the pot. The end result was a bargain-basement, spooky mess, the sort of horror flick that arrives on a Friday night, makes its money back, and then quietly disappears, back into the darkness.

#19: “Ghost Ship” (2002)


We’ll fully cop to admitting that “Ghost Ship” possesses one banger of an opening set piece. The prologue massacre of the MS Antonia Graza is gloriously bloody stuff, but it’s unfortunately all downhill after that sequence. “Ghost Ship” attempts to mix old-school supernatural frights with modern CGI-centered horror tropes, but succeeds at neither aim. Instead, the film wastes its striking beginning, and treads water right until its final moments. And it’s a shame, too, because “Ghost Ship” could’ve, and perhaps should’ve, been so much better. Talk about a displeasure cruise.

#18: “The Fog” (2005)


John Carpenter is one of the most respected creative voices in the horror world. As a result, many of the man’s films have gone on to influence and define the genre, making them difficult to remake. This is just one of the reasons why the 2005 iteration of “The Fog” failed, both as its own film and as a tribute to Carpenter. The remake doesn’t possess the star power of the original, and Carpenter’s signature, all-encompassing style is absent and definitely missed. They call them “classics” for a reason, after all, and “The Fog” should’ve stayed in the eighties, where it belongs.

#17: “Queen of the Damned” (2002)


Adaptations of Anne Rice’s “Vampire Chronicles” series of novels have seen various degrees of success. The OG “Interview with the Vampire” from 1994 is something of a moody cult favorite from director Neil Jordan. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about this 2002 effort, which attempts to smash together two of Rice’s books, “The Vampire Lestat” and “Queen of the Damned,” into a single film. The end results boast a campily iconic performance from Aaliyah, but even this couldn’t save the script, which hardly respects the source material, and relies too much on hackneyed horror tropes. It’s more than a swing and a miss: it’s a downright shame.

#16: “When a Stranger Calls” (2006)


The 2000s saw a near-immeasurable amount of horror remakes clogging the local multiplex. “When a Stranger Calls” is perhaps one of the most egregious, while also being forgettable, to boot. This is a shame, because the 1979 original delivers one of the most iconic openings in horror movie history with its “calls coming from inside the house” moments during the first twenty minutes. The 2006 iteration focuses solely on that aspect of its predecessor, without the trauma and procedural elements that the ’79 version explored. As a result, this “When a Stranger Calls” feels like a cheap cash-in, as opposed to a loving remake, and should be ignored at all costs.

#15: “Ouija” (2014)


Our next entry is one of the rare instances where a film’s follow-up is far superior to the original. We’re talking about 2014’s “Ouija,” which adapts the classic Parker Brothers spirit board into a feature length film. There’s a threadbare plot here involving predictable possessions, but “Ouija” fails in the execution. It’s cliché after cliché with this first film, whereas Mike Flanagan’s 2016 prequel, “Ouija: Origin of Evil,” improves upon the original in every way. Our advice? Start with number two, and never look back. All signs point to “no” with the first “Ouija.”

#14: “The Disappointments Room” (2016)


Man, who okayed that title? We’d shake our heads, if we weren’t struggling to stay awake after watching this 2016 bomb about an evil attic. There are elements to this film that could’ve worked, such as Kate Beckinsale’s lead performance, and the occasionally stylish and slick cinematography. However, “The Disappointments Room” falls apart in the script department, and just can’t muster enough scares to retain its audience. It also couldn’t retain rental space in the multiplex, as “The Disappointments Room” saw a record-setting amount of screens drop it, after a - ahem - “disappointing” run at the box office. See what we did there?

#13: “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (2010)


Hey, whaddaya know? It’s remake time again! The “Nightmare on Elm Street” version circa 2010 possesses an admirable performance from Jackie Earle Haley as the horror icon Freddy Krueger, but let’s face it, there’s only one man who can play that role: Robert Englund. Characters like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees have always benefited from the fact that they wear masks. This means that multiple actors can step into their shoes with relative ease. Not so with Krueger, but not even Haley’s college try can save this “Nightmare” from being nightmarish in the worst way. The tone is drab, the set-pieces unimaginative, and the end results are best left forgotten.

#12: “The Haunting of Sharon Tate” (2019)


Every now and then, a movie comes around with a premise so strange that you can’t help but scratch your head and take notice. Unfortunately, that doesn’t necessarily mean a flick like “The Haunting of Sharon Tate” is fresh with its tale of the doomed actor who would perish at the hands of the Manson Family. Instead, this film borders on the distasteful and exploitative, a sad and depressing affair that takes real-life events and presents an alternate reality with an almost perverse twist near the end. “The Haunting of Sharon Tate” is just a mess; an ugly and offensive film that takes no joy in its story, and probably shouldn’t be viewed by anyone.

#11: “Slender Man” (2018)


The odds are probably good that there will be one great, defining horror film produced someday that takes its inspiration from a creepypasta. 2018’s “Slender Man,” however, is not that movie. Its box office drop off was huge after an eleven million dollar debut, and the film largely left critics and audiences cold. “Slender Man” could’ve perhaps blazed a trail for a new generation of horror films based upon modern Internet mythology, but the film instead comes across as half-baked, cliché and not even all that scary. If you’re thinking about checking out “Slender Man,” you’re probably better off just researching the source material.

#10: “I Know Who Killed Me” (2007)


The idea behind actors seeking to escape typecasting by gravitating toward horror or thriller roles isn’t a new one, and Lindsay Lohan definitely took her shot back with 2007’s “I Know Who Killed Me.” The movie’s plot is pretty bonkers, with the sort of logic that you might’ve found back in 1970s Italy and their “giallo” brand of violent mystery-thrillers. Lohan’s performance as an abducted woman with identity issues didn’t win over critics, although “I Know Who Killed Me” has amassed something of a cult audience. However, there are likely many more people who call this one of the worst films ever made. We’ll let you be the judge.

#9: “The Haunting of Molly Hartley” (2008)


Supernatural horror films can always be a gamble. Some audiences are absolutely terrified by a good ghost story, while others will simply roll their eyes and deny any and all scares a movie has to offer. Then again, when your movie is as poor as “The Haunting of Molly Hartley,” those denials can arrive with relative ease. The demonic aspects of the film’s plot could’ve worked as a retro-80s commentary on the era of Satanic Panic, but the film instead treads water and balks at doing anything new, hopelessly dull. Call this one a case of missed opportunities.

#8: “Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2” (2000)


The writing was perhaps on the wall that no sequel to 1999’s “The Blair Witch Project” was going to perform as well as its predecessor. The writing was DEFINITELY on the wall, then, when the studio rushed out said sequel a year later, and decided not to produce it in the same, found footage style. “Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2” feels sickening, with the sort of jarring editing that often plagued horror films during this period. There’s also a complete lack of tension and suspense, and even its meta plot lines about the original “Blair Witch” are trite and forced. “Book of Shadows” was probably better off not attaching itself to the “Blair Witch” name.

#7: “The Apparition” (2012)


“The Apparition” may be somewhat forgotten today, but the actual, real-life inspiration behind its plot is much more interesting. It was known as the Philip experiment, and it was a study in the 1970s that asked whether or not the living could communicate with the idea of a fictionalized ghost. “The Apparition,” predictably, doesn’t go the cerebral route with this, and instead runs things fast and loose. The film isn’t scary or suspenseful, and not even worth watching for its fresh-faced cast of Ashley Greene, Sebastian Stan, and Tom Felton. Let’s just pretend it never happened.

#6: “The Bye Bye Man” (2017)


There have been a slew of horrendous supernatural horror films haphazardly produced in the 21st century. “The Bye Bye Man” may be among the very worst, to boot. You’d think that film studios might be able to avoid genre pitfalls like this in 2017, but nope: here we are with another supernatural stinker. Nothing ever clicks with “The Bye Bye Man,” from its poor acting and unoriginal script to confusing editing choices and a complete lack of focus. This one’s not even good enough for the bargain bin. Forget goodbyes; don’t even say “hello” to this one.

#5: “The Wicker Man” (2006)


On one hand, we perversely admire Neil LaBute’s 2006 reimagining of Robin Hardy’s classic, “The Wicker Man,” for the sheer WTF fever dream it brought to the screen. There’s also the lunatic fringe performance of Nicolas Cage as the lead, with multiple memorable moments of yelling, screaming and running in a bear suit to fuel meme generators for a light year. However, as a horror film, it fails in tremendous fashion, cutting off the palpable atmosphere of the original at the knees, and relying on cheap jumps to frighten its audience. Take our advice: just watch the seventies original instead.

#4: “FeardotCom” (2002)


Fun fact: 2002’s “FeardotCom” served as the only instance where the writer of this video walked out of a movie. True story aside, however, time seems to have forgotten the film even exists, other than the instances where critics recall how much they hated it at the time. “FeardotCom” was so poorly received, in fact, that some have called for its reappraisal as a modern “cult classic.” Perhaps it’s the film’s usage of the Internet as some sort of real life “Videodrome” that drives victims to self-destruction. Or, maybe it’s the nasty and grungy cinematography. Either way, “FeardotCom” is more than a mess, and will probably always be remembered that way.

#3: “One Missed Call” (2008)


Ah, “The Ring:” what hast thou wrought? If it seems as if studios were scrambling to remake Asian horror cinema in the 2000s, that’s because they were, and largely thanks to the success of “The Ring” in 2002. Make no mistake, however: “One Missed Call” is absolutely not in the same company. The film can’t even compare with the American remake of “The Grudge,” it’s that bad. It wasn’t even screened for critics prior to release, and the reception by fans and horror writers after the fact was almost universally negative. We may sound like a broken record at this point, but we’ll say it again: some films just shouldn’t be remade.

#2: “Alone in the Dark” (2005)


The “Resident Evil” series may be something of an outlier when it comes to successful film franchises that are based upon video games. That’s because, when movie fans do think of such films and their reported lack of quality, they’re usually thinking of dreck like 2005’s “Alone in the Dark.” Notorious director Uwe Boll brought together Tara Reid, Stephen Dorff and Christian Slater, and couldn’t do a thing with them: there’s just zero chemistry. The special effects are also laughably bad, and the whole thing feels like a bad idea right from the jump. Stay far away from this one.

#1: “The Devil Inside” (2012)


It was the horror movie ending that made audiences so steaming mad, that many are still PO’d about it to this day. We’re talking about “The Devil Inside,” and the gall of its creators to end their tale of demonic possession with a text image and an Internet link for “more information.” To be fair, the film’s screenwriters stuck to their guns and defended their decision at the time, but this hasn’t helped “The Devil Inside” rise up from its well of infamy. There have been a lot of demonic possession movies out there that are worth your time; why would you waste it by watching this one?
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