Have you ever felt judged for loving a movie critics deem “bad”? Have you ever been ostracized by horror gatekeepers who proclaim their love of “elevated horror” while turning down their nose at slashers? If so, this list might be for you.
I once heard an expression, “Sex is like pizza, even when it’s bad, it’s still good.” Well, admittedly, that’s how I feel about horror movies. While I do have self-awareness of what’s critically “bad” (there are some of those on this list), there are also some movies that I think are genuinely good, and I’m baffled by their negative critical reception (there are also some of those on this list). With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to round up my top 10 favourite ‘bad’ horror movies.
The criteria for this list is that the movie must be rated 5.5/10 or below on IMDB, with some exceptions that are marginally outside of these parameters. Critical scores on other film review websites, such as Rotten Tomatoes, MetaCritic, Letterboxd, and Cinemascore will also be considered.
Disclaimer: This list is all in good fun. We’re all entitled to our opinions and to like what we like without shame. Who knows, maybe you will find some of your favourites on this list. If you do, please understand that the title of this post is intended to be tongue-in-cheek. I do not think these movies are truly “bad”—some may be popcorn horror/fun “bad” but they’re not fundamentally terrible films; They are all simply critically panned and overall rejected by the majority.
Without further adieu, here is the list of my top 10 favourite ‘bad’ horror movies…
10. We Summon The Darkness
IMDB Score: 5.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 5.3/10
MetaCritic MetaScore: 55/100
Letterboxd Score: 2.5/5 stars
Cinemascore: N/A
We Summon The Darkness is a satanic panic horror movie set in the 1980s. It revolves around a trio of best friends who go road-tripping to a heavy metal show. There, they pick up some guys for an after-party, at which point all hell breaks loose.
Why It’s ‘Bad’
The number one complaint that negative reviewers have is that We Summon The Darkness is full of clichés. The subversion of the movie’s twist itself could even be seen as a cliché, but I found it effective. Perhaps I’m calling myself out here, but not only did I not predict it, but I also found it entertaining (keep in mind, I did not recall the trailer by the time I viewed the film).
Why I Love It
It is hard to hype up this film without revealing spoilers, so all I will say is that it is a fun and entertaining ride. Most notably, Alexandra Daddario’s performance was fantastic—you could tell she was having a lot of fun with the role. Plus, millennials may appreciate brief appearances by Johnny Knoxville as a deranged pastor, which ups the film’s camp factor in a way that only Knoxville can.
My Rating
9. Ma
IMDB Score: 5.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 5.6/10
MetaCritic MetaScore: 53/100
Letterboxd Score: 2.5/5 stars
Cinemascore: B-
I’m going to be honest: I’m shocked this film met the negative criteria of this list with it being a clear outlier among a list of campy slashers that critics could subjectively find fault in. Ma follows a lonely woman (Octavia Spencer) who befriends a group of high schoolers who are using her to buy them alcohol and provide a coveted teenage party pad (affectionately referred to as “Ma’s House”). But what they don’t know is that she may be using them for sinister reasons.
Why It’s ‘Bad’
Critics are saying it’s boring at Ma’s house—with the pacing of the film being described as dull and the teenagers labelled as forgettable stock characters. Negative reviewers also say that the anti-bullying message of Ma is flimsy and shallow. While I agree that the anti-bullying message of Ma is a little convoluted (not to mention, the film feels uncertain whether viewers are supposed to root for or against Ma), it is certainly not a dull movie.
Why I Love It
This film is tense, hilarious, scary, and unhinged in all the best ways. You won’t know whether to laugh at, cry for, or fear Ma, thanks to Octavia Spencer’s hilariously manic and at times, sympathetic performance.
My Rating
8. Valentine
IMDB Score: 4.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 3.4/10
MetaCritic MetaScore: 18/100
Letterboxd Score: 2.6/5 stars
Cinemascore: D+
2001’s Valentine centres around a group of women being stalked by a cherub mask-wearing killer who they suspect is a kid they rejected in middle school seeking poetic revenge around—you guessed it—Valentine’s Day. Is the plot deep? No. Fun? Yes.
Why It’s ‘Bad’
Critics say Valentine is lacking in scares and is formulaic and bland with one-dimensional characters. Some criticize the commentary on sexual politics within the film and view the female characters as “self-satisfied” (I’m sorry, what?), and bizarrely, some bemoaned the lack of nudity (see below). Cue eye roll.
For the record, I do dock some feminist points from the film for its depiction of the interpersonal relationships between the female characters, some of which are problematic. But overall, Valentine’s almost satirical takedown of the kinds of obnoxious men we’ve all encountered in modern dating makes this movie a cathartic and entertaining watch. What’s more, not all of these takedowns are executed by the killer. Viewers also get to root for Denise Richard’s character, Paige, to enact some revenge of her own on these toxic men throughout the film.
Editor’s Note: Shoutout to Brad Laidman (who is a man who clearly never gets laid, if his misogynist outlook is any indicator—forgive my dad joke) for the most sexist review on Rotten Tomatoes. This laughable pull quote from his review says it all: “Porno actresses are smarter than this crew!” I found the full review on Film Threat and it only gets worse: “If you’re going to have Denise Richards die in a hot tub, you’d best have her be naked when it happens.” Yes, in this approved “critic’s” enlightened review, he suggests not once but twice how the stars of the film should have “gotten naked”. I guess the bar was on the floor for Rotten Tomatoes critics in 2001.
Why I Love It
This slasher is delightfully early aughts (although hawk-eyed horror fans will clock a hint of Giallo with the masked killer’s aesthetic) and unexpectedly feminist at points. This makes it the perfect popcorn horror to watch for Galentine’s Day to make fun of a bunch of Chads with your girlfriends.
My Rating:
7. Cursed
IMDB Score: 5/10
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 3.2/10
MetaCritic MetaScore: 31/100
Letterboxd Score: 2.6/5 stars
Cinemascore: C-
This movie went through production hell resulting in a messy plot, but I won’t lie, I’m here for it. Cursed kicks off with a young woman who is attacked by a werewolf and follows the bizarre roller coaster of events as she navigates what it means to be bitten by the beast and how to prevent herself and those close to her from turning into werewolves themselves. It’s set in LA and is every bit the campy, early-aughts werewolf flick that you would expect.
Why It’s ‘Bad’
Directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, Cursed naturally failed to stand up to the numerous comparisons to Scream (1996). It was often described as a dumb werewolf movie and likened to a WB-esque TV movie with bad CGI. While the CGI is laughably bad at points, there are still some genuinely tense moments—specifically the scene where a character is hunted down by a werewolf in an empty parking lot (or maybe I’m just scared of parking lots?)
Why I Love It
Cursed is a little dumb, yes. But it’s dumb fun. It has everything you could want in a popcorn horror movie: Christina Ricci, werewolves, teen angst, gay panic (albeit clichéd), Milo Ventimiglia… Without getting into spoilers, Judy Grier’s performance was delightfully over-the-top. It’s packed with camp and, like many on this list, is the ultimate guilty pleasure horror movie.
My Rating
6. Freddy vs. Jason
IMDB Score: 5.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 4.3/10
MetaCritic MetaScore: 37/100
Letterboxd Score: 2.7/5 stars
Cinemascore: B+
Freddy versus Jason. Place your bets! (Sorry, I had to.)
It’s no surprise that this one is on the list. Is my opinion of this movie coloured by my (retrospectively identified) teenage crush on Monica Keena back in the day? Perhaps. Could it also be influenced by the deliciously dated nu-metal soundtrack that speaks to my adolescent self? Sure.
This notoriously campy slasher needs no introduction, but here it is. Freddy vs. Jason is what the title promises: an over-the-top, gory slasher where horror icons Freddy Krueger and Jason Vorhees battle it out for body counts. It may be blatant fan service for A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday The 13th franchise lovers, but it delivers.
Why It’s ‘Bad’
The number one critique of Freddy vs. Jason is that the teenage protagonists are too dumb even for slasher movie standards. The second is that the film leans too heavily on horror clichés. Many critics were also turned off by the use of CGI in a movie meant to honour two franchises known for their practical effects. Aside from critics, many in the horror community feel that the creative liberties taken to add backstories and new character traits to the main villains were misguided and an insult to their respective franchise legacies (some question if director Ronny Yu was even familiar with the previous Friday the 13th franchise entries before making this film).
It should also be noted that, like many early aughts films, a few quotes have certainly not aged well (the fight scene with Kelly Rowland’s Kia and Freddy comes to mind).
Why I Love It
Who wouldn’t love a no-holds-barred slasher packed with creative kills as two of their favourite horror villains battle it out WWE-style?! With over-the-top kills, I’ll cut them a little slack on some of the CGI. As for critics calling out the horror clichés, what do you expect from a movie titled Freddy vs. Jason? To quote Cassondra Feltus of Black Girl Nerds, it’s a “gory good time”, and that’s that.
My Rating
5. Friday The 13th (2009)
IMDB Score: 5.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 3.9/10
MetaCritic MetaScore: 34/100
Letterboxd Score: 2.5/5 stars
Cinemascore: B-
The epitome of the early aughts aesthetic, 2009’s Friday the 13th follows a young man desperately looking for his sister who went missing on a camping trip with her friends (spoiler: Jason is behind it). On his quest, he meets a young woman who is partying with her friends at a nearby remote cabin. It’s only a matter of time before Jason starts picking them off one by one.
Why It’s ‘Bad’
Many critics call Friday the 13th extremely predictable and label it as a needless remake of the original. As you would expect with a slasher, some parts are predictable however I still found myself surprised by certain plot developments in the final act. In a since-deleted review found on Rotten Tomatoes, Prairie Miller of NewsBlaze summarizes the film as “Noisy neighbor revenge, a robotic kill for mom masked maniac chopaholic wielding sharp implements, and horny cookie cutter party animal bare breasted babes and boozers who frolic through these ho hum sex ‘n slaughter pathological proceedings.” While this review is certainly not intended as an endorsement, doesn’t that all sound kind of fun?
Noisy neighbor revenge, a robotic kill for mom masked maniac chopaholic wielding sharp implements, and horny cookie cutter party animal bare breasted babes and boozers who frolic through these ho hum sex ‘n slaughter pathological proceedings.
– Prairie Miller, News Blaze
Why I Love It
2009’s Friday the 13th is a fun change of pace from the original. In this franchise entry, we are introduced to a new brand of Jason Vorhees: smart, wilderness survivalist Jason. With this kind of threat, the film is racked with tension and some great kills. I also give this movie credit for giving us two likable main protagonists in Clay (maybe it’s Jared Padaleki’s good looks and charm?) and Jenna (Danielle Panabaker). We also have the ever-charming Aaron Yu (I loved him in Disturbia) providing comic relief as Chewie, the token stoner.
My Rating:
4. Bride Of Chucky
IMDB Score: 5.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 5/10
MetaCritic MetaScore: 48/100
Letterboxd Score: 3.2/5 stars
Cinemascore: B
The tagline says it all: Chucky gets lucky. Well, he gets married, too. With his soul trapped in the body of a doll, killer Charles Lee Ray a.k.a. Chucky, who was killed in the previous Child’s Play franchise entries, is resurrected by his former flame, Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly). One thing leads to another and Chucky turns his bae into a doll. Naturally, the two go on a killing spree for the ages, where they get hitched along the way.
Why It’s ‘Bad’
Critics said Bride Of Chucky felt like more of a parody of the Child’s Play franchise than a legitimate entry in the series. As you would expect from the tone of the film, it was also criticized for being too goofy and going for cheap laughs. I guess Chucky’s brand of humour isn’t for everyone… But those people would be wrong, IMO.
Why I Love It
I consider Bride Of Chucky a classic that cemented my love of horror at a young age, so it remains a favourite that’s close to my heart. Critics should have given this movie more credit for taking the Child’s Play franchise in a decidedly better direction by embracing the inherent humour of a killer doll and cranking up the camp. I also like Chucky having a counterpart for his character to play off of, especially if that comes in the form of a sassy killer queen like Jennifer Tilly.
My Rating
3. The Stepfather (2009)
IMDB Score: 5.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 4/10
MetaCritic MetaScore: 33/100
Letterboxd Score: 2.4/5 stars
Cinemascore: N/A
Let me tell you from life experience that divorced parents diving head first into new relationships can get a little sketchy, especially when the lustre of a new romance blinds your dearest mother to the red flags in a new partner—sometimes to dangerous consequences. So is the plot of 2009’s The Stepfather remake. The film follows a young man, Michael (Penn Badgley), who returns home from military school to discover his mother is in a new relationship and living with a man he’s never met. As he gets to know his future stepfather, he begins to see major red flags in his behaviour—and that’s before he seemingly clocks his future stepdad on America’s Most Wanted. As these kinds of horror movies go, no one believes him, and it is up to Michael to gather evidence and protect his family.
Why It’s ‘Bad’
Critics label 2009’s The Stepfather lazy and predictable and call it out on failing to deliver on either the gore or the suspense needed to carry a horror film. Most notably, many complain that the remake lacks the wit and satire of the 1987 original. While I will concede that this may be true, we instead get an entertaining popcorn horror movie that still packs legitimately suspenseful moments.
Editor’s Note: I will take this moment to say that Amber Heard’s acting is terrible but if you can get past that, you will enjoy this film.
Why I Love It
Aside from the fact that I’m a Penn Badgley stan, I’m just a sucker for mid-aughts horror movies. This one has some of the quintessential staples of early 2000s movies between the stellar soundtrack (Band Of Horses’ ‘The Funeral,’ anyone?), bright aesthetic, and a hot cast (the girls and gays will love the eye candy that is Penn Badgley appearing shirtless on screen for many a pool scene). But superficial reasons aside, I found this to be a genuinely tense film. Perhaps it was a more exciting watch for me as a child of divorce who has witnessed firsthand the very real danger of parents moving too fast in dating people they don’t know (and exposing their family to said dangers), but this film had its scary moments.
My Rating
2. Urban Legend
IMDB Score: 5.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 4.4/10
MetaCritic MetaScore: 35/100
Letterboxd Score: 2.8/5 stars
Cinemascore: C
1998’s Urban Legend is a quintessential 90s whodunnit slasher. With a killer on the loose at a New England university campus, one student begins to suspect that the murders are being carried out to the theme of urban legends.
Why It’s ‘Bad’
Urban Legend got a bad rap in the post-Scream era with accusations of the film being a wannabe ripoff of the iconic 1996 meta slasher. I disagree as the only similarities shared between the two films are the self-aware tone (albeit Urban Legend’s self-awareness is much more understated) and some meta moments (a fan favourite being when Joshua Jackson’s character, Damon, turns on his car radio only to be blasted with Paula Cole’s I Don’t Want To Wait a.k.a. the Dawson’s Creek theme song).
Another popular complaint about the film is that the plot is stupid and the characters are moronic. While some characters are a little one-dimensional, the actors playing them are undeniably charming (save for Alicia Witt’s flat performance as final girl Natalie). In speaking of charming, Urban Legend features one of horror’s favourite character actors, Loretta Devine—what’s not to love?
Why I Love It
Aside from the 90s nostalgia it musters up, Urban Legend is a thoroughly entertaining slasher that delivers on its encyclopedic knowledge of urban legends and enshrines them in a piece of horror pop culture that is this film. The unforgettable killer reveal in the third act is a clever subversion for its time, and the actor’s campy performance cements this character in the modern horror villain hall of fame, in my books.
Essentially, this movie succeeds at being fun and keeping you guessing what will happen next as every red herring and creative kill is thrown at you.
My Rating
1. House Of Wax
IMDB Score: 5.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 4.5/10
MetaCritic MetaScore: 41/100
Letterboxd Score: 2.9/5 stars
Cinemascore: C+
2005’s House Of Wax follows a group of high school graduates who, due to everyone’s favourite horror trope, car troubles, get stranded in a creepy small town on the way to a football game. While waiting for their car to be fixed, they stumble upon the town’s infamous wax museum with suspiciously realistic wax figures. Unbeknownst to them, they may become the next exhibit themselves.
It should be noted that this film is not a remake of the original House Of Wax from 1953 but more akin to a homage to Tourist Trap.
Why It’s ‘Bad’
I don’t understand the amount of criticism that this movie received (some, due in part to the early 2000s pop culture climate and the collective public hate being directed at Paris Hilton at the time). I will concede and agree with critics that some subplotlines are unnecessary, and some of the characters’ decisions are quote-unquote “stupid,” but that’s pretty par for the course with slashers—that’s what drives the plot! Also, similar to other entries on this list, a few of the characters feel a little ‘stock’ but are redeemed by the actors playing them.
Elisha Cuthbert comes out on top of the cast, but it should be noted that Paris Hilton’s performance will surprise you when she proves herself to be a pretty damn good scream queen in her character’s final scene. We also have Chad Michael Murray playing a slightly different version of Chad Michael Murray, but I will never complain about seeing him on screen (just like I’m always happy to see Jared Padalecki). On that note, Jared’s performance as the token jealous boyfriend is so painfully accurate that it detracts from his usual attractiveness, which is a testament to his acting ability.
I would be remiss to discuss this movie without mentioning the soundtrack. While House Of Wax detractors call the soundtrack cringey, former emo millennials (myself included) would agree that this soundtrack is early aughts emo and nu-metal gold.
Why I Love It
I give this film major props for pulling off a realistic depiction of a wax mansion (including some downright unsettling wax figures) through its innovative set design. This creepy backdrop lends itself to some genuinely scary sequences that still make me tense no matter how many times I rewatch this movie (the theatre scene is my favourite). The setting of the wax museum leads to some great kills and impressive prosthetics as well, with the most notable death scene in the movie being that of Paris Hilton.
TLDR: This movie is iconic.
My Rating
Honorable Mentions
The Hitcher (2007)
The car chase scene set to Closer by Nine Inch Nails. That is all.
IMDB Score: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 3.9/10
MetaCritic MetaScore: 28/100
Letterboxd Score: 2.6/5 stars
Cinemascore: N/A
My Rating
HellFest
Come for the killer-loose-at-a-horror-themed amusement park premise and stay for the creative set design. HellFest is an unexpectedly scary ride.
IMDB Score: 5.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 3.5/10
MetaCritic MetaScore: 26/100
Letterboxd Score: 2.5/5 stars
Cinemascore: C
My Rating
Cabin Fever (2002)
IMDB Score: 5.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 5.4/10
MetaCritic MetaScore: 56/100
Letterboxd Score: 2.7/5 stars
Cinemascore: N/A
If you can get past the early-aughts brand of outlandishly offensive ‘humour’, this unhinged Eli Roth film is a lot of fun. Although, we’re all disappointed in Shawn Hunter—I mean—Paul’s behaviour.
Editors Note: Be sure to cover your eyes any time an animal is on screen. You can thank me later.
My Rating
Which of these films do you love? What’s your favourite ‘bad’ scary movie? This is a horror safe space, so share your thoughts in the comment section below! We listen, and we don’t judge.