Horror Box Office Bombs With Great Rotten Tomatoes Scores

Horror movies are a dime a dozen, so it's imperative that we celebrate the good ones when they arrive. Regrettably, audiences often miss out on a novel new entry to the genre due to bad or misleading marketing, poorly timed release dates, or an inability to grasp a unique concept, causing a potential blockbuster to flame out at the box office. On many occasions, such pictures will earn solid reviews from critics and go on to achieve cult status thanks to solid word-of-mouth. In other instances, however, many impeccably made horror pictures needlessly fade into obscurity after bombing in theaters and never find the success they deserve.

Well, I'm here to put an end to the madness. I've scoured the World Wide Web and located a handful of horror box office bombs with great RottenTomatoes scores in dire need of more attention. Some of these entries, like John Carpenter's classic "The Thing," are likely familiar to most of genre fans, but others, like Ti West's extraordinary "The House of the Devil," may catch some off guard. At any rate, every film on this list should have found greater success in theaters. It's time to give these masterworks the attention they deserve. 

Sometimes, a good film comes out at the wrong time. Audiences ignored Brad Anderson's psychological drama "Session 9" in favor of the Nicole Kidman ghost thriller "The Others." Consequently, the former finished its theatrical run with $1.6 million, while the latter exploded to a massive $207.8 million worldwide. Never doubt the power of the superstar. Had "Session 9" opened at a different time, it might have found a respectable audience, because it's an effective chiller with more brains than your average genre entry. 

Starring Peter Mullen, David Caruso, and Josh Lucas, "Session 9" follows a team of asbestos abatement workers who take a job at a mental facility, stumble upon some old session tapes between a psychologist and a patient suffering dissociative identity disorder, and begin experiencing strange occurrences. While the plot might appear rather straightforward, the picture does contain plenty of twists and turns to keep viewers on edge. Moreover, Anderson leans more on atmosphere than scares and squeezes every ounce of dread and tension from the concept. 

Critics were impressed, with 67% gifting a thumbs up on RottenTomatoes. Audiences eventually came around and have since propelled "Session 9" to cult status. Hopefully, Anderson's picture earns more respect in the future, because this disturbing story definitely hits the bullseye.  

Horror pictures released in the 1970s and early 80s were on a completely different level. Something about the naturalistic lighting, bland color palette, bizarre camera zooms, and messy, handheld cinematography gives me the jitters. So it is with Nicolas Roeg's eerie "Don't Look Now," starring the late, great Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie, about John and Laura Baxter, a grieving couple who begin to see their deceased daughter after encountering a pair of psychics. 

Hailed by critics (93% on RottenTomatoes), the 1973 feature performed well in the UK but only earned $83K at the worldwide box office, according to The Numbers. By comparison, "The Exorcist," a similarly-themed horror drama, grossed $193 million worldwide a few months later. Personally, I think Roeg's effort remains the more effective picture. "Don't Look Now" delves into the adverse effects of grief, challenges viewers on a deeper, psychological level, and remains a haunting, evocative piece of cinema.

By now, most cinephiles have heard how John Carpenter's classic horror picture "The Thing" flopped at the box office in 1982 before achieving cult status. Even with an incredible cast, including Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, and Keith David, and a slew of gnarly practical effects, audiences were likely too hung up on more family-friendly fare like "Poltergeist," "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" and "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" (all released earlier in the same month) to spend their hard-earned cash on a gory, very R-rated creature feature in the middle of summer. (Don't worry, "Blade Runner" bombed the same weekend.) 

Critics didn't help, with many dismissing Carpenter's effort as too over-the-top and cynical. Roger Ebert awarded the film two and half stars, calling it "a great barf-bag movie" diminished by "superficial characterizations" and an utter disregard for plausibility. "'The Thing' is basically, then, just a geek show, a gross-out movie in which teenagers can dare one another to watch the screen," he wrote.

"The Thing" found life on home video and eventually morphed into a classic horror picture beloved by many genre fans who continue to debate its dark ending. Critics eventually grew to respect Carpenter's dark vision, resulting in a strong 84% RottenTomatoes score that ranks amongst the director's best reviewed works. 

"Videodrome" marked David Cronenberg's first studio film, but that didn't prevent the iconic director from reaching into his bag of tricks to produce one of his most memorable efforts. James Woods stars as Max Renn, the president of a Toronto UHF television station renowned for its boundary-pushing content, i.e., extreme sex and violence. One day, Max discovers a program known as "Videodrome" that presents a plotless array of violence, sexual depravity and murder that he happily begins to broadcast to the masses. Max's lust for his product lures him onto a dark journey where he uncovers a political movement designed to control minds, meets a sadomasochistic radio host (Debbie Harry), and grows a mutated gun hand. You know, your typical, confusing, Cronenberg stuff.

Aided by Rick Baker's spectacular gore effects, this fascinating horror tale about the dangers of technology failed to find an audience and flopped at the box office when it released in February of 1983. However, critics praised Cronenberg's genre-busting methodology, with FilmFreakCentral.net's Walter Chaw calling it "the rare breed of sociological provocation that might change minds. It's a looking glass. It's a masterpiece."

"Videodrome" carries an 83% RottenTomatoes score, placing it among Cronenberg's best reviewed works behind "Spider," "Shivers," "Last Night," and "Dead Ringers."  

Though often heralded for her stellar performances in prestige Hollywood films, Scarlett Johansson has seen a fair share of duds throughout her lengthy career. Among them is Jonathan Glazer's 2014 sci-fi horror misfire "Under the Skin," in which the talented actress portrays an alien being that feasts on men in Scotland. As it turns out, audiences weren't interested in an unsettling horror tale centered around gender relations, resulting in one of ScarJo's biggest box office bombs. Indeed, "Under the Skin" amassed $7.2 million worldwide against a $13.3 million budget, less than one percent of the revenue earned by Johansson's "Captain America: Winter Soldier" in the same timeframe.

Moviegoers may have dismissed "Under the Skin," but critics were entranced by Johansson's strong performance. "Johansson is brave and memorable and, though you may at times wonder what on earth's going on, Under the Skin may just get under your skin," wrote "The Australian's David Stratton. Overall, 84% of critics awarded the film a positive review on RottenTomatoes, one of the highest scores of Johansson's career. While she would achieve greater financial success with mainstream vehicles like "Avengers: Endgame" and "The Jungle Book," "Under the Skin" proved Johansson was willing to tackle challenging roles with real artistic value. 

Before directing Academy Award-winning gothic romances, Guillermo del Toro produced 1997's "Mimic," a bug thriller starring Mira Sorvino (fresh off her "Mighty Aphrodite" Oscar). Loaded with del Toro's unique visual style and plenty of talent in front of and behind the camera, this late summer release looked like a sure-fire hit. Sadly, audiences weren't in the mood for this sci-fi horror tale about a species of "Judas" bugs that begin laying waste to Earth after learning how to mimic humans, resulting in one of del Toro's biggest box office duds. All told, "Mimic" grossed $25 million and failed to recoup its lofty $30 million price tag.

Regardless, critics like CNN's Carol Buckland applauded the atmospheric creature feature, writing that "'Mimic' will have entomophobes in the audience yearning to bug out, and scare-seekers squirming in their seats." A Rotten Tomatoes score of 65% shows critics agree, with many praising del Toro's visuals and the tense first hour while bemoaning the formulaic second half.

"Mimic" doesn't transcend the genre, but at the very least offers a peak inside del Toro's young mind. If you squint real hard, you'll see elements from his more acclaimed pictures festering in the darkness. Plus, there's always that long-rumored "Mimic" TV series to look forward to.

Writer/director Ti West has carved a niche in Hollywood thanks to his recent "X" film series, which includes 2022's "X" and its prequel, "Pearl: An X-traordinary Origin Story," and 2024's "MaXXXine." However, in 2009, he released another genre entry that did not fare as well with audiences — "The House of the Devil," a throwback to the thrillers of the 1970s and early 80s.

Starring Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov, and "Barbie" director Greta Gerwig, "The House of the Devil" follows a young girl named Samantha Hughes (Donahue) as she babysits inside a creepy remote mansion. As the night slowly passes, Samantha discovers dark secrets located within the house and begins to suspect the owners are not who she thought they were.

West doesn't go for edge-of-your-seat chills or tacky jump scares. Rather, he slowly ratchets up the tension and spends a considerable amount of time creating an atmosphere of dread so that the third act cuts deeper than your typical slasher picture. Naturally, the sluggish pace didn't work for moviegoers, who ignored the $900K production despite positive critical reviews (85% on RottenTomatoes), including one from our own Hunter Stephenson. The picture only received a limited release, but word-of-mouth should have propelled this terrifying production to greater financial heights.

Whether you love the Marvel Cinematic Universe or not, you have to hand it to producer Kevin Feige for having the foresight to tap director James Gunn for "Guardians of the Galaxy" when the quirky filmmaker had failed to direct a breakout hit before tackling the big-budget superhero franchise. Gunn's directorial debut, the 2006 horror comedy "Slither," flopped hard at the box office, even after earning glowing reviews from 87% of critics on RottenTomatoes and rocking a talented cast featuring Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, and Michael Rooker. 

Chock full of Gunn's signature humor, sometimes to a fault, "Slither" is actually quite effective as an out-and-out horror picture filled with plenty of scares and great special effects. Think of it as a B-movie with A-plus production values. In many ways, the film might have been ahead of its time, as audiences weren't fully prepared for Gunn's oddball antics, or a nasty tale that pushes its R-rating to the brink. 

Austin Chronicles Marc Savlov put it best, "Of course, 'Slither' isn't for everyone, but if you've a yen for gallons of grue and a smart, sassy story to boot, you couldn't do better than Gunn's hellishly fun horror show."

I've seen 1988's "The Blob" once, and I'm still reeling from that viewing, as are /Film writers Matt Donato and Chris Evangelista, who vented their psychological trauma about the movie's scariest scene. Chuck Russell's remake of the similarly titled 1958 Steve McQueen picture takes its cues from John Carpenter's "The Thing" and transforms a gimmicky concept into a horrifying experience that leaves viewers more squeamish than elated. 

This new iteration of "The Blob" — a mysterious, sentient goo from outer space — is a far cry from the slow-moving jello mold seen in the original film. Consuming and dissolving its victims, this sucker takes no prisoners and gleefully pushes the limits of its R-rating. In one scene, the nasty, pink extra-terrestrial sucks a man down a sink drain, snapping his body into bloody pieces. In another, the Blob attacks a movie theater full of teenagers and young children, sparing no one.

Queasy audiences avoided Russell's gritty new take, resulting in a depressing $8.2 million gross that fell far short of its $10 million budget. Today, "The Blob" is held with higher regard and currently holds a positive 68% score on RottenTomatoes. Modern audiences may chuckle at the schlocky special effects, but it's hard not to see this late 80s effort as a strong, stomach churning entry in the B-movie monster genre.

It took director Joe Dante six years to produce a follow-up to his 80s classic, "Gremlins" — and only a month to put the franchise on ice. "Gremlins 2: The New Batch" opened on June 15, 1990, and grossed a shockingly low $34.5 million at the domestic box office (less than a third the amount earned by its predecessor) against a $50 million budget, despite mostly positive reviews (71% on RottenTomatoes), clever creature designs and special effects, a flurry of wonderfully strange cameos, and a handful of "Looney Tunes" segments animated by the great Chuck Jones.

Of course, that summer belonged to Warren Beatty's "Dick Tracy," a big-budget release that stole the limelight from Dante's critters. "Gremlins 2" offers a solid blend of comedy, horror and satire that pokes fun at everything from commercialism to pop culture with delightfully absurd results.

After a research company kidnaps Gizmo following the death of Mr. Wing (Keye Luke), Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) and his fiancee Kate Beringer (Phoebe Cates) set out to rescue our furry hero. Before long, Gizmo spawns additional mogwai that morph into an all new batch of Gremlins who overrun the Clamp Center.

"Gremlins 2" lacks the novelty of its predecessor, and it is fair to ask whether a sequel to the popular Steven Spielberg production was necessary. Still, Dante packs the picture with enough zany energy to entertain viewers. Plus, it also inspired this hilarious "Key & Peele" sketch. 

In 2003, someone at New Line Cinema decided the world needed a remake of the obscure 1971 horror film "Willard" and tapped Crispin Glover (of "Back to the Future" fame) to star. In hindsight, tossing $20 million at a movie about rats starring a controversial actor was probably not the right move, at least from a financial perspective. "Willard" bombed hard at the box office with $6.8 million and quickly stopped any hope of a franchise (or at least a "Ben" remake).

Artistically, "Willard" drew praise for Glover's off-the-hinges performance as Willard Stiles, a social outcast with a proclivity for talking to rats. The actor has a blast evolving his character from a timid outsider to a twisted villain who trains his furry pals to attack and kill his enemies. It's complicated and also oddly compelling. "Willard" sucks you in with its outlandishness but also manages to tell an intimate, even tragic tale about a peculiar man struggling to find a place in the world. 

"Stylish and self-aware, director Glen Morgan's disturbing film combines Freudian symbolism and a frightful morality-play sensibility with cinematic references to Hitchcock, Tim Burton, and the original 'Willard,'" Decent Films' Steven D. Greydanus observed. "'Willard' succeeds in effectively working on the audiences' nerves, unlike so many horror films that deliver only gross-outs." Most critics agreed, resulting in a better-than-expected 64% RottenTomatoes score. Sometimes it pays to be weird. 

Alex Garland's "Annihilation" was never expected to blow the lid off the box office. Yet, coming off the heels of the director's breakout, Academy Award-winning hit, "Ex Machina" and boasting a star-studded female cast, the film's $43.1 million worldwide take cannot be seen as anything less than a disappointment. Here is a film that wowed critics, including Slashfilm's Karen Ham, resulting in an 88% RottenTomatoes score, and divided audiences who were likely puzzled by its confounding themes about humanity, love, and nature. 

Starring Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, and Oscar Isaac, "Annihilation" follows a biologist named Lena (Portman) inside a mysterious location known as Area X to determine the fate of her husband (Isaac). Flanked by a geomorphologist, a paramedic, a physicist, and a psychologist, Lena ventures deep inside the "Shimmer" and begins to discover terrifying secrets that affect her psychologically. 

Beautifully shot and well-acted, "Annihilation" doesn't water down its heady premise and instead forces the audience to arrive at their own conclusion. Horror enthusiasts will get a kick out of the terror on display, notably a sequence involving a mutant bear, and a finale featuring a faceless humanoid. Garland's picture may not offer the type of mainstream thrills moviegoers crave, but those patient enough to take the journey will enjoy a challenging, albeit rewarding piece of sci-fi.  

For whatever reason, Michael Dougherty's terrific "Trick 'r Treat" never received a full-fledged theatrical release (at least not when it first debuted). Instead, the Halloween horror comedy sat on shelves at Warner Bros. for two years and quietly hit DVD and Blu-ray on October 26, 2009, even after enthusiastic reactions from viewers at screenings and positive reviews from critics (83% on RottenTomatoes). The film enjoyed a brief stint in theaters, earning just $27,000, but never had a chance to earn back its $12 million budget.

According to Dougherty (via The Huffington Post), various factors played a part in the demise of "Trick 'r Treat." "It is an odd bird," he said. "It is a horror comedy anthology, which is something that hadn't been attempted in a long time, not since the 'Creepshow' days. Then we killed 14 kids [in the movie], so there was that factor ... But at the end of the day, the studio looked at it, said it was weird, didn't know what to do with it."

If you haven't had the pleasure of watching "Trick 'r Treat," I suggest you do so immediately. Starring Dylan Baker, Anna Paquin, and Brian Cox, among others, the film presents four intertwined stories centered around Halloween, each with their own unique take on werewolves, vampires, and, um, pumpkin carving. As he would later do with "Krampus," Dougherty spins a satisfying yarn that ensures viewers will honor holiday traditions or risk a fate worse than death. Now, can we please get a "Trick 'r Treat" sequel?