Horror Month continues in my top 10 list as I hope you all, or the people that take time to read my lists and appreciate them, have enjoyed the lists so far as they are going to get better and better. Horror is one of my favorite genre’s in film and over the past coupe decades of my existence I have watched tons of good and bad horror movies. However there are then the Horror movies that really don’t get enough love and attention. The movies that are great or even okay but people just leave it in the dust to rot. Well today I must clean the dust on ten of these films and give them the spotlight because there have been a lot of good Horror movies that have come out and no one gave a shit about because of reasons that I will never understand. Other times they were forgotten about because they are overshadowed by the heavyweights of Horror films like Halloween, The Exorcist, The Shinning, Nightmare on Elm Street, Psycho, etc. Some of these films are great Horror movies that I recommend you watch during the rest of October as I find the time to enjoy these films almost every year. Now some ground rules as I know I did a Kids Horror/Halloween films list last week so they will not count for this list as I want this list to be straight up Horror. Okay enough chit chat let’s get down to business. Comment below what horror movie you think is underrated and let’s countdown my Top 10 Underrated Horror Movies of All Time.
*Spoilers Ahead*
My Top 10 Underrated Horror Movies of All Time
10. Child’s Play 3 (1991) – The 3rd film of the Child’s Play franchise gets a bad reputation because of its Rotten Tomatoes score and bad reviews. However I am here to give this film justice as while it might not be a great film I can say that it is a pretty decent horror movie. Child’s Play 3 is about 16 year old Andy Barclay joining the Kent Military Academy after he failed to cope with multiple foster families. Unlike the first two Child’s Play films, the third one puts us into a setting where you don’t expect to see a Killer Doll or in this case any doll. Once again Brad Dourif does an amazing voice performance of Chucky and the acting in this film is actually pretty decent. However the film has a 29% on Rotten Tomatoes where many critics and audiences call it the worst film in the franchise. Well I beg to differ because there is another Chucky film that is bad and maybe if I plant this “Seed” you might figure out which one it is, hint hint wink wink. Now while Bride of Chucky and Cult of Chucky are also some underrated Chucky films, they have found themselves with a bigger fan base over the years and have better reviews than Child’s Play 3. I mean I will defend this movie and say that even though it is a little bit wackier than Child’s Play 2 and less scary than Child’s Play, it does have some great kills in this movie from Chucky and it also has some decent horror elements in the film. Sure the films that didn’t make this list are a bit better than this film but I chose to pick this film over the others because over the years I have watched this film more times and I have defended the film as a whole over the years as I think this film is pretty underrated considering that it is undervalued and was criticized for its lack of horror. I’m taking a big risk putting it on my list and I think it should be viewed and given a second chance as I know some people that enjoy this film even if it isn’t that great. Plus at least it isn’t like that garbage 2019 remake that literally killed the concept of Child’s Play. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w4UZGP7OGo
9. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) – The Texas Chainsaw franchise has not seen its fair share of great films after the original 1974 film came out. In 2003 a remake of the original film came out and it was panned with mixed reviews. Let me just say this film was technically my first time watching any of the Texas Chainsaw films and this film led me to watch the original. But the original film will get its spotlight soon so until then let me spotlight this awesome remake that only has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 37%, which I find to be bullshit. The Texas Chainsaw remake is probably one of the best remakes of a classic horror film as it changes up the story a bit and adds in some darker tones. Plus the performances in the film were pretty good including Jessica Biel and R.Lee Ermey. Now while it still had the chainsaw wielding Leatherface it changed up his family back-story a bit including the name from Sawyer to Hewitt. Now as for the horror and gore you can defiantly expect a lot of that in this film as it’s a bit more of a gorefest than the original film but also more bloody than the sequels that followed the original. I still don’t see why this film got mixed reviews as it was a very good film but yet it’s barely talked about. If you are a person that enjoys gore and blood and a chainsaw wielding psychopath then this film is for you and I highly recommend you watch it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAM7skQKVk8
8. Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) – This movie has a 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This B-rated horror movie has a better score than our first two entries and it is a film about killer clowns, or klowns, from outer space. Now for years I wondered about this movie and why it looks so interesting as I’ve seen so many horror Twitter pages and Youtubers talk about this film and last year I finally watched it and I have to say is this movie is awesome. Now okay time to be serious here, the film is one of the weirdest horror movies I have ever seen like we’re talking about a B-Rated horror film that doesn’t have many scares but has horror elements and its main plot is clowns killing people with cotton candy. Again it is the weirdest horror movie I have ever seen and I have seen some weird horror movies. Like I have seen Tomatoes kill people and I have seen killer puppets, so this one is up there with some of the weirdest. However the film is enjoyable and has become a cult classic over the years and it has a pretty big fan base. It has become more popular over the years, hence why I ranked it number 8. It found its way in Universal Studios during Halloween Horror Nights and there has been a sequel rumored for a long time now. The film is still very underrated as yes it is wacky and has no real scares but it’s still a very fun enjoyable horror movie that uses practical effects and honestly this movie can make a big fan out of you if you give it a try. Took me a while but I promise you will enjoy the shit out of this movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLovCSv9-Ks
7. Friday the 13th (2009) – Fun fact this film was directed by the same director that directed the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and it was produced by Michael Bay. This movie is by far amazing and deserves more love and appreciation. First of all it has the same story of Jason being in Camp Crystal Lake but instead of Jason’s Mother being the killer in the movie as Jason didn’t become the main villain until the 2nd film in the franchise, Jason is the main villain in this movie. The film also adds something new into the story but I don’t want to spoil it so you have to trust me on this that it works out well in the end and makes the film a defiantly great remake. Now unfortunately the film did not sit well with critics and on Rotten Tomatoes it has a 26% score. I find it pretty stupid that this film received poor reviews because as a whole the film is pretty awesome with the kills, gore and the performances from the actors. Like I can understand that we have seen this film before and we have seen Jason kill people before but this movie changed up the original film and added in some cool stuff. Plus I love the original Friday the 13th theme song but this remake version goes hard and I fuck with this version a lot more. I can see why people don’t like this movie but I promise you the fact that it gets bad reception doesn’t entirely make it a bad film. While it isn’t the greatest horror movie ever it does have some great kills and honestly you’re pretty much rooting for Jason to kill everyone. It’s a slasher flick that could use some love even when people say it’s bad and the characters are uninteresting but who cares because in the end of the day it’s Jason killing young adults. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANrq_t617to
6. Dead Silence (2007) – After his creation of Saw and before his career resurgence with The Conjuring and Insidious, James Wan directed Dead Silence, a film that has had not so many positive reviews and was considered a box office bomb. Dead Silence has been said to be boring and slow and many critics also said that the dialogue in the film was bland and the critics also hated the twist ending. However I remember watching this film as a teen and later on in my adult life thinking that this horror movie is a very good horror movie and I still believe in that today as this film is very underrated to the point that not many people remember this film existing. Yes there are times the pace of the movie is slow but that’s only because it is building up its story and yes the movie can be a bit boring in some scenes but that doesn’t change how good this film really is. I can care less what the critics are saying here is my critique for it. While the film as a whole has a slow pace, it has some great storytelling elements and it uses the horror elements in a very unique way. That is a true critique of mine for this movie and you are welcome for that. Now as a whole the film gets forgotten because of James Wan’s other big horror films and people kind of forget that he even directed this film. But to the people that knows this film and has seen it and agrees with me that this film is an underrated gem that needs a second chance, they understand why this film is a very good horror film and why it should be appreciated more. I mean we are talking about a movie where a man seeks out the reasoning of his wife’s murder after a ventriloquist dummy is sent to his home. I know this film isn’t a bad film but it gets a bad reputation from critics but I also know that I have seen this film on many lists about underrated horror movies so I know that this film is a good movie that needs more love and deserves a better reputation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b_HVtHmK30
5. Don’t Breathe (2016) – There should always be something new added into horror movies as it makes it more enjoyable and adds something different that we haven’t seen yet. Don’t Breathe is about three friends who get trapped inside a blind man’s house while breaking into it. The horror/thriller film did something new that I never saw in a horror movie and made a setting where it is all in darkness and the main villain, played by Stephen Lang, is blind and uses his other senses to find the three friends in his house. However what comes next in this movie is shocking and disturbing as the film shows the true side of the blind man and we now must watch these friends try to survive. This film has probably some of the best edge of your seat scenes in a long time and instead of just plain old jump scares this film uses a different approach and adds in suspense so the audiences could be shocked with what comes next. This film takes home invasions to the next level plus adds in the fact that it has a blind man trying to kill intruders and at the same time hiding something that makes his character fucked up. Enough talk about this film as instead of talking ill let the trailer do all the work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8XwWwPT8LE
4. Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994) – The Nightmare on Elm Street franchise kind of became a dying franchise soon after Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors came out. After the 3rd film the next 3 Nightmare films gained less positive reviews and the franchise was becoming a nightmare. That was until the 7th installment of the franchise came out and it took a different approach to Freddy Krueger. Wes Craven is a genius when it comes to horror as he created two successful horror movie franchises, Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream, but for Nightmare he needed to bring it back to its glory days when it did something new for horror. So he re-invented the story up a bit and made a meta slasher film that not only broke the 4th wall but also changed the game for Wes Craven’s career. New Nightmare has the same idea of Freddy Krueger killing people in their dreams but a different approach was taken for this film. Freddy is portrayed as a fictional movie villain who invades the real world and haunts the cast and crew involved in the making of the films about him. It stars Heather Langenkamp who is well known for her role in the Nightmare franchise as Nancy Thompson as she and her son is being haunted by Freddy, played wonderfully by the great Robert Englund. While the film did very poor in the box office it still gained many positive reviews from film critics and it later spawned a sequel in 2003 that crossed over with the Friday the 13th franchise. That film was called Freddy vs. Jason and that film too became successful and gained some positive reviews. As for New Nightmare, it has become a cult classic over the years and has even been considered one of the best Nightmare on Elm Street films by many fans. Had this film failed then it could of ruined Wes Craven’s reputation as being one of and possibly the best Horror movie director and we might not have been able to see Freddy Vs. Jason and the Scream franchise do very well over the years. New Nightmare changed the game with horror movies and it continues to shine bright in the horror movie world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dShLedyR4eg
3. The Devil’s Rejects (2005) – I have grown up with this movie in my teen years into my adult years as this was one of the first horror movies that I fell in love with. The Devil’s Rejects is a Rob Zombie film that is the sequel to another Rob Zombie film, House of 1000 Corpses. The Devil’s Rejects has some outstanding performances from its cast including Sheri Moon Zombie as Baby Firefly, Bill Mosley as Otis Driftwood, William Forsythe as Sheriff John Quincy Wydell and the late great Sid Haig as Captain Spaulding. The film gained mixed reviews when it first came out and even did pretty well in the box office considering it was only in about 1,700 theaters around the world. Now you know you have a great movie in your hands when the great Roger Ebert gives it a 3 out of 4 stars, so that’s telling you something right there. Now this film and the trilogy it is in are considered cult classics as the film is well known in the horror community but not in the film industry community. Many film lovers don’t really know this film so well, mainly because it is more of an indie horror flick that has gone on to become of the most underrated horror movies in not only the last 20 years but also of all time. The film’s and characters in the films were hugely based off the characters of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes and just like both of those films, The Devil’s Rejects can be very gruesome with its horror as it has a lot of blood and gore in the film. The film’s popularity has grown over the years as while other Rob Zombie horror flicks have gone on and become forgetful films or worse, shitty Halloween remakes, The Devil’s Rejects and the other two films in the House of 1000 Corpses trilogy remain the popular films of Rob Zombie’s movie making career. The Devil’s Rejects has helped gain the trilogy its popularity and it continues to gain a huge fan base. I love this movie because it uses fear and very grotesque imagery for its horror and it is a very amazing slasher film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poxddLZq2k0
2. Evil Dead (2013) – Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead has become a cult classic since its release in 1981 and it was followed by two sequels that both became successful and cult classics. The Evil Dead franchise is one of horror’s most unique franchises and while I am not a big fan of the original Evil Dead I can say I am a big fan of the 2013 remake. Some people call it a reboot, some even say it’s a sequel, I however see it as a remake. This film only has 62% on Rotten Tomatoes, which isn’t a bad thing but when you consider the fact that the original has a 94% it kind of makes you think why it has a lower rating. However the reason why the film has a lower percent is because it lacks the humor the original one has and it is the same story. However I am here to be the film’s savior. I get that the original one is a better film and more iconic and I’m not arguing that but the 2013 remake/reboot, whatever you want to call it, brought in more gore and horror and felt more scary. The film indeed is a frightening film to watch and if you’re a fan of a gorefest then you will love this movie. But many critics shitted on this film because it lacked and originality, which I totally disagree with. I think the film using less humor and having more horror incorporated into the film is pretty original and if anything the film has a different story compared to the original. It is much darker and while I do love the practical effects in the original film, this version also uses practical effects and it looks even more badass. Again I’m not trying to compare the two and say which one is better. My main focus here is to say that the 2013 Evil Dead is underrated because not many people care for it like they do for the original and it is pretty sad if you think about it. I think if people don’t think about the lack of humor and focus on the film itself and the horror in the film then they will appreciate it more. Now the film was successful even with the critics giving their reviews but if you ask me it should be more popular than it is. The 2013 Evil Dead is a great movie that I think many people and critics are sleeping on. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im6koyYDwcA
1. Trick ’r Treat (2009) – I have covered many great cult classics, some remakes and films that need more appreciation but there is only one film I had in mind to be the most underrated horror film and that’s Trick ‘r Treat. This cult classic horror film is an anthology film that stars one of the most underrated horror villains, Sam. Sam is a creature that wears a sack on his head and his main job is to make sure the traditions and rules of Halloween are followed. The film found critical claim and holds an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and even since its 2009 United States release it has found a cult following as many people love this movie, including myself. Now why do I feel like the film is underrated? Well to tell you the truth it has a great rating on Rotten Tomatoes and it did well with critics, the problem I have however is the impact it has left and the fact that while it may have a huge fan base, it doesn’t have enough appreciation. When you think of the best films to watch on Halloween, many people will watch Beetlejuice, Hocus Pocus, Halloween, etc and when you think of some of the best horror films ever people really don’t put this movie on the list and they do it’s always on the bottom of the list. Now I can’t judge as I may be one of those people as well, but that’s a list for later, my point here is that the film needs more appreciation. I mean it has an original story, it uses horror in different ways and it has a very cute/scary main character. The film is no Halloween or Psycho but it sure as hell is awesome and great and could use some new people to enjoy it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoBx7F-q2CA
Honorable Mentions:
Hush (2016) – Hush is an example of how to do a proper home invasion film but at the same time being a horror movie. The film is pretty new to me as I only seen it twice but I guarantee you will like this movie after the first viewing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdSsXiEIDSA
Saw III (2007) – Saw III is by far the most underrated film in the franchise. I never see anyone talk about how good it actually is and it has some of the coolest traps in the Saw franchise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UuYTHwZbOQ
Krampus (2015) – It’s a B-movie that literally has amazing effects and creepy monsters. Oh and this is the perfect horror movie to also watch during Christmas season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl1Jjq82XUA
Overlord (2018) – This horror movie is defiantly an underrated film as not many people knew about this film soon after it came out in late 2018. It is an action horror movie that is produced by J.J Abrams and it has such an interesting story of zombie soldiers in the day before D-Day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngdsRt31sIc
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