Most overated horror movies...

[shootemindehead]

In no particular order... 1. Don’t Look Now One word. Boring. Unbelievably tedious so called horror film, that has managed to earn itself an incredible reputation, mostly due to its ending, which I personally found laughable. But, love or hate the ending, the viewer has to trudge though a ridiculous amount of tedium to get to the punch line. 2. Night of the Hunter Utterly ridiculous “classic” where Robert Mitchum chews up the scenery and featuring some of the worst lines of dialogue in movie history. Some people say Laughton filmed it deliberately this way. I don’t care. It still makes for an awful film. Laughton’s only director effort…thank god. 3. Halloween For some people, the most horrifying film they ever saw. Or, at least that’s what they say. It may claim to be the first slasher (it’s not, ‘Psycho’ is), but that still doesn’t stop it from being simply an OK film. The performances are generally ok too, the two main stars being the best, but it still feels twice the length of it’s 90 minute running time, because so little happens. 4. Rosemary’s Baby Another bore fest. A “horror” film with no horror. While competently directed, it’s still a terribly boring film and ends up being somewhat laughable at its conclusion. Notoriously devoid of shocks or creepiness, Polanski (himself incredibly overrated) should have taken a leaf out of his own book and made the film more like ‘The Tennant’, or the earlier ‘Repulsion’. 5. The Blair Witch Project Brian Griffin summed it up very well. “Nothing’s happening, nothing’s happening, nothing’s happening…it’s over. A lot of people in the audience look really pissed.” One of the greatest gimmicky films, since ‘The Tingler’. William Castle would have been proud. I’m happy the guys who made this (on a shoestring budget) made a ton of money from it, but really, it’s fans would make you old. 6. The Ring Oh dear…Asian horror as a whole is one of the most overrated genres ever. Most of the films generally follow the “nothing happens for an hour, then bam” rule and they are tedious in the extreme. This film, which sparked the current cycle, takes that rule to its heart. It contains one genuine shocking scene early on and then nothing for ages. But, its worst sin is its villain. A girl that comes through the telly and frightens people…ha ha…fuck off. 7. Phantasm Another OK movie that has managed to garner a reputation that’s all out of proportion to what it deserves. While not an awful film, it certain doesn’t deserve the laurels that it has gained. 8. Scream Oh, where to start with this. Wes Craven must have popped his eyes out of his head when the zeitgeist on this got a hold. I’ve never understood the popularity of this incredibly tame flick. It’s slasher-lite and boring as hell, featuring two non-entities as its starring roles. Just…rubbish…and what’s worse is it spawned sequels! 9. The Hills Have Eyes Another Wes Craven failure that again has managed to get a word of mouth reputation as a gory and horrifying horror film. Banned in some countries, I’ve never been able to figure out why. It’s completely inept and notable ONLY for introducing the world to Michael Berryman. Part II is even worse! Craven, actually, has managed to gain a lucrative horror career on the back of some of the most overrated films in the genre, beginning with ‘The last House on the Left’, itself a terribly overrated film right up to the awful ‘Scream’ franchise. Mind boggling, when you consider that his only really good film was ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’. 10. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre THERE! I said it! Actually, I love this film, but again it’s a movie that has been elevated to a status totally unbecoming of its content. It contains some truly stupid scenes and some rubbish, rubbish makeup (Grandpa anyone?). Some of the acting is beyond a joke, even for a film of its type (Franklin) and the worst crime is that it simply doesn’t deliver the goods promised by the eye-catching title. On saying that, it does feature one of the most memorable movie monster introductions ever filmed and when Sally gets hung on a meathook, its hard not to squirm. Problem is, it goes rapidly downhill when the rest of Leatherface’s family are introduced. Special mention should go to the following…’Witchfinder General’, ‘The Amityville Horror’, ‘The Evil Dead’, ‘Donnie Darko’, ‘The Thing (1958), ‘Hellrasier’, ‘Friday the 13th’ , 'Hostel' , ‘The Birds’ and any Universal / Hammer film or Corman’s Poe movies.

[SRP76]

I've never even heard of the top 2 on your list. How overrated can they be? Wouldn't they have to be famous? Totally agree with a couple of them. Texas Chainsaw Massacre was pointless, and Rosemary's Baby made me want to punch someone. I also thought The Ring was a total miss, but at least I don't hear as much hype about it as, say, Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

[EvilNed]

So is there anything you DO like? Anyway, I agree on some of them. Rosemary's Baby, The Ring and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Neither of them really stuck with me.

[SymphonicX]

I really wouldn't say Donnie Darko should be on a list of over rated horror movies - even if it is a special mention. It's no where near a horror film. Texas chainsaw is a great film, from start to finish I love it. It's brutal and psychological and in places just ffffin creepy. Great movie IMO. The rest I think you're pretty much spot on with!

[shootemindehead]

I've never even heard of the top 2 on your list. How overrated can they be? Wouldn't they have to be famous? Totally agree with a couple of them. Texas Chainsaw Massacre was pointless, and Rosemary's Baby made me want to punch someone. I also thought The Ring was a total miss, but at least I don't hear as much hype about it as, say, Texas Chainsaw Massacre. You've never heard of 'Don't look Now'? It may have a different title overseas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Look_Now 'Night of the Hunter' I understand. It's fairly old now. I dont consider it a horror film by any means, but it's classed as such in some quarters. Besides being consdiered a "great horror film", it's also classed as a "great film". Mind boggling to me.

[Tricky]

The Friday the 13th series should be in there as well!

[MikePizzoff]

It seems like you're basically saying you hate any horror movie that gets mass distribution. I also feel like a good amount of those movies aren't over-rated. Then again, we're in two different countries. I'm not sure if I'd cal Psycho a slasher flick - there are only 2 kills in the whole movie. It feels like more of a thriller/mystery, to me at least.

[bassman]

Let The Right One In...

[DjfunkmasterG]

In no particular order... 1. Don’t Look Now One word. Boring. Unbelievably tedious so called horror film, that has managed to earn itself an incredible reputation, mostly due to its ending, which I personally found laughable. But, love or hate the ending, the viewer has to trudge though a ridiculous amount of tedium to get to the punch line. 2. Night of the Hunter Utterly ridiculous “classic” where Robert Mitchum chews up the scenery and featuring some of the worst lines of dialogue in movie history. Some people say Laughton filmed it deliberately this way. I don’t care. It still makes for an awful film. Laughton’s only director effort…thank god. 3. Halloween For some people, the most horrifying film they ever saw. Or, at least that’s what they say. It may claim to be the first slasher (it’s not, ‘Psycho’ is), but that still doesn’t stop it from being simply an OK film. The performances are generally ok too, the two main stars being the best, but it still feels twice the length of it’s 90 minute running time, because so little happens. 4. Rosemary’s Baby Another bore fest. A “horror” film with no horror. While competently directed, it’s still a terribly boring film and ends up being somewhat laughable at its conclusion. Notoriously devoid of shocks or creepiness, Polanski (himself incredibly overrated) should have taken a leaf out of his own book and made the film more like ‘The Tennant’, or the earlier ‘Repulsion’. 5. The Blair Witch Project Brian Griffin summed it up very well. “Nothing’s happening, nothing’s happening, nothing’s happening…it’s over. A lot of people in the audience look really pissed.” One of the greatest gimmicky films, since ‘The Tingler’. William Castle would have been proud. I’m happy the guys who made this (on a shoestring budget) made a ton of money from it, but really, it’s fans would make you old. 6. The Ring Oh dear…Asian horror as a whole is one of the most overrated genres ever. Most of the films generally follow the “nothing happens for an hour, then bam” rule and they are tedious in the extreme. This film, which sparked the current cycle, takes that rule to its heart. It contains one genuine shocking scene early on and then nothing for ages. But, its worst sin is its villain. A girl that comes through the telly and frightens people…ha ha…fuck off. 7. Phantasm Another OK movie that has managed to garner a reputation that’s all out of proportion to what it deserves. While not an awful film, it certain doesn’t deserve the laurels that it has gained. 8. Scream Oh, where to start with this. Wes Craven must have popped his eyes out of his head when the zeitgeist on this got a hold. I’ve never understood the popularity of this incredibly tame flick. It’s slasher-lite and boring as hell, featuring two non-entities as its starring roles. Just…rubbish…and what’s worse is it spawned sequels! 9. The Hills Have Eyes Another Wes Craven failure that again has managed to get a word of mouth reputation as a gory and horrifying horror film. Banned in some countries, I’ve never been able to figure out why. It’s completely inept and notable ONLY for introducing the world to Michael Berryman. Part II is even worse! Craven, actually, has managed to gain a lucrative horror career on the back of some of the most overrated films in the genre, beginning with ‘The last House on the Left’, itself a terribly overrated film right up to the awful ‘Scream’ franchise. Mind boggling, when you consider that his only really good film was ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’. 10. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre THERE! I said it! Actually, I love this film, but again it’s a movie that has been elevated to a status totally unbecoming of its content. It contains some truly stupid scenes and some rubbish, rubbish makeup (Grandpa anyone?). Some of the acting is beyond a joke, even for a film of its type (Franklin) and the worst crime is that it simply doesn’t deliver the goods promised by the eye-catching title. On saying that, it does feature one of the most memorable movie monster introductions ever filmed and when Sally gets hung on a meathook, its hard not to squirm. Problem is, it goes rapidly downhill when the rest of Leatherface’s family are introduced. Special mention should go to the following…’Witchfinder General’, ‘The Amityville Horror’, ‘The Evil Dead’, ‘Donnie Darko’, ‘The Thing (1958), ‘Hellrasier’, ‘Friday the 13th’ , 'Hostel' , ‘The Birds’ and any Universal / Hammer film or Corman’s Poe movies. I personally would remove Halloween and Scream, Hostel deserves a place in the top ten more than those two films. Some of the others are up for debate... such as... The Ring, if you're talking about the US version I highly agree, if it is RINGU you are talking about then I would disagree. My personal Top Ten would be... 1. The Blair Witch Project 2. Paranormal Activity 3. Texas Chainsaw 4 4. The Omen remake 5. Dance of the Dead 6. Maniac 7. Phantasm 8. Land of the Dead 9. Drag Me To Hell ----> Changed to Halloween 2007 10. Survival of the Dead EDIT.... Drag me tot Hell gets a pass, the new #9... is now offcically associated with Halloween 2007

[JDFP]

"Scream" in a list of horror films? I always pictured it as a comedy with horror undertones myself, and as a comedy with horror undertones I enjoy it (at least the first one) for picking fun of the cliches within horror films that get people killed especially ("I'll be right back!" for example -- running up the stairs, etc.). Plus who can go wrong with a comedy/horror with a character by the name of Cotton Weary? With that type of name, you're basically destined to be a messed up person when you grow up. I personally loved "The Ring" (American version) as I think Samara is terrifying. I like how the film never gave too much away about her or the demonic/evil presence within her. Never saw any of the Japanese films this is based on ("Rasen"/"Ringu"/"Ragu"/"Ravioli" whatever else they are called). I've never been able to get into J-horror at all really, I guess it's just a cultural thing for me in not being able to enjoy it (just as some folks can't get into giallo or classics). "The Blair Witch Project" is a completely polarizing film. People either absolutely love it (like I do) or they absolutely hate it. It's one of those films that just has that type of reaction with people -- I think it's great myself, one of my favorite flicks from that decade. The second one was pure shite t hough (as, generally speaking, mose sequals are). I liked "Halloween" -- both Carpenter's and Zombie's, but wouldn't call either of them necessarily great (like Carpenter's "Christine" or "The Thing" for example which are both masterpieces in my book). j.p.

[shootemindehead]

It seems like you're basically saying you hate any horror movie that gets mass distribution. I also feel like a good amount of those movies aren't over-rated. Then again, we're in two different countries. I'm not sure if I'd cal Psycho a slasher flick - there are only 2 kills in the whole movie. It feels like more of a thriller/mystery, to me at least. Didn't mention anything about hate, or mass distribution. It's over-rating I'm on about. Films that are rated (by critics and audiences) as classics or great examples of the genre that don't live up to their laudation. And while 'Psycho' certainly wasn't / isn't marketed as a "slasher" flick (Then again, nothing is), it did influence them greatly. I personally would remove Halloween and Scream, Hostel deserves a place in the top ten more than those two films. Some of the others are up for debate... such as... The Ring, if you're talking about the US version I highly agree, if it is RINGU you are talking about then I would disagree. I think 'Halloween' and 'Scream' have been way more overrated than 'Hostel', even if it's only by virtue of the fact that they've been around much longer. The former films have also reached a much wider audience. Don't think 'Hostel' even got a cinema release over here. It's the Japanese 'Ring' I'm on about. Boring as hell.

[AcesandEights]

"Scream" in a list of horror films? I always pictured it as a comedy with horror undertones myself, and as a comedy with horror undertones I enjoy it (at least the first one) for picking fun of the cliches within horror films that get people killed especially ("I'll be right back!" for example -- running up the stairs, etc.). Plus who can go wrong with a comedy/horror with a character by the name of Cotton Weary? With that type of name, you're basically destined to be a messed up person when you grow up. I completely agree! The films were meant to be fun, tongue-in-cheek and the like, and I quite enjoyed the original and the first sequel. They're more like...Slashomedies...err...yeah, that's it.

[bassman]

Yeah, I agree with Scream being a "fun" slasher film. It's tongue in cheek horror with some genuine laughs. Kinda like An American Werewolf in London.

[MikePizzoff]

Didn't mention anything about hate, or mass distribution. It's over-rating I'm on about. Films that are rated (by critics and audiences) as classics or great examples of the genre that don't live up to their laudation. Well things must be much different over there because I've never heard anyone citing Scream, The Hills Have Eyes, Phantasm, or The Ring as classics. I've never heard anyone even TALK about Don't Look Now or Night Of The Hunter. So how could those 6 (out of 10) movies be over-rated? Your list is extremely flawed, in my eyes.

[shootemindehead]

Well things must be much different over there because I've never heard anyone citing Scream, The Hills Have Eyes, Phantasm, or The Ring as classics. I've never heard anyone even TALK about Don't Look Now or Night Of The Hunter. So how could those 6 (out of 10) movies be over-rated? Your list is extremely flawed, in my eyes. You've NEVER heard talk of 'Don't Look Now'? Really? It's even on Bravo's list of 100 scariest moments... Ditto 'Night of the Hunter' Maybe it's an age thing. I have about 10 years on ya.