- 7 weeks ago
From box office disasters to beloved cult classics! Join us as we countdown horror films that initially bombed but found their audience years later. These misunderstood masterpieces were ahead of their time, victims of poor marketing, or simply too weird for mainstream audiences when they first released.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down art picks for the 10 horror movies that
00:09initially flopped at the box office before becoming cult classics.
00:1310.
00:14Halloween 3 – Season of the Witch
00:25They took an enormous gamble on Halloween 3, but unfortunately it didn't pay off.
00:39Michael Myers was one of the hottest names in horror by 1982, but he wasn't in this
00:43movie, which was a huge turnoff for fans of the first two.
00:46Not only that, the film departed from the slasher genre to tell a weird fantasy story about
00:51face-melting pumpkins, magic rocks and Celtic rituals.
00:54The pivot to a standalone story would have been far better received if it had a different
01:08title altogether.
01:10But luckily, time has been kind to the film.
01:12Far removed from the hype and the initial marketing baggage, viewers could appreciate the movie
01:16on its own weird terms and came to love its dystopian vibe and absurd story.
01:19All you lucky kids with silver shamrock masks, gather round your TV set, put on your masks
01:25and watch.
01:269.
01:27Possession
01:28Well, I can't exist by myself because I'm afraid of myself, because I'm the maker of my
01:35own evil.
01:36Weird movies often struggle commercially, and Possession is a very weird movie.
01:41The film contains disturbing imagery, grotesque body horror and a highly graphic sex and death
01:46metaphor, which put off a good segment of the population.
01:49It was also way too strange and unclassifiable for general audiences, and many simply didn't
01:55know what to make of it.
01:56I used to be afraid of you, but I don't think I am anymore.
02:00There is nothing to fear except God, whatever that means to you.
02:07And to make matters worse, Possession was butchered for its American release.
02:11About one third of the entire movie was cut, making the already bizarre storyline borderline
02:16incoherent.
02:17But the full uncut version became available with the rise of home video and streaming,
02:21and it slowly came to be appreciated, especially amongst those who lack a little ambiguity with
02:26their horror.
02:27Possession was truly ahead of its time.
02:28You know, when I'm away from you, I think of you as an animal or a woman possessed,
02:33and then I see you again, and all this disappears.
02:368.
02:38Slither
02:39Either you ever seen anything like that?
02:42You ever heard of anything like that?
02:45Huh?
02:47Me neither.
02:48Sometimes, a movie is widely considered excellent but still underperforms.
02:52That's life.
02:53James Gunn made his directorial debut with Slither, a fun and extremely gross slice of horror
02:58comedy that serves as an homage to 50s B-movies.
03:01Despite enthusiastic reviews, the mix of tones confused general audiences with horror
03:06fans finding it too silly and comedy fans finding it too scary and gory.
03:10Universal also struggled to market the film effectively, with limited star power and trailers leaning
03:22too heavily into the gross-out horror without highlighting the wit or sense of fun.
03:26But it quickly became a favorite for horror nerds and midnight movie crowds and later gained
03:31popularity on DVD, with die-hard fans highlighting its remarkable creature effects and endlessly
03:36quotable lines.
03:37This is the film the film that makes you feel like a skrid.
03:477.
03:47Twin Peaks
03:48Firewalk With Me
03:49Well, now, I'm not gonna talk about Judy.
03:53In fact, we're not going to talk about Judy at all.
03:56We're gonna keep her out of it.
03:58There are a slew of reasons why Firewalk With Me didn't work on the hills of the mega-popular
04:03Twin Peaks.
04:04The show had a disappointing second season, which soured interest for more.
04:07The film failed to address its many lingering questions, serving instead as a prequel focused
04:12on the final days of Laura Palmer.
04:25Many beloved characters were completely absent, it was way too dark for some, especially compared
04:30to the show's wackier tone, and for others, it was way too weird, more David Lynch than
04:35Twin Peaks.
04:36But now, those are exactly why people love it.
04:38Fire Walk With Me came to be appreciated as a bold, artistic wrist that didn't heed to
04:42expectations, and it's considered one of Lynch's defining works.
04:55By its very nature, this film probably wasn't going to do well.
05:16It's a challenging and abstract movie, leaning heavily into ambiguity and psychological horror,
05:21rather than the conventional sci-fi action that gets butts in seats.
05:24It was also plagued by poor marketing and internal strife, with financier David Ellison fearing
05:29that it was too intellectual for general audiences and asking that changes be made.
05:37But producer Scott Rudden had final cut privileges, and he kept it as is.
05:45As a result, Paramount sold the movie's international distribution rights to Netflix, greatly undercutting
05:49its potential at the box office.
05:51Annihilation would underperform, but that didn't stop its many ardent fans from adorning its
05:56unbashed weirdness.
05:57It came here for a reason, it was mutating our environment, it was destroying everything.
06:05It wasn't destroying, it was changing everything, it was making something new.
06:135.
06:14Near Dark
06:20You know, they need to make more Western horror movies.
06:25Near Dark is a fun blending of the genres, with memorable performances from a stacked cast,
06:29a fresh and subversive take on vampires, and innovative direction from Kathryn Bigelow.
06:34She brought something new to the genre with an atmospheric mood, brilliant use of lighting,
06:38and dust-sweeping American aesthetic.
06:56But people didn't see that at the time, literally, they didn't see it.
06:59The genre-bending confused audiences and marketing teams alike, and the movie received almost no promotional push.
07:04It was also released soon after The Lost Boys, which greatly overshadowed Near Dark with its
07:09popular stars and glam aesthetics that appealed to the MTV generation.
07:14So, now you know what we are, and now you know what you are.
07:21You'll never grow old, Michael, and you'll never die.
07:274.
07:28Grindhouse
07:29I have no leg!
07:40Now you do.
07:41What do you think?
07:42Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez got together and took us back to the 70s with Grindhouse.
07:47This was an homage to the gritty and goofy exploitation era, a double bill that combined Rodriguez's Planet Terror with Tarantino's Death Proof and featured a number of fake trailers.
07:56Unfortunately, general audiences had no idea what to make of this.
08:06Not the weird tone of the movies, not the intentionally crappy filmmaking, and probably not the 190-minute runtime.
08:12Luckily, home video did wonders for Grindhouse.
08:15Planet Terror and Death Proof were split up and given their own separate releases, which helped word of mouth, and many of the fake trailers have since been made into real movies, including Machete and Thanksgiving.
08:28No!
08:29This way!
08:30This way!
08:31This way!
08:32Go!
08:33Number 3.
08:34The Blob
08:35Listen to me, Briggs.
08:36Think for a minute.
08:37Do you suppose an army of guys in plastic suits show up every time a meteor falls?
08:41It's not often that a remake surpasses the original.
08:44The Blob is a rare exception, but the film was marketed like a typical monster movie with little effort made to highlight its inventive effects, edgy tone, and modern updates to the original story.
08:54The thing on that man's hand killed him, and then it killed Paul.
09:00And whatever it is, it's getting bigger.
09:03To many people, this just looked like a campy and dated creature feature from a bygone era.
09:08It also faced some serious competition at the box office, including Die Hard and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, both of which were enormous hits.
09:15But horror lovers eventually came to appreciate the movie's subversive storytelling and incredible practical effects, with some of the kill scenes becoming legendary among horror enthusiasts.
09:24We need a schematic of the sewer system.
09:26We'll contain it down there.
09:27I want that organism alive.
09:29What about the civilians?
09:32They're expendable.
09:38Number 2.
09:40Event Horizon
09:41This is one of those instances where critics and general audiences do not see eye to eye.
10:00Event Horizon was lambasted upon release, with many critics hating the film and giving it negative reviews.
10:05That certainly didn't help its box office prospects.
10:08Neither did the poor marketing or stiff competition from the likes of Air Force One and Men in Black.
10:13While some people enjoyed it, word of mouth wasn't nearly strong enough to overcome the initial negativity.
10:18It shows you things.
10:20Horrible things.
10:22What does?
10:23The dark inside me.
10:26From the other place.
10:28I won't go back there.
10:29I won't.
10:30But the film found new life on DVD and late night caving, with horror lovers warming to its unique genre-bending, lovecraftian elements,
10:37and striking visuals.
10:38The production design on this movie is just second to none.
10:41Oh my god.
10:43What happened to your eyes?
10:46Where am I going?
10:48We won't need eyes to see.
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11:051.
11:06The Thing
11:08There is no greater example of a horror movie flop turning into a classic.
11:17The Thing is widely regarded as one of the best horror movies ever, with its unique setting,
11:21fun story, incredible cast, and some of the best practical effects ever put to screen.
11:25And in 1982, people hated it.
11:40They hated its nihilistic tone, its downbeat ending, its so-called underdeveloped characters,
11:45and especially its gore.
11:47Word of mouth was, shall we say, not the greatest.
11:50But worst of all, The Thing suffered what is probably the worst theatrical timing of all time,
11:55coming out just two weeks after E.T.
11:57That alone crushed any and all hopes of The Thing performing well at the box office.
12:01Do you enjoy these films or do you think they were right to bomb?
12:14Let us know in the comments down below and don't forget to like and subscribe for more
12:17WatchMojo videos.
12:22See ya!
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