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The horror genre has given filmmakers an immense amount of flexibility when it comes to crafting their stories. Horror films have taken place across many different periods, in various unique settings, and have featured a mix of interesting characters. Some of the best horror movies take risks by mixing typical horror elements with fascinating plots.
However, numerous horror projects tend to adhere to the norm. The formula of jump scares, clichés, and moody lighting has proven to be very financially fruitful. As such, even horror movies with original and distinctive plots will default to the standard tropes rather than utilize a fascinating script to its fullest potential.
This article contains trailers with gun violence and gore.
10/10 Winchester’s Fascinating Real-Life Story Relies On Typical Horror Tropes
2018
The story behind Sarah Winchester has a variety of legends and tales tied to it. Sarah was the widow of William Winchester, the CEO of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, and she has become well-known for how she spent her days after his death. 2018’s Winchester was Hollywood’s most significant attempt to bring the interesting tale to the big screen.
Winchester starred Helen Mirren, Jason Clarke, and Sarah Snook and promised to be a tense supernatural horror film. However, rather than focus on Sarah’s grief and struggle against the spirits in her haunted “mystery mansion,” Winchester resorted to having as many jump scares and horror tropes as possible. As a result, Winchester was critically panned.
9/10 Antebellum Fails To Utilize A Great Leading Performance
(2020)
Low-budget horror saw a massive surge in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. 2020’s Antebellum was one horror movie that benefited from this increased exposure. Starring Janelle Monáe, Antebellum focused on America’s racist past and present. The film follows Veronica, who wakes up to find herself trapped in a modern-day slave plantation.
Unfortunately, despite an excellent leading performance from Monáe, Antebellum had a disjointed screenplay that struggled to maintain a strong focus on any of its interesting themes. Despite the potentially thrilling and unique premise, Antebellum received criticism for not living up to its potential.
8/10 Devil Had An Excellent Set-Up
(2010)
Few things are scarier than being trapped in an enclosed space. Great movies like 10 Cloverfield Lane and Buried have done a great job of capitalizing on people’s fear of being trapped. Bottleneck horror films utilize people’s fear of enclosed spaces. 2010’s Devil is a horror thriller that traps five characters in an elevator, but one of them is the Devil. One by one, the occupants are picked off by a mysterious entity.
While M. Night Shyamalan’s flick was a moderate box office success, it failed to impress critics due to its weak characters and predictable plot points. While Devil has a great set-up, it never fully commits to its unique and potentially terrifying premise.
7/10 V/H/S: Viral Fails To Understand What Made The Previous Entries Successful
(2014)
V/H/S is an anthology horror movie franchise that was first created by Brad Miska in 2012. The franchise has become a beloved cult hit among horror fans. 2014’s V/H/S: Viral was the third entry in the series and had high expectations. Viral uses a series of found footage films to tell its story, including an illusionist finding a magical object and the teenage victims of a cult.
Despite this potentially fun premise, many fans and critics regard Viral as the worst entry in the franchise due to its weaker scripts and over reliance on horror clichés. Despite this, the franchise survived, with V/H/S/94 helping get the series back on track.
6/10 Brightburn’s Attempted To Subvert Superhero Clichés
(2019)
Since Superman was created in 1933, several artists have attempted to tell different interpretations of the hero’s origin story. While some different retellings of Superman have been widely successful, others have failed to make much of a mark. 2018’s horror flick Brightburn tried to add a twist to the hero’s story.
Brightburn was written around the entertaining idea of “what if Superman came to earth and became a killer?” While the movie features a couple of fun moments and some strong performances, ultimately, it misses the mark. Brightburn fails to differentiate itself from the sea of other slasher movies, even though it had an interesting premise.
5/10 The Nun Was A Disappointing Entry In New Line Cinema’s Conjuring Universe
(2018)
James Wan’s The Conjuring was a success both critically and commercially. New Line Cinema saw a chance to build a horror universe around James Wan’s successful vision, which made a lot of sense. In 2018, New Line Cinema released The Nun.
Based on the villain from The Conjuring 2, The Nun told the demon’s origin story in 1952 Romania. Unlike the first two Conjuring movies, The Nun wasn’t directed by Wan and, as such, lacked any of his creativity or style. The film was scary, but it didn’t tell the exciting origin story fans were hoping for. Additionally, The Nun was criticized for its incoherent plot.
4/10 Chernobyl Diaries Wastes A Unique And Rich Setting
(2012)
Radiation and nuclear fallout have been seen in many movies and TV shows, from the post-apocalyptic World War Z to the stark retelling of a real-life disaster in HBO’s Chernobyl miniseries. 2012 saw the release of Chernobyl Diaries, a horror movie based on a group of characters visiting the titular irradiated city. During their trip, they encounter terrifying mutants.
Conceptually, Chernobyl Diaries could’ve been one of the year’s best and most engaging horror films. Sadly, the movie is filled with predictable jump scares. Additionally, the main characters were unlikable and hard to root for.
3/10 Paranormal Activity Became Way More Popular Than It Deserved
(2007)
One of the most commercially successful horror movies ever made, Paranormal Activity changed the horror landscape when it was released in 2007. Being made on a micro-budget of $15,000, Paranormal Activity grossed nearly $200 million at the box office. This success story resulted in many low-budget horror movies being released by studios in the following years.
Despite spawning a franchise containing several financially successful movies, the first Paranormal Activity has aged poorly in recent years. The following movies in the franchise prove that Paranormal Activity could have done more with this format. While the film can be tense at parts, the heavy reliance on jump scares makes Paranormal Activity feel less creative than most horror flicks.
2/10 Grave Encounters Has Creepy Atmosphere Underneath Several Cheap Scares
(2011)
One of the most popular forms of television programming is ghost-hunting shows. While it’s evident that many of these shows are fake, millions still watch them. Making a horror movie that revolves around a ghost-hunting team in an abandoned psychiatric hospital is a fun idea.
Grave Encounters is a found footage film that told a ghost-hunting-gone-wrong story. While the movie has several genuinely scary moments, it fails to utilize the found footage format to the same level of success as other movies like Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield, or Trollhunter. With unlikeable characters and cheap jump scares, Grave Encounters failed to impress critics upon release in 2011.
1/10 The Purge Turned An Exciting Set-Up Into A Typical Home Invasion Flick
(2013)
The early 2010s brought several low-budget horror films that hoped for a Paranormal Activity box office success. The Purge stood out as something different in the sea of forgettable movies when its first trailer was released in 2013.
The Purge’s leading hook is that America has decided to host a Purge, an annual event where all crime is legal. While silly, this idea opened up many unique and fun storytelling opportunities. Unfortunately, The Purge resorted to being a standard home-contained horror flick, with the unique idea of The Purge being essentially in the background.
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